Criticism Doesn't Exist if You Don't Look At It

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Over the past year, since I’ve started writing much more heavily online, and established a website (despite said website changing at least five times), I’ve written about quite a few controversies. Like how Microsoft is developing AI-fueled spyware, Reddit is copy/pasting Musk’s behavior in their structural decision making, Bluesky is partnering with a company that utilizes OpenAI, and Threads’ new public policy director is an entire fascist. There’s just one problem with all of this, and it’s not only a problem you see with corporations and billionaires, but something that’s been happening more and more as we inch closer to the middle of the 2020s.

Creators, influencers, companies, and the Mega Rich, have realized that if they just … ignore criticism, even for especially heinous behavior, nothing happens.

This is summed up pretty well in AugustTheDuck’s latest Youtube video, where he speaks about the numerous controversies surrounding Mr. Beast, and how, because of how rich he is, who his audience is (eight year old iPad babies), and where his content is hosted, he’s basically shielded from consequences. Especially if he completely ignores it and pretends it’s not happening.

In August’s words, “I think we have officially entered into an age of the internet where accountability is basically optional.”

In the past week or so, since the article on Threads that I wrote, detailing who Dustin Carmack is and what he’s done (heritage foundation, Project 2025), I and others have been routinely tagging and mentioning the official Threads and Meta account via their own platform, attempting to question this decision. And, despite posts (including my own) about this reaching an audience of nearly 10,000 people, what do you think they’ve said in response?

Nothing.

Now, sure, obviously it’s a little wild to think that the people who run a platform of over 100 million people would actually take time out of their day to respond to the people accusing them of hiring someone who is a threat to the freedom and rights of the American people, but, you know, maybe they should? Maybe they should answer.

But, it’s like I’ve said now, this is a larger problem online that’s basically sweeping everyone, and every thing. If you don’t respond to it, it didn’t happen.

Recently, DrDisrespect was thought to be cooked, finished, done, after it was revealed, and then he subsequently confessed, that the reason he was banned on Twitch all those years back, is because he’s a pedophile. Well, you’ll be likely unsurprised to know that he’s back, and nothing’s happened.

pic.twitter.com/vlEk7Yawog

— Dr Disrespect (@DrDisrespect) July 31, 2024

I’ve also personally seen this phenomenon happening with smaller creators and companies, or even just randoms on the internet who like to think they’re celebrities. People, in-general, doing nasty, reprehensible things, online, being questioned over it, and then responding with nothing but silence. It’s almost like there’s some collective trauma-response to the treatment completely innocent people had received over the years via the disingenuous hell-hole, Twitter. Except … the entirely wrong people are using that to their advantage.

Now, this isn’t to say that absolutely nobody experiences consequences for doing heinous things anymore, because, if we jump back to the beginning of this post and AugustTheDuck’s video, we can easily reference Ava Tyson as someone who has recently dealt with the consequences of exhibiting creepy behavior online.

Over the last few days, I’ve become aware of the serious allegations of Ava Tyson's behavior online and I am disgusted and opposed to such unacceptable acts.

During that time, I have been focused on hiring an independent third party to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure…

— MrBeast (@MrBeast) July 25, 2024

So … huh, maybe some people do experience consequences and the affects of having to take accountability for their actions. Maybe … people along the lines of societal marginalization, where many are already thought to be predators.

Not arguing in favor of Ava here, she’s set the trans community back twenty years during one of the worst political climates in United States history. But, it definitely does seem like there are those who get away with reprehensible behavior, and those who don’t.

I wonder what it is.

Now, whether people deal with the consequences of their actions or not, is one question, and one thing that does seem to happen with at least some perpetrators of disgusting behavior. But it seems, regardless of whether they do or not, the overall response, the overall strategy in dealing with being faced with your own actions, is to close your eyes, and hold your ears. To this relatively new behavior, I’d like to say: If you can’t have a backbone stiff enough to face the consequences of your actions, maybe you shouldn’t do that stuff in the first place. Seems like a simple enough solution. I’m sure this behavior will continue though, because I believe it’s rooted in a much bigger problem. A problem wherein narcissism has become such a normalized mode-of-operation, that it is now a legitimate social media strategy.

Anyway.

Uh, … I have a headache.