- Feb 16, 2019
- 4
- 2
Still very new here so maybe my POV doesn't carry much weight, but please listen to me when I say: this place can get nasty.
I first came on this board a few months ago and was so pleased with the support and positive feedback I got from you guys regarding my daughter's cheer team. I haven't really contributed since but have popped in and out to read your opinions that are always so informational, funny, and generally positive.
That being said, it seems like that good-naturedness only extends until a mild difference of opinion brings it all crashing down. I'm specifically talking about the Rockstar post that seemed to devolve quickly into scorn, derision, and for some of you, personal insults.
I'm the first to admit that I'm not familiar with Rockstar since I don't really follow all-star cheer or Twitter so I'm not sure what the situation was about. But I understand that the post defended a transgender athlete who encountered some bullying from her teammates. Others thought the whole incident might've been fake or just gossip. Okay cool. Plenty of room to agree or disagree there without any ugliness.
But the way some of you came after each other was really inappropriate, embarrassing, and bordered on bullying which is ironic given the reason for the post in the first place. This is an internet message forum about cheerleading. It's just not that serious. But some of you were targeting others like they'd burned down your house and killed your dog. If you're letting this place make you feel that lobbing personal insults against online strangers is a good use of your time and/or in any way makes you look good, maybe it's time to step back and gain some perspective. And if you're attacking someone for defending a transgender athlete -- against bullying of all things -- it doesn't matter what you say to them because you'll never succeed in making them look as bad as you're making yourself look at that moment. It's never a good idea to attack someone for saying, "Bullying is bad."
I guess a lot of ire came from people feeling the whole thing was just gossip and so didn't deserve a post, but bullying is such a scourge that I think it always deserves a conversation. If this whole thing turns out to be fake then so be it, but discussing it and denouncing it can never be a bad thing. That's where I got so confused. It was a post I felt sure would show a lot of unity and compassion, and instead turned kind of gross and pathetic.
Anyway, it was really disappointing to read on here given that I've come to think of this place as a safe harbor against the cheer hate that seemingly inundates the rest of the world. If we can't avoid that behavior we're we're no better than the pathetic anonymous Twitter users that spend their time terrorizing strangers for reasons they made up in their heads. And I come here because it's not Twitter. It's much more mature and refreshing. Please let's keep it that way. I know sometimes people post stuff we don't agree with, and that's fine. No reason to let it ruin your day or anyone else's.
I first came on this board a few months ago and was so pleased with the support and positive feedback I got from you guys regarding my daughter's cheer team. I haven't really contributed since but have popped in and out to read your opinions that are always so informational, funny, and generally positive.
That being said, it seems like that good-naturedness only extends until a mild difference of opinion brings it all crashing down. I'm specifically talking about the Rockstar post that seemed to devolve quickly into scorn, derision, and for some of you, personal insults.
I'm the first to admit that I'm not familiar with Rockstar since I don't really follow all-star cheer or Twitter so I'm not sure what the situation was about. But I understand that the post defended a transgender athlete who encountered some bullying from her teammates. Others thought the whole incident might've been fake or just gossip. Okay cool. Plenty of room to agree or disagree there without any ugliness.
But the way some of you came after each other was really inappropriate, embarrassing, and bordered on bullying which is ironic given the reason for the post in the first place. This is an internet message forum about cheerleading. It's just not that serious. But some of you were targeting others like they'd burned down your house and killed your dog. If you're letting this place make you feel that lobbing personal insults against online strangers is a good use of your time and/or in any way makes you look good, maybe it's time to step back and gain some perspective. And if you're attacking someone for defending a transgender athlete -- against bullying of all things -- it doesn't matter what you say to them because you'll never succeed in making them look as bad as you're making yourself look at that moment. It's never a good idea to attack someone for saying, "Bullying is bad."
I guess a lot of ire came from people feeling the whole thing was just gossip and so didn't deserve a post, but bullying is such a scourge that I think it always deserves a conversation. If this whole thing turns out to be fake then so be it, but discussing it and denouncing it can never be a bad thing. That's where I got so confused. It was a post I felt sure would show a lot of unity and compassion, and instead turned kind of gross and pathetic.
Anyway, it was really disappointing to read on here given that I've come to think of this place as a safe harbor against the cheer hate that seemingly inundates the rest of the world. If we can't avoid that behavior we're we're no better than the pathetic anonymous Twitter users that spend their time terrorizing strangers for reasons they made up in their heads. And I come here because it's not Twitter. It's much more mature and refreshing. Please let's keep it that way. I know sometimes people post stuff we don't agree with, and that's fine. No reason to let it ruin your day or anyone else's.