Terry Sarten: Online vitriol is healthy jolt of reality

ROOM FOR A VIEW: Opinions - the world of online communication is full of them.

I AM a columnist. I like a good column. It provides structural and architectural support, holding up a wider concept to provide a roof over an idea.

I like opinions. I have lots of them. Some have proved more durable and do-able than others.

On Thursday evenings, as the column deadline approaches with all the pomp and circumstance of a parking ticket, ideas are put to the test.

Will it be an opinion piece this week or a satirical dig at the high and mighty? Will it be all indignation, stamping its little foot on the page, demanding something be done about political contortionists reshaping the truth into something unrecognisable or asking why we are not focused on improving outcomes for disadvantaged children?

A recent adaptation I have made to the task of canvassing opinion is to go below the line - down to the comment basement beneath the actual article where there are often a lot of strange things goings on. There are mysterious knocking sounds, the buzz of sharp minds dismantling whole swathes of perspectives and the alarming thump of people hitting back at other views.

There are droll, witty comments: "Brexit is the new black." There are comments that stun with their casual cruelty - whatever the words used, they do provide a timely reminder that what was written in the actual article will be interpreted in many different ways.

The post-Brexit dialogue; the presidential election in the United States; the response to Maori issues - all of these and more seem to bring out strongly-held opinions structured on ideas about race and immigration built on racist foundations.

The ideas are fiercely held, and defended with considerable vigour, often loaded with insults and derogatory remarks. Holed-up in a fact-free fortress of ideology and feeling under siege, these opinions are not negotiable - there will be no truce or dialogue. They are not about to suddenly change their views.

I find all this valuable. It balances the way I think about something against the views of others who completely disagree with my perspective.

For example, an article about refugees might have comment lines that voice thoughtful humanitarian considerations alongside openly racist ranting.

It can be a bitter blow to discover your rose-tinted glasses need a good clean after reading how some people view these issues but nevertheless, it is important to see, read and recognise that the world, along with generosity and kindness, holds a lot of hate, vitriol and narrow-minded and mean-spirited people who you would probably never have encountered otherwise.

I am constantly amazed at how quickly a comment line can become an all-in slagging match between opposing opinions. Some of this can be attributed to trolling - the sharks patrolling, looking for something to bite in the social media net - and so these can be dismissed as a form of electronic rabies. But there are other opinions that astonish with their complete lack of feeling.

If we did not know these opinions existed, we could be deluded into thinking change is easy. We could simply imagine charity and truth guided people's thoughts and completely miss recognising that there is an astonishing amount of pent-up anger pouring out of keyboards under the frenzied fingers of those who do not feel the same about an issue as you do. And this, in its own way, is a good thing.

-Terry Sarten (aka 'Tel') is a writer, musician, social worker and troll tamer - feedback: tgs@inspire.net.nz