***Posted to the @PublicLandsHateYou Instagram account on 6/25/2019***
We all have different opinions on everything. Whole vs fat free milk. Coffee vs Tea. Tinder vs Bumble. Washing vs not washing your hands after going to the bathroom. Oh… Is that just me? Awkward.
One thing I think we can all agree on is there is a huge lack of accountability on this platform and social media in general. After my most recent post, which I removed, I believe this account is part of that problem.
A number of people saw what was posted here and took it upon themselves to verbally abuse and threaten an individual. The few DM’s that I saw firsthand were incredibly vile. No one deserves to be treated like that, no matter the perceived wrong that was committed.
@publiclandshateyou takes responsibly for the obscene, vulgar things that were said to this individual by a small percentage of disrespectful and ignorant people. I apologize on behalf of those people, for what they said and for appearing to give them a platform to hide behind.
This account WILL NOT be a conduit for abusive language or threats. The ingenuity of the human mind should be used for the creation of thoughtful ideas and opinions that can be shared with others, not coming up with despicable things to say. It’s one thing to respectfully let someone know that you disapprove of their actions. It’s another to tell them they should be turned into fertilizer by a steamroller. Or worse.
It’s clear that the posts, comments, and stories shared here discouraging abusive behavior have not been effective, so it’s time to make some changes. There will always be a place for holding our peers accountable if they are not willing to do so themselves, but recent events have proven that doing so respectfully when 56,000 people are involved is incredibly challenging.
You’ll find in the stories a draft set of guidelines that will be used by this account going forward. Hopefully you’ll take the time to read them, think about them, and send ANY feedback or suggestions you might have. The goal is to continue operating this account in a way that can effectively provide relevant information and education about protecting our public lands while also holding our peers accountable in a respectful way.
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