On 05/05/2013 03:16 AM, turquoiseb wrote: > The woman I wrote about earlier, who made 20+ posts on Facebook > yesterday clamoring for attention, seems to have awakened, and has made > (no shit) 20 more before breakfast. What is *lacking* in these people's > real lives that they have to try to find it in their online lives? > > I happen to know that this woman lives a kind of "shut in" life in the > UK, feeling trapped in her apartment by relative poverty and by > disability. She has chronic fatigue syndrome, and has been on the dole > for several years. > > What provides a contrast to her situation is another friend, also from > the UK, who also has chronic fatigue syndrome. It keeps him from holding > a full-time job, but he's coped with it by teaching courses online in > his academic field of expertise, and by hosting a forum for those of the > Buddhist (or even Buddhistic) persuasion. There is never anything "poor > me" or needy about his posts. He's been subjected to the same concerted > attempts by the British bureaucracy to take away the meager stipend he > lives on as the woman in question, but for whatever reason he's never > fallen into the same trap as she has -- seeking attention on the > Internet to make up for not getting any in real life. > > Like others we might have encountered, this woman on Facebook has > settled for argumentation as a substitute for friendly conversation. One > of the reasons no one is replying to any of her panicky posts yesterday > and this morning is that they're all so *transparently* trying to start > an argument. Her *intent* comes through loud and clear in what she's > posting, and by now most of her Facebook "Friends" have learned to avoid > the provocation. > > My other friend has made only two posts, both of them seemingly made > with the desire to inspire others, to uplift them. Like the woman, he's > stuck in his house, too, unable to leave because his condition makes > even walking into the village problematic. Unlike her, he has not > mistaken the Internet as a mechanism for "taking" from the world, and > for seeking attention. Instead, he *gives*. And as a result, people give > back. His two posts have so far gotten 13 "Likes" and six responses. > > I'm sure there is a lesson in this somewhere, if I could just figure out > what it is...
You're on Facebook? Maybe that'as the lesson to be learned. Stay away from Facebook. It's for dummies.
