I have been writing this blog for more more than 9 years now and. apart from a few incidents, have managed to avoid controversy and 'flame wars'. I'm a blogger, not a fighter. I keep my Facebook and Twitter accounts pretty vanilla as well.
That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy a bit of controversy on other people's pages and some spats are so compelling that I follow them with great interest. It is different when you don't actually know the people involved.
That changed for me a couple of days ago when someone I've actually met (through blogging) got involved in an argument with Loyalists Against Democracy (LAD for short). I'm a LAD fan although I don't agree with absolutely everything they get up to. For instance, a few of the comments on the site can be as sectarian as those they lampoon.
I won't go into detail as to what the spat was about but if anyone is interested enough it should be easy to find out. The guy I know did LAD a big sneaky disservice and they came after him. Now I see that his Twitter and Facebook accounts are taken down.
This is what disturbed me. He is now accused as a bigot and a Loyalist while he didn't strike me as either. He has pictures of Loyalist bands on his Flickr photostream. So do I. He has a strong opinion on the Ulster Covenant. So does one of my best friends who'd walk over broken glass to help me if if I needed it.
Ah well people. If you court controversy on the internet you will get it in barrowloads. As for me, I'm just a wee Catholic granny living in Cully, keeping my head down. I'm not courting controversy or looking for a fight. Don't hit me!
I don't think you need to worry about the photos of Orange parades however if you find yourself leaving supportive comments on vile sites which condone hate crime then you need to start worrying.
ReplyDeleteThen I don't need to worry.
ReplyDeleteSorry about that ladies. I haven't gone away, you know ;-) I'm just not actively engaging online with those folks that have been mentioned and won't say anymore on here as they seem to be on a mission to screen capture the entire internet :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm saying nahim too.
ReplyDeleteFor different reasons than you, I need to learn to keep my head down, too. But it's damn hard sometimes.
ReplyDeleteThere is a saying in Northern Ireland, Whatever you say, say nothing. The right people abide by it and they shouldn't, The consequences are that the fools do most of the talking.
ReplyDelete