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I have been posting informative and opinion-based articles online for some time now.  As a former blogger, I have written about everything from human interest stories to more serious topics such as drinking and driving.  Throughout my history of online publication, I have encountered a whole new form of anger driven people:  I call them “Cyber Ragers”. 

The reason for this article is in response to a woman who decided to unleash her rage upon me, as a result of an article I had written.  It was in no way meant to offend anyone, and I was hoping to get some other opinions on the topic.  In the post, I asked if it was too much for women who breastfeed publicly in stores and malls to cover themselves a little such as with a towel or receiving blanket, rather than just hanging out in the breeze.  The reason for me to post was about an incident where such a thing happened to me during a job interview once when I was quite young and how it embarrassed me.  I had also worked in a mall for a long time, and had encountered similar behaviors there.  I have always been a modest lady, and I always will be.  I conduct myself with class and dignity because that is who I am.  Unfortunately, not all women choose to conduct themselves like ladies.    

The response I received to that article was just unbelievable.  Some woman calling herself “Cass” had decided to verbally attack me, calling me everything from hyper religious nutcase to narcissistic psychopath…of which I am neither.  What was the most ironic part is that she accused me of tying myself up into a knot—I beg to differ, I think it was she who had her knickers in a twist.  I also found it odd that she suggested I need therapy, where clearly it was she who might want to look into it.   I decided to delete the post—not because of her ranting, but because my reason for posting the article was not to incite rage, but open the topic for frank discussion.

In no way was the article meant to hurt or insult anyone, and I even stated that at the very beginning.   

I shudder to think that if she had such an overreaction to a simple, honest post, how she must treat her family, friends and perhaps even her children.  (I assume she has them because of her inflammatory response towards my article.  I take it that she probably has behaved much like the office manager that day of my interview as well.) All I can say is this person is in serious need of anger management. 

I read my article over a few times, wondering what it was about it that set her off.  In my post was not one rude comment, nor one inappropriate suggestion.  It was about mutual respect, and how we can all be a little happier if everyone practised it. 

For the record, I am all for breastfeeding, I simply stated my feelings about the interviewer’s conduct, and how some people (like myself) appreciate a mother who exercises a little discretion doing it.  In no way was that article anti-breastfeeding.  I guess with all the postpartum hormones flying around, who knows what some of these mothers are capable of?  

It begged me to ask the question:  Is Cyber Rage the new Road Rage?   I was a victim of road rage once and the police became involved.  It was a terrifying experience where a woman nearly ran over me with her Sunfire as I was crossing the street, and when I shouted at her, she drove ahead and waited for me to finish crossing the street.  When I got to the other side, she got out of her car and threatened me.   I ended up going into a bank and telling the security guard to call the police.  They dispatched an officer who ticketed her and gave her a stern warning about her behavior.  That incident really shook me up, as I was nearly killed, and then was accosted by a rather super-sized, tall woman who could have easily cleaned my clock if she wanted to.

Cass’s reaction to my post wasn’t much different from what I experienced by the road enraged woman.  Cyber Rage certainly isn’t a new phenomenon.  Just like people who feel safe enough behind three thousand pound metal fortresses on wheels to terrorize other people on the road, so are people who hide behind usernames and choose to verbally attack and humiliate others, for doing nothing more than stating a harmless opinion.

I know that everyone has different values and ideals and I am thankful for that; it is what makes the free country a wonderful place to live.  What I take issue with are people who believe it is their right to call someone else a psychopath or a nutcase just because they have differing viewpoints.  I am actually a very nice woman, and I have helped my in my community by volunteering and raising funds and donations for local charities. 

Cyber bullies are much like cyber ragers.  Like the classic schoolyard bullies, Cyber Bullies use words and threats to intimidate someone into silence; and just like classic bullies, they feel an overinflated sense of self esteem (often given to them by their parents) and believe it is their right to push other people around.

I wonder why society is becoming increasingly violent, especially where young children and women are concerned.  Gang violence among children is a regular concern on the news.  Think of young Michael Brewer who was nearly burned to death by a group of boys over a video game.  Is it the parent’s faults for not teaching their children any morality?  Or is it society’s fault for displaying images of violence in virtually every form of media and entertainment.  Probably a little bit of both is what I think.

I speak for myself when I say that I am  not the type of person to abuse someone else, but I won’t stand for being verbally beaten up or bullied just because someone else feels that it’s their God Given Right.

So anyone out there who feels the need to attack another person, just stop and think for a moment before you actually key in the words.  Will it make you look like a bully, an abuser or terrorist?  Do you even really care?  How do you feel when someone calls you names like I was called?  How would you feel if your child came home from school with a black eye as a result of bullying? 

These are things that cyber-ragers should consider before unleashing their hatred upon others.

Just My Humble Opinion.