Braden Matejka survived a bullet to the head in the Las Vegas massacre. Then, the death threats started coming.More details at The Guardian. This is the world we live in.
“You are a lying piece of shit and I hope someone truly shoots you in the head,” a commenter wrote to Matejka on Facebook, one week after a gunman killed 58 people and injured hundreds more. “Your soul is disgusting and dark! You will pay for the consequences!” said another. A Facebook meme quickly spread with a photo of him after the shooting, captioned: “I’m a lying cunt!”...
Conspiracy theorists – some of whom claim that the government staged the shooting on 1 October or that the tragedy was a hoax – have targeted survivors and victims’ loved ones, spamming every social media platform with misinformation and abuse. On Facebook and YouTube in particular, users have published viral posts and videos calling people like Braden “crisis actors”, alleging they were hired to pose as victims...
Friends and relatives posted messages of love and support in response. But soon, the nasty messages began to arrive, with strangers sending comments at such a rapid rate that it was hard for the family to keep up.
“Obviously a TERRIBLE CRISIS ACTOR,” wrote a Facebook user named Samantha. “HE’S SCAMMING THE PUBLIC … This was a government set up.”
“YOUR A LIAR AND THEFT PIECE OF CRAP [sic],” wrote Karen.
“You’ll pay on the other side,” said a user named Mach. Others called Braden a “LYING BASTARD”, “scumbag govt actor” and “fuckin FRAUD”, while one user named Josh wrote: “I hope someone comes after you and literally beats the living fuck outa you.”
31 October 2017
Conspiracy theory: there was no shooting in Las Vegas
Unbelievable:
Good with the death penalty for whichever side is lying.
ReplyDeleteKilling people certainly solves all of our problems, right?
DeleteWhichever side?
DeleteAh, yes- Dunking! Of course...
I hear you guys. Perhaps I was indeed over the top. However, if someone STAGED the whole thing, do we not think that person should be taken off the market forever? Isn't execution far more humane than a lifetime in prison?
DeleteAnd if it did happen, but there are crazies who would say such awful things to people whose lives have been forever damaged, do we think that person is someone who ought to be permitted to spread such hatred? If so, then why are we protesting the neo-Nazis? If we don't think they SHOULD be heard, then what's the difference between that and making sure they aren't heard at all?
Your comments "...if someone STAGED the whole things..." and "...if it did happen..." makes you sound like someone who doubts that the shooting occurred. Am I misunderstanding you?
Delete(just trying to narrow down the framework for discussion)
The question is "what do you do about people who cannot/will not accept easily verified facts?"
ReplyDeleteIt applies in so many situations.
Secondarily - "what do you do about people who insist on acting out in anti-social ways on any beliefs?"
I'm afraid I don't have answers but "Put 'em away sure is tempting"
Those are two great questions, and I don't have any idea how to answer either of those. The first is hugely important because we seem to be struggling to find anything that all people can accept as 'fact' in any realm.
DeleteWizard's First Rule: A person will believe any lie, no matter how obvious or absurd, for one of two reasons. Either they wish it to be true, or they are afraid that it might be true. Either of these is accepting the possibility, and acceptance is the first step on the road to belief.
ReplyDeleteThere is only one possible counterpoint to the First Rule, and that is the Sixth Rule: The only sovereign you can allow to rule you is reason. Belief is all well and good, and is a valuable tool, but it cannot and must not be permitted to override logic and reason.
Paraphrased from Terry Goodkind, and the 'Sword of Truth' novels.