When does outrage cross the line?

When does outrage cross the line?

On one hand I think that we should absolutely hold people accountable for their actions and at the same time, I’ve watched people take this way too far. I admit, I have certainly pushed that line a few times myself. That’s why I’m writing this. 

I do have a line

Come on to the comment section and talk shit, that’s on you, same if you decide to email me repeatedly. I have every right to clip and share your bullshit and if anything you should be grateful that I crop out your name and picture. Yes, in a sense I am going after you but at the same time, I’m simply making a point and using your stupid ass as an example. You get a dose of reality and my fans get a good laugh but at the end of the day, no one is getting hurt. 

We’re playing with fire. 

It’s one thing to step up and call someone out. It’s a whole other issue when people start losing their business and health as a result of online outrage. Granted, there are few situations when this is warranted but we ain’t judge and jury and some people don’t know when to stop. It makes us as bad as the assholes and I’m just not cool with that. 

I hate Sysco…..

For a wide range of reasons. That said, my issue is with the company and the policies and procedures they support. This doesn’t mean that I want to see the CEO harassed or lose his house and marriage. The company sucks but that doesn’t mean I wish him or any of the employees ill will or suffering, I just want them to change the way they do business. 

Do you see the difference? Am I explaining this simply enough? Yes, public awareness and outrage can be used as a tool to create positive change but that’s the question you really need to ask. Am I making a point and being part of a change, or am I being petty and kicking someone while they’re down? 

Yes, this includes my former employers….

Oh, I have tons and tons of dirt on various places but in the nearly nine years I’ve been running this, I’ve only gone public with that once. The cliff notes on that were that they had taken photos of mine and used them without consent in ads. I asked them numerous times to take em down and was more or less told to get fucked. For the record, I had a thousand fans at the time and never once encouraged them to post negative reviews, I was hoping they would just call or email them. This was nearly 6 years ago and I saw real fast how things can snowball. I didn’t like it then and kind of saw this coming. 

With great power comes great responsibility. 

Personally, I think tech has surpassed our ability to evolve with it and, as a result, we’re very much like teenagers who saw someone drive in a movie and are now doing 90 down a dirt road. We’re bound to crash, the only question is how bad it’s going to be and are we going to be able to continue. 

We have the power to connect instantly with people and it’s made the world a really small place all of a sudden. Small acts and statements can go viral and what might start as a walk down the beach can turn you into an overnight celebrity. 

Dear Randy

Earlier this week, a man by the name Randy Good who owns a Candy store in Indiana posted what I thought was a parody of a wanted ad. It was so over the top that I had to double check the source, the business, etc, just to make sure it was real. The guy has a way with words and seriously crossed the line and this was only confirmed by numerous former employees who spoke out against him. Social media caught wind of it and it made headlines. I was in such shock that he would say, let alone post an ad like this that I shared it as a prime example of a toxic work environment. 

Yesterday, he showed up in my news feed again, this time he looked like shit. I can tell when someone is blowing smoke up my ass and trying to sell me something and this dude just looked defeated. I don’t like the guy, I don’t like the way he runs his business but at the same time, I can’t help but feel bad seeing another person in that state. 

Here’s the fucked up part. Thanks to the media, business is booming but because of the bullshit we’ve put him through, he’s selling his candy shop that he’s spent the majority of his life building. This just doesn’t sit right with me. 

Meanwhile, what has actually been accomplished? 

Cool, we harassed a guy into selling his business. So now what? What does it actually change? Are any of us living better as a result? Yes, guys like him are assholes and need to be called out for being assholes but we’re angry at the wrong people. We need to be taking this rage we feel and using it to make a real change. 

Instead of attacking these guys, we need to go after our policy makers and put pressure on them to do their jobs. The sad thing is, most of you don’t even know who your mayor is let alone who speaks for you in DC. These are the people you need to call and email, these are the fucking managers Karen!!!! Now get to work bitch!!! 

Help me continue to provide you with mindless entertainment via Patreon, or you can buy a book or score some merch.

One comment

  1. without offending somebody. All it takes is one joke to be taken out of context and quoted on Twitter or Facebook, and a comic can expect a storm of invective from people who are either outraged or pretending to be.  Trevor Noah is one such comic. In March, he was appointed as the new host of The Daily Show, and the following day he was pilloried on social media because six out of the 9,000 Tweets he had posted were deemed sexist or anti-Semitic. Other comedians saw this response as part of a worryingly hysterical trend. Patton Oswalt argued that the kind of instantaneous liberal outrage heaped on Noah “is going to hurt the progressive movement in this country more than anything”. Jim Norton wrote a feature for Time, stating that Americans were addicted to the buzz of being offended. “Western culture as a whole,” he continued, “has become an increasingly reactionary mob of self-centered narcissists who all have their own personal lines drawn in the sand. A comedian is fine unless he crosses their particular line, which, of course, in the mind of a self-centered narcissist, is the only line that matters.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *