The twitter community shows its good side
October 17, 2020 5:57 AM Subscribe
Yesterday, Edmund O'Leary tweeted "I am not ok. Feeling rock bottom. Please take a few seconds to say hello if you see this tweet. Thank you.". Twitter responded with worldwide support and kindness, and it's just a source of joy and support for anyone in these trying times.
Mod note: One deleted. Sometimes when a post is framed as being positive or hopeful there's an active impulse to negate that framing and say how it's actually bad, and over time that adds up to an overall site vibe that everything must be negative all the time. This is just a little nice thing; please just let it be.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 7:58 AM on October 17, 2020 [80 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 7:58 AM on October 17, 2020 [80 favorites]
I have to say, this is the side of Twitter I see most of the time, TBH, even on a professional level. I’m a generation above the current crop of folks in my vocation, and I feel like there’s a pretty solid culture of positive support, allyship, and openheartedness among the younger folks. I feel too old and embarrassed to go about sharing my deep feels the way they so casually do, but it’s cool to see people remaking the paradigm for how they share and convey their knowledge. (And the great majority of these folks are on the disenfranchised spectrum of gender, sexuality, and race, so that commonality/intersectionality may have something to do with it.) This example feels entirely consistent with what Twitter can be, in my experience, as opposed to the common glib retort of “Nazis all the way down” or whatever.
posted by mykescipark at 10:26 AM on October 17, 2020 [23 favorites]
posted by mykescipark at 10:26 AM on October 17, 2020 [23 favorites]
Similar here, mykescipark.
posted by doctornemo at 12:55 PM on October 17, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by doctornemo at 12:55 PM on October 17, 2020 [2 favorites]
I'm a cranky old bastard, and I'll fight til my last breath when the situation calls for it. However, the kids are alright. If someone asks for help, you help.
posted by evilDoug at 2:43 PM on October 17, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by evilDoug at 2:43 PM on October 17, 2020 [2 favorites]
The tweet and its responses, and a view of O'Leary's recent tweets including replies (visible even if you're not logged into Twitter). Lots of nice dog photos and sunsets.
Thanks for posting this, hippybear.
posted by brainwane at 2:51 PM on October 17, 2020 [1 favorite]
Thanks for posting this, hippybear.
posted by brainwane at 2:51 PM on October 17, 2020 [1 favorite]
As a depressed person with also an interest in aviation, I loved so much the airplane/airport tweets. So good and wonderful! Thank you!
posted by Bektashi at 5:49 PM on October 17, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Bektashi at 5:49 PM on October 17, 2020 [1 favorite]
Meanwhile my secret depression twitter account has still not received a single reply.
posted by signsofrain at 6:54 PM on October 17, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by signsofrain at 6:54 PM on October 17, 2020 [2 favorites]
Hey, signsofrain, I don't know how much of a joke that is supposed to be, but I want you to know you're seen and cared about. *socially-distanced hugs if that's okay*
posted by hippybear at 6:58 PM on October 17, 2020 [7 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 6:58 PM on October 17, 2020 [7 favorites]
That's very kind of you hippybear. It's only half serious. I'm probably more just subject to hormones and moods and COVID isolation than actually depressed, and I take to an alt account on Twitter to get my sads out. It's actually been useful as a tool to track my mood over time. I didn't start it to get replies and don't seek them out, but from time to time it'd be nice to post "I don't like myself today" and get a flood of supportive replies, I'm just not famous so that wouldn't happen. 😂
posted by signsofrain at 7:28 PM on October 17, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by signsofrain at 7:28 PM on October 17, 2020 [2 favorites]
I have seen people go to MetaTalk to say exactly that and get tremendous community support. I think it's something that is not happening often, but if you're really bottoming out, I'm sure the MeFi community is here for you in ways unexpected and wonderful.
posted by hippybear at 9:03 PM on October 17, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 9:03 PM on October 17, 2020 [6 favorites]
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But fuck that. I'm gonna just go with the sweet part of this story. A lot of the replies are really nice, too. Not platitudes of "it's all gonna be OK" but simple saying "I'm with you", or "here's a nice photo I hope cheers you up". Frankly with 60,000+ replies I have no idea what all is there.
Edmund O'Leary previously in a press article.
posted by Nelson at 7:14 AM on October 17, 2020 [17 favorites]