The other day I was scrolling through my Twitter feed (a dangerous pastime, I know) when I came across someone not-so-casually mentioning how another person had organized a cancelation campaign against them—based entirely on a lie.
The fact that you couldn't legally defend yourself from a blatant lie, without it costing you a small fortune is one example of many that our legal system is broken. Our legal system should be there to serve you, not be an impediment. I see story after story about the impossible and crippling costs of winning and losing in our legal system, both in time and money.
Digital Weregild. "A monetary value established for a person's life, to be paid as a fine or as compensatory damages a person is injured by another," paraphrased from wikipedia. Even the mentally ill and personality disordered will respond to incentives. If the first movers of the mob are not countered only another mob can counter them. There will be a chilling effect after the worst and most famous offenders are given consequences for blatant lies.
Words matter....being a writer is a dangerous, and sometimes fatal profession. Darya Dugina? Salman Rushdie? Abraham Lincoln? True, their "words" may have been transcribed speeches, reveries from a past life or a television broadcast, but all incited vile, emotional responses. Words matter.
Unfortunately, tweets and the twitterverse seem laden with rapid fire responses, often not thoughtfully expressed -- but the words are out there and never coming back. IMHO, look before you leap and don't be tempted by anger. What do we say? What goes around, comes around...God helps those who help themselves...and the old standby "Silence is golden!"
The fact that you couldn't legally defend yourself from a blatant lie, without it costing you a small fortune is one example of many that our legal system is broken. Our legal system should be there to serve you, not be an impediment. I see story after story about the impossible and crippling costs of winning and losing in our legal system, both in time and money.
Two words... Jussie Smolette
Digital Weregild. "A monetary value established for a person's life, to be paid as a fine or as compensatory damages a person is injured by another," paraphrased from wikipedia. Even the mentally ill and personality disordered will respond to incentives. If the first movers of the mob are not countered only another mob can counter them. There will be a chilling effect after the worst and most famous offenders are given consequences for blatant lies.
Words matter....being a writer is a dangerous, and sometimes fatal profession. Darya Dugina? Salman Rushdie? Abraham Lincoln? True, their "words" may have been transcribed speeches, reveries from a past life or a television broadcast, but all incited vile, emotional responses. Words matter.
Unfortunately, tweets and the twitterverse seem laden with rapid fire responses, often not thoughtfully expressed -- but the words are out there and never coming back. IMHO, look before you leap and don't be tempted by anger. What do we say? What goes around, comes around...God helps those who help themselves...and the old standby "Silence is golden!"