Man, I’m just going to say it because somebody needs to.
I grew up in an era where if you did some dumb shit, you got corrected. You got your ears pulled, sent to your room, lost your privileges, and you learned there were consequences.
Now? Social media has people publicly degrading each other, exposing relationships, disrespecting marriages, dating somebody else’s husband or wife, and then turning around and going right back to that same person. And the crazy part? People are making money off this mess by bringing it to their platforms for a few coins.
And we’re helping them do it.
We give celebrities and influencers our views, money, attention, and energy when many of them already have more than enough, while people in our own communities are struggling.
And yes, I’m talking about Black people, because that’s who I watch and know. We have GOT to do better. We can’t keep tearing each other apart, embarrassing each other online, dragging each other, and then walk outside demanding respect from everybody else.
Baby, respect starts at home. Respect starts with us.
The Internet has turned other people’s pain into entertainment, and we keep feeding it.
I miss when character mattered. When accountability mattered. When your parents could tell you, “You better not do that again,” and you actually listened.
Everybody wants to go viral. Everybody wants the coins. Everybody wants attention.
But ask yourself this:
WHAT ARE WE REALLY BUILDING?
Because if we’re constantly tearing down our own people for views, likes, followers, and money, then we need to stop pretending we don’t see the problem.
We see it. We participate in it. And WE have the power to stop feeding it.