As someone who spends what could be considered a dangerous amount of time on social media (dangerous to my sanity), I have witnessed every possible criticism of the decorum, or lack thereof, that exists on these platforms. Whether it be anonymous accounts spewing shit (I’m all for my friends staying anonymous, but I’m not stupid enough to extend that to my enemies) or just the constant flow of regime propaganda meant to get a rise out of perceived enemies, social media is a sewer. I spend almost all of my time on Twitter (X?) with periodic excursions to FedBook, so I’m not up on what most of the "minor" platforms are like when it comes to their participants’ behavior.

I admit that I am quite liberal with the block button on Twitter and Facebook, as well as the mute function on Twitter, which allows you to not see someone’s comments even though they can still see your content. The idea of someone screaming at the clouds amuses me. Some say that blocking people is for cowards. What does that even mean? It takes all of two seconds to figure out if someone is a friend (you know who you are) or enemy, and I’ve become adept at deciphering whether someone is sincere or being a dick when they’re making inquiries.

Why would I allow someone to view my account who could potentially report my comments? Why would I continue to interact with someone who clearly doesn’t share my values? Often, in your day-to-day routine, you are forced to interact with people with whom you would never do so voluntarily. Why allow that on social media? Sure, there are some journalists and pundits I refuse to block because I want to continue to go at them, but most people aren’t worth my time. Why are you wasting your time on those you know are a waste?

"But Pete, aren’t you trying to evangelize and build an army?" Are you high? Democracy doesn’t work. The majority never changes anything. Pareto distributions are all that matter. If you are intent on building an inner circle, you want a small, organized group that can focus on and pursue goals in an ordered manner - the 80/20 rule applies to people as well. Allowing time-wasters and fanciful dreamers to exhaust your most precious commodity, time, is self-harm.

As I’ve stated repeatedly, if you are someone who looks at society and sees hell manifested, the way to start to change that view is between your ears and within the walls of your home. Then and only then can you coordinate with like-minded people. Building your own mannerbund is appealing to many, but you must remember that the proverbial rotten apple will soon spoil the whole bunch. Knowing who to avoid and who to exclude is more important than knowing who you plan to include in your camp. We instinctively know, sometimes within a few minutes, whether we want to associate with certain people, but we have been indoctrinated with "inclusive rhetoric" our entire lives. Deep down, everyone reading this knows that inclusion goes against our nature. If you have been hesitant to practice exclusion in real life, I suggest giving it a shot on social media first. Blocking or muting someone who is there only to disagree with or enrage you is practicing self-love. No one has a right to your time. You should view access to you as constrained by a velvet rope, not an open border.