THIS HAPPENED TO ME/SPORTS OPINION
Sports Fans, There Is No Need To Personally Attack Those With Differing Opinions
You can attack someone else’s points but there is no need to drag someone personally for thinking differently than you
Social media has seemed to condition people to forget how to be civil with one another. It also has seemed to normalize attacking someone personally when they don’t agree with you instead of logically trying to break down their argument and arguing against their points instead. The second one happens to me more often than not, especially when I’m on Facebook.
Facebook is literally one of the worst social media sites to interact with others
I know I should’ve just completely quit the platform as I had once before for about six months. I’ve never had much faith in society’s ability to rationally think but I think that social media has melted and deteriorated so many people’s brains at this point. Sports fans, in particular, can be susceptible to this because of the tribalism that is instinctive in rooting for a particular team and thinking of the “others” as stupid, the enemy, and as uneducated.
I had some things to say today about the matchups this weekend on one of the sports pages that I follow on Facebook. I ran into an ultra version of the person that I’m describing. He had to respond to every little detail that I put out there and basically call me childish names, tearing down everything I had to say not by analyzing it but by calling me a hater and a fraud. He even said that I didn’t know what I was talking about even as I was offering support and luck to his favored team even though I hadn’t picked them to win.
You can’t win against someone who has either never been told that they’re wrong or just can’t accept that everyone is wrong sometimes
I may not be right with my pick but he can’t know for sure over me that he’s right before anything has even happened. The problem is, he’s so insulated in his bubble and his echo chamber of everyone either agreeing with him or violently antagonizing him that he can’t see calm and rational criticism for what it actually is. He is not alone in this style of thinking. There are many people who think the way he does and they are spread all over every platform.
I’m not just calling it out to disparage this individual or those like him. I’m just identifying the behavior and the way of thinking and hoping that anyone reading this can identify that behavior themselves and correct it when they can. We shouldn’t have to continue to put up with this belligerent behavior without setting boundaries.
Boundaries and staying calm under duress
I set boundaries more and more as I’ve discovered what I’m capable of and what I’m not. Healthy boundaries are always a good thing to have. I’ve been walked over and taken advantage of too many times. My boundaries while discussing topics online are that you don’t resort to personal attacks (ad hominem attacks) and that you approach the conversation with reasonable civility.
I’m not going to be mad if you come in a little hot and passionate about something and slip up once or twice but if I ask you to stop, it’s reasonable to try to prevent someone from escalating a civil discussion into a personal attack and full out argument about something that ultimately doesn’t even really matter in the end in the grand scheme of things.
I know what I’m talking about. I expect you to as well.
I am a true sports fan. There is no doubt about that. I’ve written about sports, played them, and followed them for years. I have an idea of the analysis that I’m presenting and the research that I’m putting into thought. I’m not going to come into an argument or discussion unprepared. It’s just that when I have to defend myself against an angry and unreasonable and irrational fan, I also have to prepare myself for a slew of personal attacks that I shouldn’t even need to endure. After all, it’s just a game.
We’re merely the pawns that make the NFL and other sports millions every year. It really doesn’t matter what we individually think at the end of the day. The leagues will still make their money and they will still have your attention year after year despite how you interact with other fans. I’m just letting fellow sports fans know that you better do your research when you come at me. I’m not going to resort to personal attacks on you if you disagree with me. I’m just going to dispute the stats and the facts.
Don’t be like the mega-Chad who just got shut down on social media because he wanted to keep going until he thought that he would completely destroy my soul. That’s not how this works. And it shouldn’t ever be how any of us operate.
