The Internet Size Problem
Size does, actually, matter.
There is a reoccurring theme with news articles, the internet, and people with strongly held beliefs: you end up seeing mostly what you want to see, save for a few major news headlines that sweep the whole e-verse for a few days like a stormy tide. The flotsam we encounter on a daily basis, however, is that which is confined to our own little stretch of beach — from which we often only sort out those things we find particularly interesting.
But there’s stuff washing up all along the beach, and different things show up in different places. If we just stay in our tiny plot, we’re going to miss what’s happening elsewhere on the shorefront, unless one of those big storms comes along and mixes things up.
A BLM example
I saw a comment on Twitter, recently, deriding Black Lives Matter supporters for not showing up in outrage over the police murder of a man in a wheelchair. This is, first and foremost, tragic. Just like all examples of police brutality are tragic. Let’s recognize that for a moment.
The tone of this tweet was exceptionally smug, as if it were some sort of “gotcha” moment designed to catch someone in a lie. But the Black Lives Matter movement has been consistently calling for police reform that would affect everyone. That’s, like, a…
