The Twitter Cowards.

A long time ago, after a rather intense debate at work, I told my partner, “The only thing better than winning a debate is having one.” I truly believe that. Civil discourse and debate are what grow our democracy, our culture, and our minds. I love to hike through other people’s ideas. Challenge their perceptions, and mine. Get folks, or me, to realize that what we thought was “true” might not be. Or, is more true than we realized. Which probably has a lot to do with why I decided to be a writer.

As most of you know, I love Twitter. I’ve made a lot of friends, several business acquaintances, and caught up with folks I haven’t seen in decades. I even met my better half on Twitter. It’s one of my primary sources of information, communication, and public interaction. I’ve learned about almost every major news story from Twitter first, even though I usually have cable news on TV during the day and get “breaking news” text messages from The New York Times and our local radio station, 1010WINS. 

So, yeah, Twitter is a pretty important part of my life. Which is why I post things on Twitter that are important to me and to my followers. If I have a strong point of view, I’ll shoot off a quick tweet. If I’ve written a new blog post, or read something impactful, I’ll post that too. If you want to know what I’m thinking, read my Twitter stream. It’s not all fascinating (though some of it is), it’s not all deep and meaningful (though some of it is), it’s not all insightful (though some of it is). But it’s all important to me. And it’s all mine. Which is why I use my real name. 

When I joined Twitter I decided it was time to grow up and stand by my words. If what I was writing wasn’t worth having my name attached, it wasn’t worth writing at all. And if what I was writing wasn’t what I believed, or wasn’t what I was willing to stand by, it wasn’t worth writing at all. A few months ago, on my blog, The New Civil Rights Movement, about the Prop 8 donors who all-of-a-sudden realized their funding of a hate bill was public record and were trying to get those records sealed, I posted, “If you don’t believe in your opinion, if you don’t think your contribution is worth putting your name on it, why make it? I don’t know about you, but I sign everything I write.“ 

Unlike the Twitter cowards. You know, the grenade throwers who hide behind a mask brazenly constructed of pseudonym and bullying. I’m not talking about the folks who made up a name so they can bitch about their boss. Or the ones so shaken by the economy or their loss of a job and occasionally blow off steam by twittering shouts and shots at their congressman. Or the gay guy who can’t afford to lose his job or family if his “real life’ is discovered. I’m talking about the full-time bigoted bullies who don’t have the balls to sign their names to their mean-spirited holier-than-thou assaults on their country, their president, and their fellow Twitterers. The ones who usually start every tweet with either “Obama” or “RT” and usually end every tweet with #TCOT. The ones who use the word “liberal” the way McCarthy used the word “communist”. The ones who probably have the words “Conservative”, “Christian”, “God”, or “Country” in their bio. The ones who probably don’t have any real clue what those concepts truly mean. 

Here are some examples:

“Air America, the sole liberal network, does so poorly its on welfare. Liberals are incapable rational debate. #topprog #tcot”

“Why you won’t find libs on Twitter: like talk radio, it requires active thought and debate. #tcot”

“How about I hope O fails because if O succeeds then the GOP is screwed.#tcot”

“…is getting agitated at the extent to which every socialist America-hating campaign promise is being painstakingly executed. #tcot #hhrs”

I’m tired of the Twitter Cowards. I’m tired of having to do all their leg work. I’m tired of having to prove their ignorance. I’m tired of them demanding answers to irrational questions. I’m tired of debating them, showing them facts, and then having them say, “Yeah, but.” I’m tired of debating them, showing them facts, and then having them dispute accepted truths. I’m tired of debating them, showing them facts, and then having them take pot-shots at our president and our democracy. I’m tired of debating them, showing them facts, and then having them take pot-shots at “Libs.” Or, “Lefties.” Or, “Democraps.” Cowardice isn’t pretty. It isn’t the sign of a strong mind or spirit. And it has absolutely nothing to do with God or Country. 

So, here is my promise to you, Twitter Cowards: I will not debate you. I will not engage you. I will not waste  my time or energy or thoughts on you, because you don’t exist. You are nameless, faceless, fearful, hateful. And you are powerless because you haven’t the guts to stand behind your own words and ideas. 

You may or may not like my words. You may or may not like me. You may or may not like what I represent. But you damn well know who I am. Because unlike the Twitter Cowards, well, me, I sign my name to everything I write.