We all love to break something that shatters into a hundred pieces, especially on the internet

Logging into Fetlife is like following the white rabbit down the hole into Wonderland. Not a hell of a lot makes sense there. I’ve seen some absurd scenarios play out here year upon year. Groups of people get whipped up into chaos every week, but every time it happens, I’ve seen the truth get knotted up into a tangle of mob justice.

It’s fun to raise people up. It’s fun to knock them down afterwards. It’s a distinctly human trait, in this day and age, to turn someone into an influencer and then take to them with a battering stick. We all love to break something that shatters into a hundred pieces. Face it. It’s fun to throw plates. We get a sick kick out of train wrecks, car accidents, and ruined reputations.

The problem is we rarely see what's hiding behind the smokescreen. 

Drama is ever-present on Fetlife. Every week or two we turn to a new piece of chaos with new players and new problems, but look closer, and you’ll begin to notice that the same few characters emerging in similar situations over and over again. They’re rarely the people the crisis is focused on. They’re rarely the ones who spoke the first public words that began the drama, but they sure as hell spoke the first private ones that started the catastrophe. They remain invisible, but wait a day or two and they will emerge to announce their part because they can’t seem to resist taking credit for what they started.

I believe most people on Fet are pretty great, but there are two or three members who consistently drum up pandemonium. Which faces are always in the background, playing the crowds like an orchestra?

We all fuck up, so there’s always fodder to be found somewhere on-site to create anarchy. There are always people waiting to pick up their pitchforks and turn situations into chaos by reacting to inflammatory language. The hoards respond to overblown words when what they’re really referring to is a human failing.  Will the people who’ve never done anything stupid, unprofessional, or unethical please stand up.

<crickets>

It’s fine. I’ll wait.

<crickets>

Look, I’m big on consequences. I really do think we should all suffer the consequences for the stupid things we do, but I think the punishment should fit the crime.

<crickets>

I’m still waiting for the angel in the back of the class to come forward.

<crickets>