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Trolls, Bullies and a Fear of Haters

A remarkably infuriating trend that is spreading like some bad case of the black plague, the concept of online haters or trolls is running rampant on a global level. These individuals are able to run with the most irrelevant piece of data or reduce an entire ideology to a single meme without provocation or purpose. Having a Fear of Haters prevents you from living life the fullest because you worry how your actions may be judged. Solution: write a passive-aggressive blog post!

There have always been two sides to every argument since the invention of the debate. Since the invention of social media, there have always been two sides to every selfie. The sole purpose of social media was to unite people. Isn’t it ironic that social media has created a subculture of individuals set to tear people apart? Open any YouTube video in the world (a video with comments… But what kind of loser doesn’t even have comments on their videos!) and you are guaranteed to find at least one comment hell-bent on implying some sort of vague sexual conquest involving a strangers mother. Granted, these comments usually come across more confusing than insulting, but still. Other comments include someone claiming someone they’ve never met is somehow inferior to them in some irrelevant way. You win this round, troll.

While it’s incredibly easy to hide behind a very large rock or among a series of artfully placed shrubberies, it’s even easier to hide behind a computer or phone screen. You can become anyone you want to be. You can represent anything you choose to be for or against at that moment. Take pride in the fact no one will ever be able to make you repeat your opinion to their face. We’ve bred a society of self-righteous narcissists who have found a way to feed off of negative energy and poor sentence structure. Who ends a sentence like this?

Can a Fear of Haters Back Off?

There are many popular trolls in modern society. Like the ones that live under bridges and ask for bus fare. Or those Trollz dolls made popular in the ’90s. Or Shrek (come on, someone take the bait…). All of these examples represent how society used to operate in a simpler time. Now our trolls are built in the cyber world. Instead of feasting on the bones of their victims, they choose to pick fights over which top 40 song from 2006 is superior while offering no facts to support the opinion no one asked for. Oh, how times have changed.

Yes, trolls and haters exist. And yes you can have a Fear of Haters. Those are two facts. What is more important is remembering that you are your own person. You represent your own thoughts and opinions and have every right to believe in something even if it’s not the most popular choice. Be true to yourself and always remember that I am better than you. Or at least that’s what your mom said about me last night. BOO-YAH!