I think this world is becoming full of activists from my short experience on facebook. There are some activists who could activate you into something positive. There are also some who touch your nerve on a wrong button and make a monster out of you.
There are others who would just post words full of nonsense, that you may just wonder how things could end up following such type of people.
Meanwhile, I have been reading many posts of activists and never tried to write a comment. But not reading the comments could be a great loss, which I found out lately. Like I said before, I think the world is becoming full of activists with no sense of humor as their daily basis mostly seemed to argue on sociopolitical and economic issues.
However, after I started reading too much of the comments than the posts, whatever their topics, I realized that the facebook world is also full of funny people.
My new experience on facebook got me develop a new habit, which is roughly reading the activists posts and deeply following the comments of their followers. It is like buying your favorite newspaper and rushing for the comic section or page.
Many people have their own views and concerns about the issue raised by the activists they are following. Many people have deep knowledge on the issues that they are writing on their comments and they are too serious about it.
For instance, I remember when Prime Minister Dr. Abiy’s rally was interrupted with grenade attack last year; people were entertaining their own feeling and assumption about the situation.
One activist posted an article about the situation with his/her thoughts included. I have seen some comments but one person on the list of comments has written his own article about how a grenade is made, how it is used, the ways to identify bombers by the way they look, behave and act. Such individuals do their own little researches and make comments with knowledge.
Now let’s talk about the funny people. Imagine a horrible accident occurred and claimed lives. Then activists would start to entertain different ideas about it on facebook. Their followers would discuss their feeling or thoughts commenting under the posts.
In the middle of the comments you may find someone saying “I had a real good time with my best friends yesterday. This is the best vacation ever”.
I may not be sure whether it is done deliberately or unconsciously but to me such people are fun even though I have to let it slide that they may be ill too. But they would gain peoples’ attention and will be bombarded by comments. People could feel angry on that person and start replying on his post.
“Reply1- you are crewel (cruel) person. How could you be talking about your vacation on such a tragic accident?”
“Reply2- ten places you should never miss on your vacation plans 1, snake island 2,….several weird comments and replies will continue.” This one could also be the most fun dude.
When someone comes up with a very serious agenda or real news article, another one would have his/ her own false news flash with silly racist intentions on the comment section.
When someone posts some medical advises that would help improve our health and life expectancy, another funny person may come up on the comment section with a petition request that seeks smoking marijuana on the streets to be legal.
I could not refer this as funny when it comes to societies whose life styles or cultures are deeply related with marijuana. But when it comes to our Nation, where the plant is considered as bad substance, people who come up with such ideas could be considered as nothing but crazily funny.
The funniest of all these could be the replies the petition seeker gets.
Reply 1- Yes indeed. I’m down with that bro! More weed on the streets.
Reply 2- Hey guys, I have planted some seeds in my house. And these babies are not growing fast. Is there anyone who could tell me what’s going on? One of my baby plants is growing tall but its leaves are turning yellow every day. The other one is dwarf and she is also turning into angry green. What’s happening to my babies? What shall I do?
Well, many replies may flow with several experimental farming tips for this funny weed planter. In a country that is striving so hard to ensure its peoples’ food security, such discussions would seem a silly plot to keep the whole society in anger. It’s funny though.
Meanwhile, I would like to stress that if one cannot take some nonsense and hate speeches easily and let them slide with no replies, the social media could be the worst innovation that could turn humanity upside down if we are always affected by those type of negative influences.
The Ethiopian Herald November29, 2019
BY HENOK TIBEBU
