Online abusers, it's your right to look like a moron

Gympie councillors are often the subject of abusive comments, and it helps people in no way at all.

Gympie councillors are often the subject of abusive comments, and it helps people in no way at all. Picture: SIphotography

AN interesting paradox lies at the heart of social media.

It has given everyone a voice, but also shown quite a few people shouldn't use it.

Politics will always be a tricky thing because, at its heart, it plays with people's lives.

But if we're going to spend our days screaming at politicians to "know what they're on about", we also need to practise what we preach.

A quick flick across social media shows this is not always the case.

Rather, accusations and insults are the preferred choice, fired around like it's a dyslexic wild west.

Free speech is a funny thing (although our right is to "implied political communication", thanks to an absent Bill of Rights).

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It protects us from government censure for what we say.

However if we choose to use it to look like a moron, well that's allowed too.

Because if the only contribution you have is vitriol, then portraying yourself as a jackass is about all you've achieved.

In fact, you're really only making matters worse as you, and those associated with you, are more easily shrugged off as a lunatic fringe.

Yes, be passionate about politics and what's happening in the region.

But if your best argument is insults, then you're really telling the world you've got nothing worth saying at all.