There aren't half some utter bastards about

[WOM]

There aren't half some utter bastards about

No, not because Twitter decides they should. But because society - the collective he has to live amongst - deems that he's broken the social contract and that a penalty should be extracted.

I understand the unease with it. But it's not as 'out there' as it's being made out to be. I mean, the original boycott was a form of mob justice. As were stocks and shunning.

[EIM]

There aren't half some utter bastards about

Twitter and society are two very different things.

[MsD]

There aren't half some utter bastards about

At the start, the reaction seemed to be genuine hurt and righteous anger, then it became a competition to see who could be the most obnoxious cunt in return, who is the bigger man because they can order (or pretend to order) the most concrete to his house.

FFS, they need to challenge all that energy towards something useful.

[EIM]

There aren't half some utter bastards about

MsD wrote: At the start, the reaction seemed to be genuine hurt and righteous anger, then it became a competition to see who could be the most obnoxious cunt in return, who is the bigger man because they can order (or pretend to order) the most concrete to his house.

FFS, they need to challenge all that energy towards something useful.

Yes! Faux-moral outrage for RTs.

[WOM]

There aren't half some utter bastards about

EIM wrote: Twitter and society are two very different things.

True...mostly. Twitter is society, but faster and more broadly. Very much 'the medium is the message'. Where, in the past, a whisper campaign by phone or letter would have sought retribution in slow motion, Twitter makes is almost immediate. But it also amplifies the outrage (as MsD says) exponentially. Perhaps it's a side effect of the medium, or just a result of people feeling that things aren't dealt with properly when they go through formal channels.

I mean, look at the Ronnie Pickering thing. Not Twitter, but far more immediate and effective at 'correcting' antisocial behaviour than if he'd gotten a traffic ticket. And, as a side effect, serves to remind others of what's not acceptable.

[MsD]

There aren't half some utter bastards about

Yes, if they stuck to reasonable ridicule and condemnation. I would argue that the bouncy castles deliveries are a load of hot air.

[WOM]

There aren't half some utter bastards about

I agree. What was, previously 'impotent rage' will manifest itself stupidly at times. Some people have a quiet word with troublesome neighbours, while others push poo through their mail slot. Twas ever thus. It's not the medium...in fact it's rarely ever the medium...it's people.

[EIM]

There aren't half some utter bastards about

Twitter works as an echo chamber. It amplifies all the bollocks. And given Twitter attracts a certain sort of person (I speak as someone with over 70k tweets...) it's here where things start to fall apart. It's Lord of the fucking Flies.

[WOM]

There aren't half some utter bastards about

Again, you're trying to blame the medium for the behaviour. Any medium, whether phone/Facebook/Instagram fits in the sentence "________ attracts a certain sort of person". You're thoughtful and measured while others are hotheaded and erratic. It's just people being people, amplified by their peers and anonymity.

Sure, the behaviour is distasteful, but that's what you'll get in any crowd. There's always some outlier who ruins mob justice for everyone.

[Reed John]

There aren't half some utter bastards about

EIM wrote: Twitter and society are two very different things.

Yes. And society is pretty awful too.

[Jah Womble]

There aren't half some utter bastards about

EIM wrote: What are you on about?

I get your disenfranchisement of the manner in which these clowns may have reacted, but I just don't accept righteous indignation manifesting itself as little more than nebulous speculation.

As for Twitter, it's just a communication tool open to misuse like any other. People who mistake it as holding any more importance or power than other methods of communication are a part of the problem, IMO. The simple fact is that we have Twitter now - can't uninvent the bomb.

Perhaps if the system made it harder to set up nefarious email addresses, social media accounts, whatever, then maybe misuse of such tools - which is all they are - wouldn't occur so frequently. (Insist on personal details which can then be cross-checked - maybe that might weed out some of the bad guys.)

[MsD]

There aren't half some utter bastards about

http://www.itv.com/news/granada/update/2016-07-08/man-fined-600-for-t-shirt-that-mocked-hillsborough-tragedy/

His remorse seems genuine. That would be nice.