13. Day 13: about forums, social networks and language.
Yesterday, I decided to comment on a topic on a platform. I increasingly refrain from doing so because, while one has the freedom to express their opinions, others have the right to refute them. And that would be fine if it weren't for the fact that respectful treatment isn't always reciprocated.
A few minutes after my message, I received a reply whose objective was to demonstrate my supposed ignorance rather than focus on the content of the message. I responded with the vain hope of explaining myself, but their response was just as disrespectful as the first, and without addressing the core of the message. I replied again, but then decided to delete the message and repost it.
This is just one example illustrating the level of education of a large portion of those who comment on social media or digital platforms. Very few have the courage to sign with their real name, something that should be mandatory, and instead, they cowardly express their frustrations, resentments, or malice on these platforms.
The so-called official press or media is not immune to this aggressive language. Using derogatory or demeaning terms such as "humiliates," "destroys," "hits," and others with a clear intention to belittle and undermine the values of education and respect that everyone deserves, regardless of their ideologies, attitudes, or beliefs. In Spain, it is said that the best slap is the one that isn't given, or, in other words, silence doesn't always mean agreement; it can also encompass indifference and disapproval.
Language in these times has become terribly violent; statistics of people attacked by words have grown exponentially with the digital age. Extreme cases like suicide are not anecdotal, but a consequence of this lack of control over the internet. Threats, blackmail, pressure, and a whole host of hateful tactics are spreading daily.Thus, people who really have something to say prefer to abstain under the dictatorship of the intransigent, the freedom killer who ends up imposing his narrative over another.
As we have said, these are usually dissatisfied, pathologically toxic individuals whose escape valve is their persona, hidden behind a disguise and a mask. Their interest is not in fostering dialogue but in definitively ending it. In this way, the dictatorship is imposed covertly, and a single idea slowly takes hold: silencing a particular current of opinion, breaking the balance so necessary for the common and diverse construction of reality.
The mainstream press and media do this because of the fierce competition that prevails today to attract subscribers, readers, or listeners. The old model of independence has broken down. Basically, opinions are offered, not a neutral perspective. This can be seen in the use of all kinds of adjectives. I remember programs like Balbin's "La Clave," Dragó's "Blanco sobre negro," and some newspapers that observed, rather than participated in, the events they were supposed to be covering.
Radio is perhaps the medium that has become most politicized; you only have to listen to some programs to realice that the information is manipulated and controlled by political ideology.
These are times of siege, of a constant struggle for survival, and in that sense, closer to the animal world from which we seem to have originated. Life has become a state of perpetual dissatisfaction. This is clearly observable in bus drivers, hospital receptionists, and most public services. Personal issues are transferred to customers, creating an atmosphere of discomfort, anxiety, and detachment. That increasingly illustrates a sick society incapable of resolving conflicts, of coping with life, with its role, and with the status it wants to maintain, even though it doesn't realice it's killing the goose that lays the eggs.
In this climate of continuous dissatisfaction it is easy to get lost, to forget what our role is, whether it is free or brought about by our profession.
Changing the subject, today I left the house to withdraw the money I needed for my return to Spain. I must say that Izeda also boasts a more splendid side and a higher standard of living, evident in certain buildings. It was good to take that image with me as well.
I went inside for a coffee, and on the television, at an excessively high volume, a Mass was being broadcast from Fatima. The religious vocation of the Portuguese is well known. In his homily, the priest addressed everything I've explained here from my atheist perspective. This confluence of reflections is in the air and continues to concern both religious people and those of us who profess no religion. It's a matter of human challenge unfolding from different perspectives. They all lead to the same path for this lost humanity.
