purplekecleon:

this about sums it up; be kinder, everyone

…No. That’s wrong. What?

The answer is not to block people. Are 3,500 people really blindly reblogging this?

You know what you’re doing when you block or mute someone? You’re essentially pressing your hand against their mouth. Not as bad as insulting, sure. But its still wrong to say its “kinder”.

Maybe that example is too extreme. It’s not like you’re forcing people to shut up. What you are doing can be better compared to covering your ears. And if you want to go the extra mile, you vocally yell and scream to show the person that you’re not listening. It’s not as hurtful but its still rude.

The best alternatives are also the hardest ones. You can either:

A. Confront them

or

B. Ignore them.

Now ignoring someone sounds like muting, right? But it’s not. By blocking someone you’re suppressing their right to opinion, whether good or bad. Its the same reason people like Anita Sarkeesian get hatred. She doesn’t just ignore feedback, she outright blocks it. ALL OF IT. Positive Feedback, Negative Feedback, Opinions, Questions, you name it. Just for the sake of muting the few trolls that “bully” her. 

By just ignoring anything you think is trolling, you not only gain the ability to handle negative feedback, but its also possible for you to hear that exact same troll praise you for something else. Something you would not have ever heard if you blocked them.

Seriously you’re comparing murder to arson here, folks. They are both horrible crimes. You’re not going to have a happier life because you burnt something as opposed to you killing someone. You’ll most likely be happier not doing either.