ONLINE TROLLING

 

If we change the word in the title of this post from “trolling” to “commenting,” most of us would recognize ourselves.

 

Sadly, some of us, who are loath to think of ourselves as Trolls, are in fact trolling.

 

An internet troll is someone who intentionally posts or comments online to upset others. Trolls may use offensive language, personal attacks, or other disruptive content.

 

“But,” say you, “I’m just expressing an opinion. I’m confronting disinformation. I’m saying what needs to be said on a public forum.” Then, you add, “And it’s a free country with a constitutional guarantee to free speech.”

 

Yes, and no. Personally, I’d say to the trollers, N-O. No. Minimal self-examination would save you from disgracing yourself and polluting the air.

 

Just ask yourself these three questions before posting:

Does it need to be said?

Does it need to be said by me?

Does it need to be said by me, now?

 

For those who are capable of honest self-reflection, twitching-to-type fingers would come to a standstill. It becomes clear the need for attention at all costs is what caused the twitch.

Breathe. All better now.

 

You’ll have less to regret later, and the digital environment would be a wee bit cleaner, too.

MAKING MEANING out of EVENTS

 

Many writers and literary analysts have said that the power of stories lie not in the events, but the meaning we make of the events.

 

Historians can spew facts and dates, or “factoids” and statistics, but what sticks with us is the meaning they make of these chains, and how they, in fact, make them into chains rather than disparate thingamajigs.

 

In fiction, the meaning comes from how the characters react emotionally to the events, and what changes their reactions bring to them.

 

One book coach defined it as “because of that.” This happened and then that happened (events, plot) and, because of that (emotions and mental reactions), a meaningful change took place.

 

When revising, we need to pay attention not so much to the sequence of events or how logical and perfectly strung together they are, but to the emotions they evoke in us.

WARNING: GRUMPY RANT AHEAD

 

You’ve been warned. Right now, I’m Ms. Grump because of my yesterday. I hope to climb out from under today with the help of letting it out here. 😠

 

If you’ve used health services for routine matters, you know the drill. You called to make an appointment, navigated through the automatic phone tree (“For providers press one, for appointments press two,” etc.) and landed an actual person who makes the appointment.

Okay. Pat on the back. Done.

 

Not so, dear heart. ❤️

 

Two weeks before the scheduled appointment, the real thrilling drill begins. You get a text/email instructing you to fill out a questionnaire regarding your health status and more. This is a pre-registration promising to save you time on the actual day. The link is to your online portal. You fill it out. It only takes ten minutes.

Okay. Pat on the back. Done.

 

Not really. It just begun. 😮

 

The beginning of the week of the scheduled appointment (routine screening, mind you) you get a text asking to confirm your appointment. It says to reply with Y2 if confirmed, or N2 if not. You reply with a Y2.

Okay, this time we’re done. Right?

 

An immediate reply follows saying you failed to reply properly and to call a certain number.

Only the number is missing two digits. But it’s what they tell you to do. You look carefully and, yes, you replied with a Y2. Never mind, call this non-number anyway.

Your phone tells you this is not a number. 🫢

 

You login through the portal and chat with a supposed real person (Hi, Sam K.) who tells you to call a different number. At least this number has all its digits.

You call the number Sam K. says to call and find yourself climbing another automated phone tree and press option #3, for appointments. You wait eighteen minutes to get a real person (Hi Trish) and are told she can’t help with confirmations of already scheduled appointments. But Trish is nice and will now transfer you to the number where they can do the deed.

But if you think we’re done here, you are too trusting.

 

The number Trish transferred to is, mercifully, not a phone tree. The man who answers (Hi Jim) says he can’t help, but he will give you the number that will.

That number puts you in a queue that lasts only seven minutes, where Marla will now help you. Marla apologizes not for the madness of the system, but for the sorrow you are experiencing, which, all things considered, Marla understands and sympathizes. Bless Marla, she confirms your appointment for the end of this week.

 

And now you’re done. You sure hope so. You’ll know for sure at the end of the week if all goes smoothly when you arrive.

 

I hope you didn’t go through this. It sounds like a fictional story. But I did, only yesterday. 😥

 

Here’s a simple suggestion: what if, while making the appointment for this non-urgent routine screening test, the nice person who schedules it (sorry, I didn’t write her name down) also fills the registration? And what if a simple email to confirm is sent a week before where you speak English to reply with a YES, I WILL BE THERE. How about them apples?       🍎🍏🍎

 

But that might be too simple, efficient and easy. Why make it easy when it can be hard?

 

Rant over. Peace. 🤞🏻

SPEAKING of AUGUST…

 

August is a good word.

It means “respected and impressive,” according to one dictionary.

It has a noble origin, according to another:

“August comes from the Latin word augustus, meaning 'consecrated' or 'venerable,' which in turn is related to the Latin augur, meaning 'consecrated by augury' or 'auspicious'.”

 

It’s also the month just begun.

 

In childhood, I associated it with the great summer vacation. That part was good. It was also the hottest month in a place that was too hot already. At least for little me, that was not so good.

 

How did the eighth month of the Gregorian calendar get this venerable name? According to yet another reference book, the name was changed from "Sextilis” = “the Sixth month” (in the old Roman calendar) to “August,” to honor the great Cesar. 

 

Years ago, I saw the BBC series I, Claudius, and proceeded to read part of Robert Graves’s book on which it was based. I didn’t read the whole thing, for it’s lo-o-ong. I chose to read about Caesar Augustus, the model of a good Caesar and the ideal for a good king.

 

At least by Robert Graves’s telling, Augustus was as positive a ruler as could humanly be. His time on earth is thus known as the golden age of Rome.

 

All this to say, I wish you a good august month of August.