Twitter is a very toxic space, the amount of negativity overwhelms you every now and then. But, after some time one becomes numb to all the hate and people spewing filth on one another. We start to see all the Twitter wars and constant back and forth between people as a sort of entertainment.
Now as morose as it sounds, it may be the only way for some people to deal with the plethora of angry tweets that make up their news feed or at least it is the only reason I can think of why people enjoy the verbal battles between various public figures. You can’t stop the keyboard warriors so you might as well learn how to respond to them in a language that they understand.
The tweet that recently caught people’s attention was from the long-time Twitter champion Donald Trump who is more in news for his ridiculous comments on Twitter than for his presidential duties.
People have become so used to his Twitter antics that they’re no longer shocked by it. Greta Thunberg was awarded TIME’s ‘Person of the Year 2019’ and it seems that Trump became quite envious for he was also a finalist and wanted the honor for himself.
He went on and called the decision to award her ‘ridiculous’. Greta fired back at the US President with some sarcastic words that made us like her even more.
Rangoli Chandel, another keyboard warrior, famous for attacking people on Twitter bashed Thunberg as well but Greta chose not to respond to Kangana’s manager.
The Hurtful Tweets
A New York Times poll showed that nearly half of girls aged 14 to 17 said that Trump’s comments about women had an impact on the way they think about their bodies. By calling Greta to ‘chill, watch a movie with a friend and work on her anger management issues’ Trump essentially attacked a 15-year old girl with Asperger’s syndrome.
People who fall under the autistic spectrum often have problems with social interactions. Therefore, these comments invited criticism on the grounds of being sexist and ableist. However, Greta gave a cheeky retort by changing her Twitter bio to:
“A teenager working on her anger management problem. Currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend.”
Rangoli pleasantly surprised the public when she praised Chapak’s trailer despite having skirmishes with Deepika Padukone before. Rangoli is herself an acid-attack survivor. She has tweeted that she hopes for the film’s success.
However, now it seems that she’s back to her old tricks again. She trolled Greta by calling her a ‘cranky kid who has done nothing but skip school.’
She has gone after Thunberg before by criticizing Priyanka Chopra for lauding Greta and not Indian activists. ‘Yeh Ladki Achha Bol Leti Hai …’ she was right about this part though and I think Miss Chandel could benefit by articulating her opinions in a more sophisticated way.
Greta didn’t deign to respond to Chandel’s comment because while Greta compels the world to think about the alarming environmental concerns, Rangoli spends her time spilling vitriol and unlike Trump, Rangoli is no world leader. We don’t even know if she does anything sensible, at all anyway.
What Has Greta Achieved?
The Greta Thunberg Effect is so striking that people and businesses alike are taking an active role to reduce their carbon footprint. People have made investments for developing Carbon-reducing projects.
She is an inspiration and a role model for the youth, especially young girls. ‘Flyskam’ is another movement that’s inspired by Thunberg’s refusal to fly by air. More people are choosing alternate means of travel as air travel severely impacts the environment.
She is a catalytic speaker and with her influential speeches, she grasps people’s attention. Throughout this year there have been numerous rallies urging the world leaders to take action against global warming and climate change before it’s too late.
Staying In News
Writing controversial tweets has become a niche for some people. It’s one of the easiest ways to create a storm on social media and stay in the news. Trump and Rangoli seem to be good examples of people who fully exploit this method.
Kangana had two good movies this year. Still, most of the news articles about her focused on the statements that she and her sister Rangoli made and the people they shaded. This article, too, is about the tweet Rangoli made against Greta.
Initially, I used to question why no-one has taken their phones away? Surely, their PR teams must see how much this hurts their credibility.
Then, I realized that they might be doing this intentionally. Rangoli and Kangana’s feud with other public figures provides ample content to gossip columnists. Their articles, in turn, help them stay in limelight.
And in Trump’s case, every time he gives a racist and misogynistic statement, the conservative voters rejoice. He is like the messiah of climate change deniers, people who hate women, and immigrants.
In the end, all one can do to deal with Twitter’s unpleasantness is keep Taylor Swift’s words in mind- Haters gonna hate, you just gotta shake it off!
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: The Guardian, India Times, NYTimes
Find The Blogger: @ishitabajpai6
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