Terror by Social Media

Since I wrote about the sexual behaviour Terror I have read plenty of background and cogent argument on the newspapers and periodicals. I have debated the issue in email correspondence with friends who relish the challenges of reason and debate. Unfortunately, me and my kind are a minority and a shrinking one at that. The real influence on public opinion is exerted through social media and in that forum, opinions on the left have an innate mechanical advantage. Consider this: the hundred or so people who read my blog most days may be interested or stimulated by what I say but they would be unlikely, unless I grossly misjudge you, to re-host me their Twitter of Facebook accounts, even if they had one.  On the other hand, left wing sensationalists and pedlars of polemic will find plenty of ready admirers and sympathetic wing sites who, almost mechanically, will copy the thought to their legions of like-minded signallers. As I have observed before, quoting Rory Sutherland, a typical Facebook exchange of views could be summarised as follows:

“It also doesn’t help that most social media has only three modes of emotional expression: smug, soppy and nasty.  An abridged version of ten trillion words on Facebook would simply read: ‘Look at me!’ ‘Gosh, isn’t this terrible!’ Go fuck yourself!’”

Whilst the Facebook exchange would never win at an old-fashioned debating society, that no longer matters so long as the idea, however outrageous, prevails.

So, no prizes for guessing which political party will be singled out for the most effective criticism – the left-wing mechanical advantage will deliver a public tarring and feathering, not just to the socially inept and crass or even the sexual bullies, it will be the entire Conservative brand that suffers. Chillingly, there will be much more of the same to come, at the next General Election, whenever that may be. Don’t mistake the left wing social media reaction for a phoney war – this is the real thing and the Conservative Party had better go on its own offensive fast.