Cyberbullying (for lack of a better title).

I have been a bully. I'll admit that outright. In the real world and online. The capacity for bullying is just biological. But it is never okay.


On Wednesday night in Australia, the ABC (that's the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, as opposed to the American Broadcasting Company) aired a documentary with the formidable Tara Moss called Cyberhate. I found it genuinely thought-provoking and resonant. It focused chiefly on celebrities who've received online abuse, including Charlotte Dawson (who was so abused she took her own life in 2014), Joel Creasey and Van Badham, but also touched on how cyberbullying can damage us all.


Now, I don't quite believe in the mantra of "If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing." Often, venting of being brutally honest is justified, and even healthy in the former's case. But it depends on how and when you do it, and whether you like them or not, thanks to social media celebrities are now easier targets than ever.


On Cyberhate, Joel Creasey, an openly gay comedian, read tweets he received saying he should've been in the Pulse nightclub massacre, and that the sender hoped he would die of AIDS. Remarks like those drive over the line and keep on driving.


Now, again, I've been a bully myself, online and in real life. But I assure you if I could change any of that, I would in a heartbeat. Thinking abusive thoughts is one thing. But let's all stop it becoming another.


"We think too much, and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than toughness, we need kindness and tenderness. Without these qualities, life will be violent, and all will be lost." - Charlie Chaplin.