Do you ever wonder what happened to common courtesy in our world? Comments from trolls on a recent webinar I attended had me thinking about why it’s so hard for some people to be polite.
Welcome to the 182nd edition of The Sunday Spark, a series with weekly thoughts and highlights, nuggets of learning, and a quote of the week. Along with thoughts on our lack of common courtesy, this week’s edition has a look at parking lot solar, coconut oil jet fuel, and the role of Canada’s Indigenous peoples in the clean energy transition.
On my mind this week: When did common courtesy become uncommon?
Last week, I attended a free webinar presented by Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist. I’m a big fan of Becker. His book Things That Matter is one of the best books on intentional living I’ve read.
When I saw Becker was offering a free webinar on 7 Principles to Declutter Your Home, I was intrigued enough to sign up. And I wasn’t alone. Sixteen thousand people registered and there were thousands of people on the webinar.
It was hard to keep up with the comments in the chat. Most were very positive and appreciative. Others were just downright rude.
That’s just rude!
Becker started out the webinar with a story to set the stage. A couple of minutes in, chat trolls were telling him to get to the point and move on.
As the webinar progressed, it became clear that Becker was fighting a cold. Instead of appreciating the fact that he was soldiering one despite not feeling 100%, people were saying things like, “Give that man a Kleenex” and “All this sniffling is so distracting”. Truthfully, it wasn’t that bad. I didn’t even notice he had a cold until I saw the comments.
Overcoming consumerism was one of Becker’s seven principles. When he took a few minutes at the end of the webinar to promote The Minimalist Life platform that helps people refocus, declutter and live with less, you’d swear he’d committed a cardinal sin. People were getting all snarky and calling him out for advertising and promoting consumerism by trying to sell his platform.
Sheesh. The guy does a free webinar and can’t get any respect.
All this made me wonder when common courtesy became uncommon in our world. Why do people need to be rude? I suppose it’s just too easy for people to hide behind a keyboard and be nasty. But what does their nastiness do for them? Does it make them feel important or superior?
On the other hand, I was heartened by people who jumped to Becker’s defence—thanking him for sharing valuable information and for taking the time to do the webinar when he wasn’t feeling well.
As Thumper wisely said in Bambi,
If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all.
Words to live by.
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Quote of the week
Really big people are, above everything else, courteous, considerate and generous – not just to some people in some circumstances – but to everyone all the time.
Thomas J. Watson
Three highlights of the week
It’s important to celebrate big milestones and simple pleasures in life. Keeping the trend going, here are three highlights of the week gone by:
- It has been another gorgeous week of fall weather. We enjoyed blue skies, sunshine and spectacular colours. We took advantage of the weather to get out for lots of walks on local trails.
- My travels to New Orleans on Friday were smooth and uneventful. I had time to get out and see some of the city on Friday afternnoon before attending a reception on Friday evening.
- Saturday’s workshop went well and I had more time to explore the city in the afternoon.
Things I learned this week
Life is all about learning. Here are three things I learned this week:
Parking lot solar powers amusement parks
Six Flags has installed solar panels on parking lots in several of its amusement parks, including the latest installation at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California.
These panels generate enough electricity to offset not only the park’s needs, but also the needs of the neighbouring community. And parking under the panels provides shade for cars that would otherwise be parked in the hot sun all day.
(Source: The Carbon Almanac)
Coconut oil shows promise as aviation fuel
Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan have developed a new aviation fuel made from coconut oil. When tested in small turbojet engine, this new fuel performed comparably to traditional jet fuel. This shows promise as airlines could potentially adopt these blends without redesigning existing aircraft engines.
(Source: Happy Eco News)
Indigenous peoples play a big role in Canada’s clean energy transition
Canada’s Indigenous peoples have openly criticized many of the fossil fuel projects prioritized by the Canadian government. When it comes to the transition to clean energy, however, Canada’s Indigenous peoples are playing a key role. First Nations communities co-own more than 350 clean energy projects across Canada. These projects generate about $441 million annually for those communities.
By 2031, 24% of Canada’s electricity is expected to be generated through clean energy projects with Indigenous involvement.
(Source: CBC What on Earth)
I’d love to hear what you think about any of this week’s topics. Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts and ideas.
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Online trolls make things such a nuisance. When we host webinars at work for the public, we turn off the chat and only turn on the Q&A during the period. We also set ground rules at the start so that if people break them, they get the boot.
That’s a good approach, Ab. It’s a shame because the chat has such potential to drive engagement, but we can’t depend on people to be respectful. I do think a moderated Q&A is the better way to go, especially in a webinar of that size.
About Becker’s webinar, some people just don’t have manners. I see that all the time, and I don’t understand it. I guess that’s where we are nowadays. Sometimes, I wonder if it’s better to disable the chat during some of those webinars. If the speaker is just providing information, then the chat is probably a distraction.
It is a shame that people can’t be civil, Edward. Part of the webinar was a Q&A which was really valuable to attendees, so disabling the chat wouldn’t have worked in this case.
It makes sense to have the chat enabled in that case. I agree with you, and some people are just disruptive and in need of attention.
