Online trolls who have been publicly shamed | Columns and view

Two years ago, the video team at De Telegraaf asked me for my opinion of the photo about statements made by Olcay Gulsen and Caroline Tensen at RTL Boulevard at the time. Just a refresher: Nike included plus-size tracksuits and models in the lineup and there’s been quite a bit of fanfare about that. On the broadcast, Olcay and Caroline said they understood, because it seemed to them very strongly that a woman with a figure like a model would exercise, and if she did, she shouldn’t really be doing it in tight tracksuits.

private messages

I liked that. There is actually a lot more – most of them are totally stupid and extremely stupid. It’s not the words I used in the photo, but the reactions didn’t lie. Under the YouTube video, she stayed with “It’s a shame she’s so fat, otherwise she’d be cute…”, “Fat people walk for a dick in tight clothes” and “Jesus, what a cow”. Well, that’s what I expected. That people would also be interested in finding me and sending me private messages isn’t.

I was told to “shut up with that fat body”. If I don’t, that person will come and close my back door. There were also quite a few people who accused me that “fat people are too expensive” and that I had to come and pay their health insurance if I didn’t lose weight. Moral of the story: I had to die quickly. At least then I won’t be able to spend any money. Very beautiful things. Refusing to let that spoil my day, I deleted messages without replying.

tsunami

This was the only time I got really bad feedback. There is still sluggishness in my direct messages now and then, but – fortunately – not with repetition and intensity as with fellow Marjolein and Hester. I don’t know if I’m going to get my weekly tsunami out of it. What makes you want to create a fake account – because they almost don’t do it in their name or with their profile picture – to ruin other people? It’s okay to disagree with what someone else thinks, but we all learned in kindergarten that you say it well and solve it or that both go your way?

We have an annoying habit of using the phrase “freedom of speech” when we say something hurtful, but we don’t need to say everything. It won’t do you any good and you’ll hurt someone else with it, so why would you do it? And if you can’t really contain yourself, get the balls too for posting your comment by name. Going back to the article I read this morning, it seems that tracking down Internet trolls – at the moment – is difficult in terms of privacy. I think this may change. I don’t think it’s ever a bad idea to have to introduce yourself before you can create an account on social media. It won’t prevent it, but I have an idea many trolls will throw in the towel.