More on hashtag drama

It keeps going.

It's been a couple hours since Twitter realized that there was some shit going down with the trending topics and took down the Supernatural related ones. However, it's still going (#supernatural and #inkripkewetrust are still trending). And in more ways than one.

A good friend of mine tweeted the following earlier in the day:

"Lol at idiots trending #godishere. #Luciferiscoming is about a show. Morons. And God isn't anywhere BC he doesn't exist."

She got a response just now, hours after her tweet; she RTed it with her own comment:

"LOLOLOL IS THIS WHAT GOD'S LOVE IS? RT @incrediblebaby: @(myfriend) you should kill ya'self for saying God doesnt exist. jus pittiful."

This isn't just some difference of opinion. Like I said in my previous post, this is a silencing technique. In case you disagree, let's examine each tweet.

My friend was laughing at all the people trending #godishere because the vast majority of them were reacting to the hashtag #luciferiscoming without actually understanding the meaning behind the hashtag. In much the same way that some Christians considered it their duty to vote for Kris Allen on American Idol even though they'd never seen the show, many considered it their duty to knock down the #luciferiscoming hashtag.

Considering that the #luciferiscoming hashtag is inherently secular due to the fact that it's referencing a television show, I find it inappropriate to have it bombarded by religious opposition. In a culture where atheism and secularism are constantly attacked as "against American values," I don't see the #luciferiscoming hashtag as offensive or oppressive; instead, I find the #godishere hashtag to be those things, in an effort to silence everyone else.

As for my friend's opinion that God isn't here because he does not exist, that's her opinion and one that she's more than entitled to. Believing in a god is a matter of personal opinion. There is no evidence proving or disproving such entities, and so it is not appropriate to claim that a person is wrong for believing or not believing. End of fucking story.

The response that my friend should kill herself for even saying that God doesn't exist isn't just inappropriate or offensive. I would actually consider it something that should violate the Twitter terms of service (it unfortunately does not). What this young woman is saying to my friend is, "You should be so disgusted with yourself for saying that God doesn't exist, you should end your own existence. You don't deserve to be alive for saying such a thing."

My friend's RT pretty much got it right; for someone who believes in God so much shouldn't even think to say something so cruel and horrible to someone. It's absurd.

But it's not absurd to this woman, who has decided that she has the right to silence my friend by telling her to commit suicide, who has decided that no one is allowed to voice the opinion that there is no God or gods.