Why can't we all just get along?

I forgot my book today. This really is very frustrating for me, but it did lead me to some new knowledge this time. Since I was unable to read about Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy over my lunch break, I thought that reading the thousands of comments on a controversial (and I think well written blog) would take up my hour of eating time satisfactorily. (It did rather easily—I barely made it halfway!) But this hour of reading comments and my recent experience reading comments on news stories and other stories on celebrity antics has also made me really wonder about people in the world today.

A good chunk of comments on most any heavily commented story are completely negative, name-calling, inconsiderate, and actually rather rude. Some are constructive and are polite messages conveying a different opinion from that of the author. Others are berating the name-calling comments, but are just as rude. (Rudeness from someone does not excuse rudeness in return.)This is not even touching on the fact that most of the commenters out there cannot be bothered with proper spelling, grammar and punctuation. But that's another issue altogether.

I’m quite honestly astonished that there is such hate in the world, although I don’t know why. So many stories in the media are full of hate and are picking at the all-too-human flaws of those in the spotlight that is celebrity. Understand, I’m not excusing the behavior of celebrities when they do wrong; I am questioning our right as citizens, as the public to so outspokenly judge others. What gives us the right to inject hate into comments and posts and news stories? Freedom of speech? Because that doesn’t quite cut it for me.

I don’t believe anything gives us the right to be that way. Yes, we have the right to our own opinion, and yes, we have a right to voice that opinion. What on earth is accomplished, though, if our opinion is full of negativity and is in no way constructive criticism or courteous disagreement? The right to voice our opinion is not a requirement. We do not HAVE to give a voice to negativity. That so many people choose to do so is amazing to me.

Personally, I think we should all take a step back and look at ourselves before we criticize others, and then if we still choose to criticize or correct someone, it should be done in love.

But that’s just my opinion.