You have cheered on… rape. Dashed through police tape as if it were the finish line in a race in who could be awful first…
Shane Koyczan.
Trolling.
Don’t laugh, don’t find this funny, don’t find it a joke- it isn’t.
We shouldn’t be scared to speak what we believe because we fear people will throw their words as weapons.
Shane Koyczan is an amazing spoken poet. I first encountered his work when he produced ‘To This Day’, another modern project on the lasting effects of bullying.
This spoken word discusses our fairytale idea of trolls, which has come alive. They no longer hide under the beds, behind the door or outside the window- they are in our computers.
My experience of trolling has been one which will stay with me. ‘You’re pathetic’ ‘You’re so messed up’… things that will always stay.
Although trolling isn’t always by people we don’t know, hence bring on the dreaded ‘anon’ on Tumblr. It might have been funny when you said it but it has stayed with me forever, and whoever you are reading this- you know what you’ve done, but people like that don’t belong in my life.
It is a way to abuse people when you have no face. You have the air and grace to write words of pain on your screen, and press send.
Don’t you ever think of what you’re doing? You’re pushing people to the brink of harm, depression… death.
You have ruined people lives.
And don’t you tell people to ignore it until you have faced this mass hate.
You can’t see who this faceless hater is. They could be your best friend and you start to question who you can trust.
You wonder whether all of these are true.
I have been there, and I hope you never are.
Shane’s poem is an eyeopener to what we already know, but the trolls are real and they are threatening our security of our home.
Sticks and stones are real, and they will hurt our bones… but words will always hurt more.
Watch and listen to the project here.
Leave your experiences and opinions below…
Rachel ❤
LegallyFierceFeminist 