When I can, I like to watch animal documentary videos on the usual available cable channels at home. Interesting as they are, one may have noticed, whenever on-ground observers and professionals are on the scene, they absolutely keep still and stay quiet while observing gorillas for example or whatever other animals they’re studying in their natural environment.
One reason for doing so is, the show commentator insists, is so as not to spook the animals. More often than not, that protocol is emphasize early in program by the host of the video. However, while that may be the idea they’re trying to sell (to maintain a wholesome perspective) , I think they’re omitting the fact that if the wild animals were in fact disturbed, ‘spooked’ might just not be the generic result. Imagine if those observers dared to be aggressive at all and disturbed the animals, there’s a high probability that they might be torn to pieces and that would have made for a really shocking animal documentary.
That’s the animal kingdom for you. Yet, in a sense, there also exists a close twin of that animal realm that’s located, not in the real wild jungles of the world, but in the wide digital expanse of the internet, with social media as its capital. There’s just simply no disturbing the animals there, folks. Just dare to twitch a little or slightly brush through its thick underbrush and one will surely attract a host of wild inhabitants. Tread ever carefully.
Many years ago, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) had given the Sportsmanship award to a popular but controversial baller. Naïve as I was back then to the ways of netizens, I posted a slight comment on one thread and showed my displeasure at such choice, just as many others have done. To my surprise, by the next morning, my comment had received a few hundred angry replies, the majority of which were direct personal insults on my person. Shocked as I was, I had to delete my comment, flushing all those derogatory remarks along with it.
Take the case of my old friend Joey. For all it’s worth, it’s just the way it is. Though no fault of his own, being at the right spot at the right time, is sadly not favorable to some of the wild tribes of social media anymore. In his defense, many have posted and blamed the younger generations for the utter disrespect. Even though one with them, I dare to go further. It could perhaps be, they’re the direct relatives or sons and daughters of those earlier netizens who also belong to the same tribe who had been trigger-happy in insulting whoever wronged their basketball stars long ago.
