You may have noticed June has been unusually dull on social media. I’m also willing to bet you couldn’t really pinpoint the reason Twitter was missing something. Well, Farfour the Hamas Mouse and I took a little break from social media for a month just to chill out, concentrate on the family, the job, and rediscover something called a book. A book like on paper like they used to use in the 70’s.
As I gradually come back to the deep dark world of pro-Israel social media type person, I’d like to share with you what I learned on my month off.
1. Resensitization
I’m on pro-Israel Twitter. I’m on pro-Israel Facebook. I’m actively engaged in groups that help purge popular social media of hate, bias and incitement. Seeing even the most sick, deprived comments and images from Israel and Jew haters alike just stopped having any emotional effect on me. I was so desensitized to things that should shock and offend just about anyone.
During my break, I was no longer exposed to the daily hate people shared. I got my news like people got their news back in the days of yore. On TV and in the paper. My sources are the ones available to me here. Israeli Channel 2, Yediot Acharonot and Maariv.
On June 8, right in the middle of Brian Wilson and Der Antwoord’s concerts, two Palestinians terrorists finished their desserts at a restaurant I had just dined in 2 days prior and began shooting randomly at restaurant patrons with automatic weapons killing 4 people. The news was shocking, obviously. The news reports obviously reacted with horror and shock. The commentary and punditry on the incident was about how to keep safe, condemnation of the perpetrators. I lived until this day with the sound mind that the world knew this incident was an evil one and the sick Palestinians who did this are terrorists.
That is until I took a look at Aussie Dave’s post from just after the incident. After a full month of not being exposed to the nasty comments of the world’s filth, I see comments like these:
What??! Did they just call people eating at a chocolate restaurant in TEL AVIV settlers?! A shooting “OPERATION”?! WT ACTUAL F!?
Seeing this a month ago wouldn’t have fazed me. Today, it fazes me. It fazes me a lot. Who would say this?!
Or this train wreck of an article:
What’s that BBC? Trying to provide context in your article? Perhaps maybe even alluding to the fact that this could be a legitimate military target? You know what’s much closer to Sarona than the Kiriyah (IDF HQ)? The Eshkol Pais Cultural Center, high profile commercial offices, hordes of restaurants and playgrounds. BBC could have said it was near Hashalom crossing, one of the busiest hubs in Tel Aviv, which includes the Azrieli Towers.
We react to these kinds of things online every day. For me, the shock returned in a big way. How could the BBC, one of the world’s leading media agencies be so idiotic in its reporting? How come even they couldn’t get it right.
Further shocks came when I read the anti-Israel reactions to the string of awful events that happened in Orlando last month. The person who shot up the LGBT club was apparently a Zionist doing some false flagging. The person who shot the singing show contestant was probably also a Zionist. The alligator that mauled the toddler at Disney World was a Mossad agent. The WTF factor multiplies with each day you’re away from social media.
2. News Delays Ease Emotions
No longer getting real time news updates about everything on planet Earth takes some getting used to. I went 2 full days before knowing what unfolded in Orlando. I just found out now the Barry Manilow rescheduled his show in Tel Aviv!
When receiving bad news, I get worked up. I then go to the internet where I join all my worked up compadres where we all join together and get worked up together in an orgy of workedupness. Then I’d see people opposing my unopposable views which would get me even more worked up.
Remember the last time you got fired from your job? They told you the day before the weekend, right? They do that so you don’t murder your boss the next day.
This month I learned that this somehow needs to be put into effect in internet land. If you received news that makes you angry a few days after the incident, you might get worked up, but the internet is already finished being worked up. You have no worked up internet to go to. No opposing people to get you more worked up than you originally were.
Imagine if today I went online to vent about that guy who killed Cecil the Lion. After seeing that no one is angry about this anymore I’d probably just move on with my life and devour a tub of Chubby Hubby in sorrow.
If more people do this the internet and the real world will be a calmer place.
When I heard about Orlando the first thing I wanted to do was go online and see what was going on. I would have seen the ridiculous comments people made and my keyboard warrior fingers would start twitching.
But no, Deebo is on social media vacation. Deebo is chill. Being chill is good for your heart and doesn’t release evil toxins into your bloodstream.
3. You Can Get Back To What Matters In YOUR Life
I think most importantly, this break from social media allowed me to spend more time with my family. And gave me a chance to really really judgmentally look at other people staring at their cell phones while they should be socializing. The smug felt good.
The news is important. We have to know what’s happening in the world. We have to have our voices heard.
This month I really wondered how absurd it is that we have to exert so much effort refuting lies like “Made up Rabbi named Jewy Jewerstein says poison Palestinian wells.” It’s because these outright medieval blood libels get traction at the highest levels of diplomacy.
Meanwhile, a top Palestinian Authority advisor proudly says outright “If you see an Israeli, slit his throat” and nobody from the opposing side even tries to condemn this banter.
As I write this post, someone has acted on this declaration and murdered a 13 year old girl in her sleep. Needless to say, no Palestinian wells have been poisoned.
All the above is important to know and impossible to ignore. But since social media has taken over our lives, this turns into immediate internet anger and activism. What I learned is that while I cannot quit completely, social media breaks allow you to say STFU to the world and be with your family. I have 2 kids who need me more than Twitter does.
In conclusion, I liked being off social media for a month. I plan to do it once a year. And you should too.
