@ www.theotherpress.ca

Opinions

 

The vacation of our dreams

High expectations
about trips can knock
us down

By Glauce Fleury,
Contributor

fter a long hard year,

my friend’s deserved
vacation is just around the
corner. He’s excited. He
checks his savings, chooses
his destiny, books his tickets,
packs, and goes. He’s finally
there, in that sparkling
city called New York. He’s
exhausted after hours of
flying, so he decides to take
a shower and get some
rest. Getting into bed, he
wasn’t expecting to find
goose-down pillows and
silk linens, but linens from a
hospital?

That was an unexpected
surprise, although “no
surprises” is usually what
people hope for while
planning their vacation.
When the break comes,
traveling abroad might
be a very good option to
enjoy those lazy days out
of school, free from our

amazing boss, or far from
our lovely partner.

Decision made, we
create high expectations
about exploring new lands,
meeting awesome people,
and sharing different
cultures. Or maybe some of
us just want to go camping,
hiking, and have some beer.
Anyway, when we have
expectations, no matter what
they are, we try to keep
them safe in a box; creating
a good plan, checking it
every now and then, and,
finally, finding the resources
to accomplish it. That is
what most people do when
traveling.

Some of my friends
around the world are good
examples. My Japanese
friend makes plans to
come to Vancouver almost
every year, because of her
passion for the Canadian
intercultural society. My
Dutch friends traveled to
Brazil last year and were
really impressed after
exploring non-famous
cities in the countryside.
All of them reached their
expectations. That did not
happen to my Brazilian peer,

The troll toll

How to avoid trolls on
the Internet

By Elliot Chan,
Contributor

Ages has struck the
nternet. It is too late for
a firewall, it is too late to do
a full computer scan, and it
is too late to unplug and re-
plug your modem. Trolling
is officially an epidemic in
our online communities. If
you have made a sincere
comment or left a genuine
opinion, a troll is not far
away, hunched over their
computer, preparing a
patronizing reply.

Go to your computer
and scroll down any
comments list. You don’t
have to go far to uncover
the markings of a troll. They

are ruthless, senseless, and
ignorant creatures. Feed
them enough negative
reinforcement and soon
they’Il be insulting your
religion, your ideals, and
even your mother. Like
ajunkie getting high

off narcotics, trolls get a
euphoric sensation from
your aggravation. Stop,

 

who wanted to wake up in
that city that never sleeps

and find he’s king of the hill.

It was exactly this
friend who arrived in New
York a couple weeks ago.
He booked the hotel that
charged him $200 per night.
When he pulled the sheet,
he could read on the border
the name of a hospital in
big red letters. Based on the
picture I saw, the staff tried
to hide that part under the
bed, but something made it
appear out of the shadows

to their antics. So until

the day a law is made
requiring all computer
users’ identification to post
comments, we must fend
for ourselves. But how

can we? The World Wide
Web is such a vulnerable
place. There are the mean
streets of Facebook, the
terrifying ghettos of Twitter,

66 Kindness ts troll kryptonite.

accept that they exist, and
let their antagonizing words
fade into the ether.
Although trolling is
widespread, the websites
that allow users to create
their own aliases (Twitter,
YouTube, etc.) are more
commonly subjected

and the dark alleys of
Reddit. How do we protect
ourselves during our online
explorations?

Remember, trolls are
human beings. That is,
they are bored, vulgar, and
insecure human beings.
That statement alone should

to tarnish the hotel’s

reputation. I ask myself,
“What the heck were linens
from an Atlanta hospital
doing on the bed of a hotel
in Midtown Manhattan,

a block away from Times
Square, in one of the most
expensive square meters of
the world?”

When my friend told
me that, I caught myself
thinking that maybe the
patients in some hospital
of Atlanta have been
sleeping on mattresses

make you feel better. But
if you still feel victimized
by their existence, try this
option: kill them with
kindness. You'd be surprised
how effective positivity can
be when following their
curt comments. Kindness is
troll kryptonite. Give them
respect, but don’t linger
long—they won’t return it.
As bullying continues
in our physical world,
cyber-bullying will survive
in the virtual one. The
Internet will always be
home to intolerance,
profanity, and
slander. But the
website universe
is vast; there is
room for the
passive surfers,
the gracious
Googlers, and the
tepid browsers.

with no sheets, as some of
them seem to be stuck in
expensive hotels in the Big
Apple. Moreover, when |
went to New York, I realized
I didn’t check which hospital
my linens were from.

Maybe next time, I could
bring some from a Brazilian
hospital to feel at home. At
least then I wouldn’t create
high expectations about
what I would find.

After all, you don’t need to
frequent the Internet that
often anyways. The best
way to avoid trolls and the
temptation of becoming one
is to explore the real world.
Go out tonight, grab a drink
with friends, and laugh
over the fact that someone
somewhere is unable to
terrorize you through a
computer screen.

   

7