Brawling on the Internet

I am in a lot of groups on Facebook. I am not really even sure how I got added into some of them. A lot of them were started and nothing ever happens in them. Some thrive and have many members. And there is a lot of entertainment value in them if you sit back and watch.

My favorite group I am a part of is the Diehard Milwaukee Brewers Fan page. It is really well run, and there are posts every day by the admin, he lists everyone’s birthday when it comes up, picks an MVP from the group each day- which I am lucky enough to have been MVP 2 times. There are a lot of good posts, a few dumb ones, manager wannabes, and casual fans and some fun and goofy stuff. Occasionally people go after each other, but the admins will jump in and cut it off. With spring training starting soon, the activity is really picking up and it is fun to read each day, getting us all amped up for the season.

The Service Industry group I am in is like an accident scene. I don’t really want to see a lot of it, but I can’t help myself from reading posts every day. The group has a ton of people from Colorado, particularly the Denver area, but a good sprinkling of people from around the country too. What I get from this group is that you couldn’t pay me enough to work in Colorado. They have some pretty serious laws regarding drinking, and they have to with the legal weed. But also, the people in this group are a bunch of elitist bartenders. Like they know everything about every drink and are the best ever at bartending and serving and are above reproach. Comments on the posts are the best, because people are ready to throw down at all times! They bash things that are so mundane about the job, and think they are the only ones who have ever encountered any little thing. Many have some serious substance abuse issues which makes reading their stuff even more entertaining. I don’t know who the admins are for this group, because just about everything gets posted and nothing ever gets removed or filtered. I am an old lady in this group, as many are people in their 20s or early to mid 30s. I love when people start fights in this group because it is always over ridiculous things, or complaining about tips. The whole thing is just silly, and as often as I think about leaving that group I know I never could because it makes my work days seem easy compared to what they deal with.

The group with the most issues is the Fox Valley Restaurant Review group. People from the area I live, reviewing local restaurants. Seems pretty straightforward, right? It is a helpful group sometimes. But there are only a handful of places that ever seem to get reviewed, the darlings of the group. And people get crazy. I reviewed a place the other day, and yes it is a place that gets reviewed often. But I had a great experience and wanted to share it. So I did, and posted a picture. I got a lot of good comments, and then 2 people started… One lady comments “That doesn’t look good to me!” Which is fine, I get that not everyone likes everything. But then another lady pipes up and tells her she is being rude. For 3 days these ladies have been going back and forth bashing each other. I finally stepped in and basically told the one lady it is possible to see a review and not comment, that she is seeking attention and got it, but not the kind she was looking for. I am anxiously awaiting her reply to that. The other mini-brawl on this post came from an older gentleman who started complaining that I didn’t list an address, and that is it so hard to do that? I replied that I had tagged the restaurant, and after that he complained that why should he have to do the research for places reviewed. People jumped all over him, explaining how Google works, etc. I went back in, listed the address, phone number and hours for the place. The admin even jumped in and said that all he had to do was click on the name of the restaurant I tagged, and all that info would pop up. Nope, all out brawl. Strangely, nobody pulled the “OK Boomer” card on him yet, but again, I await that response All of this because I liked my steak and drinks at a restaurant. How bored are people, or how triggered are they?

The Internet is a fantastic tool, and Facebook can be too, if you have people with common interests. The groups have a lot to offer, sometimes. But it isn’t a place for the thin-skinned, for sure. People get awfully bold from behind a keyboard. So if you get into a group on Facebook, sit back at first before you engage a lot, it may not be what you think it is. Or just sit back and watch the fights, because they will happen. If you choose to engage, prepare to defend your position, because they guy that likes the well-done steak is going to take you to task for ordering yours medium rare. And he knows how to wield that steak knife at your profile picture!!!