Should We Respond to Non-Viewers?
With some of the anti-hunting groups finding a new place to post unfounded “stats” and vulgar comments about hunting on Facebook, we’ve seen a rise in viewer comments. I should put quotes around the word “viewer” because with Facebook reaching the far depths of our world, these posts are going places our network, and even our competitors, will probably never see daylight.
For some reason, people feel that good customer service requires all companies to respond to inquiries of any sort, which in their mind includes vulgar emails and death threats to a cable network airing hunting, shooting and fishing content.
What they don’t understand is this is America and we can do whatever we damn well please.
Just as they have a right to send those emails, we have a right to not respond to them. Especially to those with email addresses ending in .uk. Why should we take the time to respond to someone who’s probably never watched the network or ever will? And why do people in the UK and South America concerned about what we air on TV here in America?
What I find so funny is how they sign off on their emails, saying “We look forward to your response.” What? So you can post my response on your Facebook page and incent your “followers” to post more death threats toward me and my company? Um…no. I wasn’t born yesterday.
Pretty much any email that contains vulgar language doesn’t receive a response. So should any email that blatantly tells me you aren’t a viewer get a response? Is there some sliver of hope that “someday” you’ll become a viewer? If you are a Democrat, will you suddenly turn Republican? (or visa versa) Doubtful.
So perhaps this is an open letter to anyone who thinks that their email/phone call/correspondence deserves – no demands- a return correspondence.
It doesn’t.
Have a nice day.
I’ve created a form letter for those who send respectful letters that essentially says we have opposing stances and we can agree to disagree. If it escalates from there, I just delete them. If someone writes something on our Facebook page I simply delete and ban with extreme prejudice. Most of these people are never going to see things from another perspective other than their own. No point in wasting time and energy arguing with them. They are just looking for a reaction anyway. I’ve noticed that most of the people who make ignorant comments on Twitter have almost no following. If they make dumb comments about hunting they are probably making dumb comments about other things too. As Forrest Gump famously said, “Stupid is as stupid does.”
Chris – well said about the point in wasting time arguing with them. And its not even arguing, its just pointing out facts. They don’t like facts.
Social Media and the Internet are wonderful things. And they’re terrible things. There’s a lot of good that can come from the free and ready access to information. There’s a world of research, data, and interesting personal stories out there for the taking.
But there’s a lot of bad that comes from anonymity and absolute freedom from accountability. You can say anything you want to say, and be anyone you want to be and by and large no one can do a thing about it.
I’ve seen a fair share of negative comments posted to my own blog. More often than I’d expect, some of these folks will actually respond and engage in dialogue (sometimes extensive)… although they seldom change their minds. And that’s fine. I don’t need them to change their minds, as long as they’re willing to discuss with a modicum of logic and courtesy. It’s an opportunity to present the arguments for those readers who aren’t necessarily participating… or for those who are looking for reasons to take one side or the other. It’s very easy to counter the challenges of most anti-hunters without losing my cool or adding fuel to their fires.
However, any of them that resort immediately to vulgarity, threats, or other stupidity simply get deleted. Life is way too short, because these people aren’t usually looking for a response… they’re just using the comments field as a platform to say whatever they wanted to say and then take off. Drive-by comments, so to speak.
I expect that, in your industry, you’ve got many of the same types of folks. Unless a threat is coherent and plausible, I wouldn’t bother to give any of them the time of day… especially if they’re not viewers.
Phillip – as always, thanks for the comments!