I am so glad the latest exercise of 'democracy' in the UK is over and done with, hopefully for another five years. Don't panic, I have no intention of getting all political here. I have no interest in what colour ribbon your candidate wears, nor in convincing you to change your allegiance. Would be a bit late now anyway.
No, what I am passing comment on today is the way the election brought out the worst in people, so noticeably and so vigorously, on social media. I'm not going to post examples, and I will refer only to F-word and C-word -- not because I am a prude (I use the first regularly and the second rarely) but because there may be people reading this who are offended by their use.
Even now, there is vile vitriol still being thrown about because people didn't get the result they felt was the only ideologically righteous solution. Thankfully, the stones being cast at UKIP have largely ceased, but it is interesting to note that the worst of the diatribes and the spewing hatred during the election was reserved for them, but now the votes are cast, that same vile, vicious hatred is being turned towards the Conservatives and anybody who voted for them.
I do not support UKIP, but though the whole campaign I tried to recommend a little sanity to the more vigorous and vocal protests, at least on pages where my social media crossed others. I get the passion; I feel passionately about such things. What I don't get is the mob mentality that seems to infect groups that are supposed to be intelligent and erudite and largely above such things.
And perhaps that's the problem. Maybe we aren't going to be able to 'do' politics properly until we can do it rationally; without the hatred, without the verbal and physical assaults, without the mobs mentality and the pack-hunting.
Not looking forward to the next one :(
No comments:
Post a Comment