Why do people insist on turning every news article into a political fight?
Regardless of what many people reading the Question title might think—this is not related the attacks on US Embassies. This story describes a situation which occurred in Sweden where an intoxicated man falls off a train platform, but luckily there was a bystander who saw him fall.
Unfortunately, the bystander did not go down onto the tracks to save this man’s life, but rather to rob him of his valuables. Once the robber took what he wanted, he jumped back onto the platform and walked off. The guy who fell eventually got hit by a train, but luckily he did not die, but is rather in critical condition and had part of his foot amputated.
I went down to the comments section of the story, and these commentators (trolls) turned this story into a political debate! Are we as a society so polarized and politically-crazy anymore that we cannot take a story which has almost nothing to do about politics and then use it as ammunition to fuel a political debate? Am I just going crazy, or has this time in our lives escalated to a political hate climate of no return?
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I’m not sure this type of thing is unique to this particular “time in our lives”, but I agree that there are people who can turn any discussion into a platform for whatever their favorite political gripe is. But it’s not just politics. Fluther – as great as it is – is a perfect example. We all have our things. For some people it’s a reframing of the issue in terms of what it means to be offended. For others, it’s a reflexive need to find a “middle ground”. It might also be religion, atheism, skepticism, libertarianism, Vietnam, etc.
Me? I think it’s all Obama’s fault.
I only do this because it is in the social section ;)
“That’s just the kind of thinking I would expect from someone of your ilk!!”
It’s a good thing that it wasn’t a black Muslim lesbian who fell (or who committed the robbery), or just think where the world would be after that discussion!
The comments didn’t make any sense to me. I felt like I wasn’t getting all of them. SO I couldn’t see how they developed.
But there’s no telling how people will respond to anything, and once you make a political comment, it could derail everything. No pun intended.
But then, Republicans are against high speed rail, even as they are in favor of video crime monitors in the bathrooms.
Go Obama!
“People” don’t. This people doesn’t.
I could care less about getting all hot and bothered and foaming at the mouth over current events. I gave up being codependent years ago. I tend to my own biz. and let the world be as it is. It is rare for me to get caught up in world drama, considering I strive to maintain a drama free life.
I gave up all news and media addiction over a decade ago now, and, I’m not missin’ a thing, watching the full moon crossing the range, ridin’ the storm out….. ;-)
It is because people pay attention and actually care about what happens in their own personal lives, neighborhood, community and country as a whole. They are politically aware. But then in the long run, they could turn into political hornets…annoying, incessant and most of the time plain silly.
They are using every type of social medium to get out their personal message. I would call it a form of spam.
We got nothing better to do.
@mazingerz88 Yep, as always, there is a fine line between concern and rabid militant obsession.
The key in that comments section is that they were trolls…
I think the thing most associated with this “time in our lives” that exacerbates conversations is the internet and the fact that folks can make inane, obnoxious comments about anything they wish from the safety of their anonymity. In the days before the internet, when people could only talk face to face or over the phone, we had a better sense of restraint in conversations. There were still those who lacked an internal editor (or wisdom), but in general things did not devolve into angry discourse (political or otherwise) in quite the same ways . . .
@Kayak8 A good moderator can really make or break online conversations.
@Aethelflaed Very true! Strong mods also help in places like Fluther . . .
Just looks like a bunch of stupid liberal comments. ~
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