Why is it ok for people to mock and undermine others who have cancer? (not autistic related)

[2Fragile2TakeCriticism]

So recently I saw a Twitter post that stated a woman has finally recovered from cancer and some insensitive entitled dude replies “if cancer didn’t take you out, can I?”. That is just utterly messed up and disgusting. Especially noted if that woman is not interested in dating at all, insisting “there are millions of fish in the sea” only to be told “and I’m a sea cucumber who craps and eats”, “and she thought you were a clown fish, damn”. This is not the first time I’ve seen something like this. Another claim from another random guy insisted that any woman with cancer is “ugly”.

It sickens me why people would think this is acceptable, and this is coming from entitled jerks who can’t take no for an answer but will go their way to ruin other people’s lives. It’s a sad world we’re living.

 

[Slime_Punk]

It's theorized that men will say things online that they'd never say IRL because the threat of being punched in the face by another man simply doesn't exist there. I think that's what creates the whole 'internet tough-guy' phenomenon. And yes, they're actually just cowards on the inside with crippling insecurities. Also, it's definitely not 'OK'.

Women can definitely be toxic as well, but this seems to be a largely male-centric problem on the internet.

 

[Rodafina]

Why is it ok for people to mock and undermine others who have cancer?​

It’s not.

Just because someone did it and put it on the internet doesn’t make it “okay.”

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

People with insecurities find it easy to mock others to deflect from their deficiencies. And as was pointed out, anonymity on the internet lets cowards hide behind their keyboards.

 

[Misty Avich]

I'm insecure about myself but I've never really mocked other people because of it, as I know it would cause me to feel guilty and hate myself even further. I already get paranoid that I'm a bad person.
The worst I might do is rant or have stubborn opinions on certain things.

 

[Dagan]

Some people only understand or prefer insult humor, as well. It's been around forever. My grandparents liked to watch Don Rickles and Redd Foxx. Later, people like Andrew Dice Clay did the same thing. Rodney Dangerfield did it but backwards where he was always the person he insulted. The modern day meanie is Anthony Jeselnik. That said, there's people doing it to be absurd and entertain...but then there's just the average internet fool who thinks they are funny, too, but they aren't. They suck. Truly, none of the internet insult fools would do it for real in public because they'd likely get knocked out.

 

[Swansong]

I apologize if this is a little rough and direct but if your standard for becoming outraged is based on what anyone can say on social media, which is scientifically proven to worsen the mental health and behavior of its users, which also by its very own definition enables anyone to say anything they want with at best after the fact censorship, then your life will become nothing but endless outrage.

Somewhere, someone in the world right now is probably murdering kitties for fun and much, much worse. That is the reality of humanity, if even something like this affects you then you need to be responsible for yourself and shield yourself from unnecesary exposure to others.

Do not user Twitter or any other social media unless your very existence depends on it, nothing positive will come out of it for you, specially as a person on this forum which heavily implies mental health fragility, there are countless studies, articles and expert testimony explaining how much damage it causes.

 

[2Fragile2TakeCriticism]

I apologize if this is a little rough and direct but if your standard for becoming outraged is based on what anyone can say on social media, which is scientifically proven to worsen the mental health and behavior of its users, which also by its very own definition enables anyone to say anything they want with at best after the fact censorship, then your life will become nothing but endless outrage.

Somewhere, someone in the world right now is probably murdering kitties for fun and much, much worse. That is the reality of humanity, if even something like this affects you then you need to be responsible for yourself and shield yourself from unnecesary exposure to others.

Do not user Twitter or any other social media unless your very existence depends on it, nothing positive will come out of it for you, specially as a person on this forum which heavily implies mental health fragility, there are countless studies, articles and expert testimony explaining how much damage it causes.

I usually tend to avoid social media sites because of how toxic they are. However, the massive amounts of effort I put myself through is far easier said than done. It’s a hell of a lot more difficult because I’m a hypersensitive person.