The detail about the chat trolls demanding the speaker skip pleasantries because he had a cold really illustrates how anonymity can erode basic empathy. It is striking that people were so focused on being snarky about his sniffling that they missed the valuable content entirely. Do you think the sheer volume of 16,000 participants made it impossible for the host to moderate effectively, or is this just a symptom of broader online culture?
I think it’s a bit of both. Opening the chat can encourage engagement, but unfortunately it can be the wrong type of engagement. In this case, I think a moderated Q&A might have been the better option.
I didn’t know that phrase came from Bambi. Wow – and it’s so true! What a great idea to put solar panels in the parking lot. So creative!
It is true. Thumper was very wise. 🐰 And I’d love to see solar panels on every parking lot!
People are so awful, and so much worse when they’re hiding behind a keyboard.
So true, Erin. I was shocked reading the comments.
I’ve no idea why people can be so rude, especially when the person they are being rude too is simply trying to help them. Honestly, you would not believe some of the nasty comments I get on some of my blogging tips post, Michelle. I try to be polite back, but some people just don’t seem to want to be friendly.
I love the idea of those solar panels at Six Flags. Parking your car under them to help keep them cool is a brilliant idea.
I’m sorry you’ve experienced that Hugh. I just don’t understand what kind of twisted pleasure these trolls get out of being so nasty.
And I love the idea of solar panels in parking lots. I’d love to see that idea gain popularity.
Hi, Michelle! I am not the first person to observe that our access to online communication has allowed for rudeness to thrive. Folks will write things online that they would be much less likely to say — face to face — in person. And people (as well as huge disinformation/propaganda networks) can create fake personas/identities, which then removes whatever they write/post even further from reality and responsibility. Then we add onto this (sad) human propensity towards anonymous rudeness/disrespect a national leader — and political followers — who celebrate mean-spiritedness. I recently read these sentences in an article: the US president’s “many offenses against decency should be viewed not only as moral transgressions, but as political acts. He has become the dominant political figure of our era in part by using vulgarity and nastiness to form a lasting bond with his supporters.” So being mean becomes a way to bond with other mean-spirited/psychologically-damaged human beings. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. ps: Hurrah for solar arrays in parking lots! I just read an article about how certain grapes (in the southern, hotter parts of Italy) appear to grow much more bountifully — and containing more antioxidants — when planted under solar panels. The panels provide shade and also change the above-ground humidity levels in positive ways.
It realy is sad, Will. To be honest, it just baffles me. These people seem to get some sort of perverse pleasure from being unkind. I’d rather take pleasure from being kind.
And the solar panels definitely are a positive development. I hope they catch on in other parking lots too.
Yes, it’s so sad that people feel it’s okay to be nasty to people online and seem to go out of their way to do so. If you join a free webinar like that and don’t like what you’re hearing, you can simply leave. The sad part about the online world is it makes it easier for people like that to find each other and then they think it’s acceptable behaviour because other people do it.
As for the president, as a Canadian whose country is often on the receiving end of his lies and nastiness, I definitely agree that his aggressive and mean-spirited comments are political acts. Sigh.
The parking lot solar is a great development that I hope catches on!
Oh my…the snarky webinar attendee behavior? Why do people show up just to be trolls? I love how you processed all of it, Michelle, and it’s heartening to hear how Becker rose above and how many provided kind comments and expressed gratitude for his content, with appreciation that he carried on, despite being ill. Sheesh. But I suppose a crowd of 16,000 will include some folks get their jollies by being mean. 😟
Right. I suppose Becker has met enough people that he knows there will always be a few trolls. I do have to wonder what these people get out of being so nasty, though. I suppose when certain political leaders display that kind of behaviour on a daily basis, it makes people think that’s normal and acceptable.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, Vicki.
You said exactly what I think…leaders with horrible manners set terrible examples. One in particular…sigh…
😡😡😡
Sigh is right, Vicki. I have had some interesting conversations with some of my American colleagues this week. It has reminded me that we Canadians have a lot of support from our friends in the USA. 💙❤️🤍
Good to hear! ❤️
People tend to be snarkier when they’re behind a keyboard. I attended a number of workshops when the participants were making snide comments (usually under the breath, but loud enough to notice). If I found it distracting, I’m sure the presenter did as well.
It really is distracting and so disrespectful to the speaker, Pete. I’ve seen some pretty poor presenters in my career, and I just quietly disengage. It wouldn’t occur to me to be rude.
I’m blown away that “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say something at all” came from Bambi. That’s awesome, Michelle. I totally agree! Enjoy New Orleans!
I know. My daughter and I watched the movie a couple of years ago and I smiled when Thumper said that. 😀
About being rude: it’s so true what you say that’s easy to hide behind a keyboard and write harsh words. I don’t understand why though. I think that’s a lack of respect towards the speaker. If they don’t like the webinar, why they simply don’t leave the virtual room?
Such a terrific point about respect, Cristiana. I thought the same thing. If you don’t like what you’re hearing, just leave. Why try to disrupt and disrespect?