By XHABIR DERALLA

The social media are an extraordinary illustration of the situation in society. The first conclusion that can be drawn from the posts and comments is the devastating level of literacy. It’s surprising how many people are practically illiterate. If they don’t know how to write, then its surely also difficult for them to read.

OBSCENE, ILLITERATE, VIOLENT

If they can’t read and write, that means they also have a problem understanding what they are reading. Knowing all this, the fact that their “public appearances” on the social networks are obscene and illiterate, often violent, should not come as a surprise.

It’s easy to sway a semi-literate person, to instill in them values that go against everything that is human. To limit their consciousness and conscience. To turn them into a pawn of the centers of power that fight against democracy and progress.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?

People are not entirely responsible for their stupidity. Those who haven’t given them minimum quality education are responsible. Furthermore, it can be said, the media are even more responsible for the low level of literacy and understanding of events. And it’s not only them.

Political parties and institutions that have direct responsibility to promote values in society, are destroying the already low level of literacy and awareness on a daily basis. Let’s not forget also the religious communities. Some of them have a role that is as big and important as it is infamous in promoting discrimination, hatred and war.

BLINDNESS TO THE FACTS

Therefore, the social networks are full of “public appearances”, which, aside from being illiterate, don’t even have the slightest connection with logic and reality. It’s amazing how people are embraced by total blindness to the facts. Detached from reality, alienated from the place they live, dulled and unaware of the interests of the community in which they live, absorbed by the admiration for the tyrants – they neither use their own senses, nor their own brain.

EVIL BEFORE GOOD

But there’s something worse and deeper. It seems that violence and evil for many are much more appealing than peace and kindness. They have the entire world knowledge in the palm of their hands, yet they choose to believe in lies. Between kindness, the right to life and humanity on the one side, and stealing, destroying, killing, torture and rape, on the other, they choose the second one, evil.

ECHO OF THE CALLS FOR GENOCIDE

Hence, some lumpen troll, a Macedonian expat living in Melbourne, can be seen on the social networks putting himself in defense of Putin and calling for liquidation of those who are not like-minded, be it also Russians. He left Macedonia and went all the way to Australia (not to Russia), lives a decent life, thanks to the Australian system, but has transformed into a loyal subject of Putin, whom even the Russians haven’t liked for a long time.

He/she are just a vulgar and illiterate echo of the horrific calls for genocide on the first channel of the Russian national television. And tomorrow he will probably vote for some far-right political option that introduces divisions, hatred and violence among people.

EASIEST VICTIMS

And they behave in a similar way to most of the other important topics. They are the easiest victims and most diligent distributors of conspiracy theories and hatred against diversity, they respond to any opinion different from theirs with calls for lynch.

THE SILENT MAJORITY

When the majority is silent, the tyrants rage… And they win! The silent majority of, more or less, “decent” people who don’t want to be “exposed”, indirectly helps the horde of illiterate haters on the social networks. Indeed, most people don’t like confrontation. They want to keep their opinion to themselves, in order to keep the peace in their own bubble.

SOCIETY BELONGS TO EVERYONE

That’s wrong, because this way they leave the public to the illiterate and violent. Just as it’s wrong not to vote, and thus leave the right of major decisions in society to party soldiers. It’s the right of every individual to be passive and to close themselves in their own bubble.

But it’s important for everyone to know that the consequences of the passiveness mean a green light for unhindered action of the darkest structures in society. It’s important to understand that citizen participation is not a job, that society belongs to everyone, hence caring for values is like caring for the household.

WHO HASN’T DONE ENOUGH?

It’s even worse when some of the “decent” people decide to speak out and pour their dissatisfaction on those who are tirelessly fighting against the illiteracy and violence. Because they “hadn’t done enough”. Who hasn’t done enough? They can’t see that it’s precisely them, at least partially, who are to be credited for the fact that society and the democratic institutions are occupied by tyrants and criminals.

But that’s another long and disturbing story for self-destruction.

The text is a personal view of the Author. This content may be downloaded under the Creative Commons 4.0 license.

Translation: N. Cvetkovska