Honestly, I don’t like the idea of being responsible for having any feelings based on what another person says or does, because it signals a sense that I’m “asking to feel this way”. You know where this is going. Also, rude people are not exclusive to social media, I’ve encountered this quite a few times IRL as well. So I guess I’ll just have to further isolate myself from the general public as well, because society is unpredictable.

 

[2Fragile2TakeCriticism]

It's theorized that men will say things online that they'd never say IRL because the threat of being punched in the face by another man simply doesn't exist there. I think that's what creates the whole 'internet tough-guy' phenomenon. And yes, they're actually just cowards on the inside with crippling insecurities. Also, it's definitely not 'OK'.

Women can definitely be toxic as well, but this seems to be a largely male-centric problem on the internet.

Seems to be that way. I’ve also encountered some toxic women on the internet AND IRL, though they’re not as often as my encounters with those that are men.

 

[Misty Avich]

We can't help having empathy though. My mother died from cancer and so I think it's very heartless to joke about cancer to someone.

 

[mysterionz]

Once saw a twitter post where OP tweeted that their boyfriend passed away due to COVID and how as a result, they would be on hiatus from drawing. A commenter then asked for a feet pic or to be OP’s GF (I don’t recall)

 

[2Fragile2TakeCriticism]

We can't help having empathy though. My mother died from cancer and so I think it's very heartless to joke about cancer to someone.

Exactly. We don’t “ask” to feel emotional pain from another’s arrogance and insensitivity and we also don’t ask to stumble upon one’s bad behavior. That’s not how we operate. If someone is using this to be “direct”, then it’s not being direct at all. It’s just being rude and uncaring.

If telling someone it’s their fault for being vulnerable to rude behavior is the norm, then I believe society is doomed.

 

[2Fragile2TakeCriticism]

Once saw a twitter post where OP tweeted that their boyfriend passed away due to COVID and how as a result, they would be on hiatus from drawing. A commenter then asked for a feet pic or to be OP’s GF (I don’t recall)

Dear lord. That is messed up. D:

 

[Fino]

If you're gonna be offended by random comments on the internet, you may die prematurely from stress or suicide.

 

[Misty Avich]

If you're gonna be offended by random comments on the internet, you may die prematurely from stress or suicide.

Ha, I know a couple of people you can tell that to.

 

[Progster]

Some sites I avoid because basically they're just a big troll free-for-all.

 

[tazz]

Twitter

nuff said

 

[tazz]

It's not ok, but it's the internet. People will say stupid things on the internet. Some will try their best to insult people and say anything, just to insult them. Trying to fight that is like trying to fight the wind to stop it from blowing.

I agree. It took me a long time to change my mindset. While I was thinking that these people could stop behaving that way, I would rise to the challenge and start arguing with them, so I was angry. Then I realized they were never going to change, so I was depressed. And then eventually I stopped hanging out there, and then I was calm.

Edit: ...calmer.

 

[Misty Avich]

Well I have a stance that I will not change. Of course I wouldn't directly bully anyone but I do have conservative views on a few things that I should be allowed to have. Generally I respect different perspectives but, like I said, I do have a few stances that I will not change.
But it doesn't give people an excuse to mock serious life and death matters such as cancer. But, unless a personal attack is aimed at me personally, I try not to take offense.
For example if someone called me incompetent about something because I'm a woman, I'd just let it go over my head, maybe even laugh. Or it might even be true. But if someone called me names directly and personally, I'd get upset. Maybe because I'm the only me in the whole existence of the universe, but half the population are women just like me so I don't get as offended when something isn't deliberately aimed at me personally instead of a community I belong to.

 

[Rodafina]

I wonder if holding too strongly to our stances and convictions is one thing that contributes to people fighting so much, especially over the internet. I wonder if sometimes we should all do more listening.

Maybe listening is more powerful than talking.

I think maybe there is something unnatural, or at least very new for humans to be able to communicate on a mass scale with people via the Internet. Socializing and interacting beyond small family and community groups is a relatively new innovation.

Edit: @Misty Avich, I used the word you used, “stance,” but I did not mean for my comment to be directed at you.