Zen and the Art of Dumpster Fire Avoidance.

Joe · 2025-03-31T17:08:34Z

Zen and the Art of Dumpster Fire Avoidance. “Are you sitting comfortably ‘Grasshopper’? Then let us begin. The world of genre fiction in relation to Social Media is beset with many a dumpster fire. They rage, oh, how they rage! With so many seemingly harmless looking people strutting around with a bottle of accelerant and a Zippo, searching for something which they can set on fire and walk away from with a big shit-eating-grin on their faces. It’s all part of the rich tapestry of internet existence, the intricately woven patterns of good and kind people going about their days with hope in their hearts, while some fuckwit with spiked boots prepares to trample on them for the sole reason that… They can. Often that’s all that they need in order to start a dumpster fire, because, to paraphrase what a wise Butler once said in a Batman movie “Some people just want to watch the world burn”. This is not to say that all dumpster fires begin the same way, as there are many cases where disagreements have started over very important issues, but it seems these days that for every rational person willing to discuss a subject in a polite manner, there are a dozen hostile assholes just looking to browbeat you into submission.” “Do you have personal experience of this, Master Po?” “Well, it’s funny you should ask Grasshopper, as I do indeed have experience of such things… There was an ‘Open Call’, the payment information for which was vague enough that I asked for simple clarification. ‘Do you pay the writers?’ I asked. There was nothing more, no insinuation, no accusation.” “A simple thing, Master Po!” “Ah, Grasshopper, you have much to learn, for what is, on the surface, a simple thing, may in fact run much deeper, for the person from whom I requested the information had encountered previous criticism and by all accounts was publicly attacked, and so suspected that I was going to create a similar issue. It was not my intent. Rather than merely state a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’, the person responded with a lengthy statement, defending their entire publishing history.” “WTF Master Po!” “‘What The Fuck’ indeed Grasshopper, and so it was that I attempted to reason things out, to get to the reality of the payment situation without an escalation, but alas that was not to be, as colleagues of the person decided to assist in the discussion, with accusations of my intent to destroy their publication and further accusations that I was not so much a group owner but a ‘cult leader’, amid one person’s statements that she would ‘take me down, no matter what’. This, as several more of their colleagues attempted to join the group in order to defend their colleague and challenge me.” “For asking if a publication pays? Talk about ‘overkill'” “Indeed Grasshopper, but let us never forget that when people have struggled through adversity to create something that they believe in, passions can run hot. I remained calm, and rather than throw more fuel on the fire, approached things in a civilised manner. Those troops awaiting at the gate were denied access, and those within were dealt with according to their actions. Those who remained in opposition to me yet civil were fine, as I allow criticism of myself to flow as a river over me. One of them was less than civil about others in the group, and so was escorted to the gates and banished. In the matter of the publication, it was all a misunderstanding, and one which has since been resolved. Had a simple answer been given to the simple question then all of the hostilities could have been avoided, as for the most part they are good people, they just got off on the wrong foot.” “I am glad to hear that, Master Po. Are there other such instances you could recount?” “Far too many Grasshopper, but I shall tell you a tale of a boy, this dumpster fire was in a group which I was also a lowly member of. One day he made a couple of requests, first of all he had written a book, and asked for opinions on it. However, as is common for those with so little experience, he was not seeking honesty as much as he sought praise. At the same time as asking for said praise he requested help with a personal situation. Someone had made an accusation against the boy, one which involved children. It was of course a lie, one meant to discredit and destroy the boy, and so it was that he called upon the group’s members to help him with getting ‘justice’ by reporting the accuser to the necessary departments on Facebook. His request for help fell on deaf ears, and his frustration built, his desperation obvious, and so it was that I decided to see if I could help him.” “Why am I not surprised!” “Don’t be cheeky Grasshopper. As is my nature I looked into the situation with some attention to detail, and found that he had indeed been accused of certain unpalatable things. During the course of hours it transpired that the boy had reported the accusations to Facebook to no avail, and had also repor...

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