Bad Behavior is Bad Behavior

Recently an Internet denizen who has been making some people’s lives a living hell was revealed to be an up and coming author with lots of promise. They were up for an award when this all went down. There have been explanations and excuses as to their behavior. There have been cries for understanding and don’t do to them what they so gleefully did to others because it is mean.

It was bad behavior on their part and that doesn’t just get a pass.

In another groups of fandom there is an individual who’s narcissism has caused long-term health detriment for a whole bunch of people. They have supposedly apologized for past behavior and promise not to do it again and then do the exact same behaviors in another fandom. They have been using their mental health as their excuse for their bad behavior.

Mental illness is not an excuse. It might be an explanation for the bad behavior and once the individual has acknowledged that they have an illness that is exacerbated by certain activities, shouldn’t they avoid those rather than changing names when they change fandoms?

Then there are the ‘fans’, and I use the term loosely, who go onto social media and do nothing but whine and complain about the thing that they supposedly love so much. This seriously crosses the line when they start harassing the people who create the thing that they love. When other people working on the project have to say on their twitter feeds that people should stop being so mean to others, you know there is some serious bad behavior going on.

I honestly don’t care about your race, creed, religion, sexuality, or health issues when it comes to bad behavior. Bad behavior cannot be excused.

I don’t like it when people attack Peter. This is a direct attack on him not on the things he has written. Don’t like what he wrote? OK. Don’t like what he wrote and decides that you are going to make his life miserable? Not cool. Plus it really doesn’t upset Peter but it does me. They don’t know the man the way I do and I can accept that. Honestly if one can’t say it to his face, then don’t say it. Rather simple if you ask me.

That bad behavior can hide behind the mask of the Internet is disturbing to me. And even more disturbing is that this is now considered the norm for things.

So let’s not reward bad behavior. Let’s not let excuses for the behavior give a free pass to continue that bad behavior. We teach our children good behavior from bad behavior why can’t we hold ourselves to the same standards.

Let’s try to make sure that good behavior becomes the norm.

I am grateful for everyone on the Internet who does work at being a good citizen of the web.