As a rule I'm not keen on celebrity worship and all that but I do see that anything in public has a lot of similarities. Be it standing on a stage, speaking on radio or commenting online it all has the common element that you're putting yourself out there in public for all to see. If you want hate and crazy people, that's one way to attract them your way.
With that in mind I won't post the full conversation but quoting a couple of comments from someone who cops far more crap online than most here would be likely to.
Lzzy Hale, frontwoman of the band Halestorm:
Ah no worries. It’s not my first rodeo. Most of these dudes would never say it to my face… they hide behind anonymity and sticky keyboards
...
I feel bad for them. They want to be the victim, because they can’t face themselves. They are so unhappy that they feel the need to put someone else down for that very vapid blast of pleasure it brings them. I wish them joy.
Context was some fairly rude criticism that was getting personal, it wasn't about the music.
Sums up my own view pretty well really.
The great thing about the internet is it enables the exchange of everything from music to personal communications to financial and weather data between anyone just about anywhere on the planet. Heck it can even translate language when required.
The bad thing about the internet is exactly the same. It enables those with nothing better to do than attempt to destroy others to go about their evil deeds from the privacy of their own home with anonymity.
Now personally well I don't front a band, I ain't got my face on the front of an album and I couldn't play guitar if my life depended on it so I don't have the scrutiny which comes with that but the same concepts apply at some level to anything done in public. Put yourself in front of enough people and sooner or later you'll find some crazies in the audience.
In a past life I've done public speaking in various contexts. It doesn't come with anywhere near as much crap as I'd imagine a musician cops but it comes with some, it brings out the conspiracy theorists and so on who want to rant about nonsense.
So I won't be stopping anyone from reading my comments online just as I didn't stop anyone hearing my comments face to face and musicians don't stop people listening to their music. It's not hurting me to have the haters listening, not even slightly.
I do however reserve the right to suggest to the moderators that anyone being disruptive to the point of derailing discussion be thrown out at the moderators' discretion. As a concept that's much like what musicians do and it's much like what happens with talkback radio or standing at the Show talking to the public. You're entitled to your opinion and you're free to walk out or turn the radio off at any time but there's a line in the sand. Become too disruptive to others and there's a point where security throws you out of the venue or the radio presenter hangs up the call.
That said, well I do see the dilemma regarding the blocking function and why others will deem it necessary. Personally I haven't used it and have no intention of doing so. That said, well I do think it would be reasonable to know not their identity but how many people are blocking me in total. That's a fair and relevant thing to know I think - if there's a lot of people blocking me then "it's not them, it's me" is probably true. Painful though it may be, sometimes we all need a slap in the face and to be presented with the truth.
Prompted by the above, I've posted an appropriate song on the music thread:
https://www.aussiestockforums.com/threads/music-what-are-asf-members-listening-to.2569/page-334