As seen in Daily Sports (Japanese) / デイリースポーツの連載コラム・トレバーの虎場から
Happy New Year everyone! I hope that your 2022, the Year of the Tiger(s), is a much more prosperous year than last year was. It seems as though Covid-19 is not going away any time soon, which means we have to remain vigilant against its contagious nature.
Did you realize, though, that Covid-19 is not the most contagious disease out there? You see, no matter how careful you are, there is still a chance you will inadvertently be invaded by this invisible virus. It is, in most ways, out of your control. But there’s another highly transmissible, vitriolic, virulent virus out there, and you have way more control over its spread: negativity.
You’ve read the stories over and over again: slanderous comments and relentless bashing on social media drove Celebrity X to take his/her own life. Students all across Japan are familiar with the problem, too: bullying is not a problem that was spawned by social media and its comment sections. It has, though, morphed and become a new, deadlier strain. This variant has drawn students closer with its enticing, addictive nature, and then devoured its victims mercilessly.
And what of athletes? They not only endure jeering on the playing field, but also on their social media accounts. I have seen them being torn apart for their fashion choices, their facial expressions, their personal opinions, and even the fact that they are using social media when they “should be out practicing instead.” You might say that athletes are mentally tougher than the average human being, and if they can’t take a little criticism from the fans, then they do not have what it takes to survive the professional sports world. However, I disagree.
Every player, every human, is out there living life the best way they know how. And if they have veered from that “best” path, it is likely due to their need to medicate or numb the pain they have been feeling. Do we not all do this in some way and at some point in our lives? Should we fans not show understanding, empathy, support, and even (if we really feel like we have it all together, which 99.9% of us do not) guidance and advice?
I have been prone to shooting out negative tweets and comments. My attempts to knock someone else down to size, to make myself feel better, to draw laughter or “likes” out of netizens are like unneeded arsenic in their daily media consumption. Enough, though. I confess my wrongdoings and have decided that I will make 2022 a year of positive change, positive thoughts, and positive comments. And the new me may not change the world, but I believe it is a small step in the right direction.
Want to infect someone with something? Make it your laughter, your smile, your optimism, your support, your empathy. The internet has become way too dangerous a playground for us to visit. I am spending 2022 looking at fewer comment sections, and breathing better air into those around me. Who’s with me?
Leave your thoughts in the comment section. Not that I’ll be reading them!