Hate The Hate

My time away from the computer did me some good. My travels to the West coast also awakened my senses. I had a wonderful time but more importantly, I was able to do a whole lot of thinking.

Sure, clearing out my thoughts and giving my brain a rest from the “bully” mess has given me plenty of perspective, but I think even deeper than that, I was caught up in the proverbial act of wondering why. For example, why do people hate?

A few of my family and friends have started following me on my blogs and such and one of the questions they asked me when they read some of my posts here on the “Looking Glass” was, who is this Amanda Welling and her husband Jon? What did you do to them to make them come after you? Of course my answer was the same as it always has been, “I don’t know.”

I never did or said anything about the husband and wife team that is the “Welling’s”. For some unknown reason, Amanda and Jon just took it upon themselves to stalk and harass me. I have yet to figure out why. Other than what they keep yapping about which is, “The model pic” or they think I stalked their friend Jude Henderson ( real name - Elsa Hernandez) despite the fact that the evidence shows that she stalked me on my own blog by using my friend to get to me.

Their response was the normal, “But why do they hate you so much?”

I still don’t know. I don’t know what it is in people or their lives that makes them hate. It’s just one of those mysteries of life. I mean, sure, one can guess. Some of those guesses include or suggests that maybe Jon and Amanda Welling could be going through some hard times. Maybe Jon is out of work. Maybe Amanda is out of work. Maybe they are both unemployed. That would certainly cause a lot of stress. Especially since they know that I retired young. They could be hateful towards me because of that. (Jealousy or envy) It’s certainly in the realm of possibility.

Maybe they work but don’t get enough hours or make enough money. Maybe they were forced to live with parents or in-laws or something. The possibilities are endless. Still, one worry that pops up on occasion is (or at least one question) how can people hate someone they don’t even know? That they never even met? Or hate someone that hasn’t done anything to them personally? Or anything at all except write a post about some bloggers who stole from me? They sure do seem to harbor a lot of hate for something so petty and trivial.

It was brought to my attention that people who hate others like they do usually do so for some major reason yet, none comes to mind except to assume that Amanda and Jon Welling are just hateful people or are severely lacking something in their life that makes them hate and I just happen to be the object of which they decided to target to take that hate out on. (Lucky me)

Let’s face it, if they can hate someone like me just over the internet and for no apparent or direct reason, how many people do they hate in real life? And for what more direct reasons? This is the concern because think about it, Jon and Amanda really hate me with a bloody passion. They wish nothing but the worst for me and by their own hands, they try everything they can to try and take away my dream. They do everything in their limited power to try and get others not to buy my book. Almost like they want me to starve to death from lack of sales – or my children – if I were to have them. And that’s a lot of hate to have for someone whom you never met, am I right? And for whom I had never done anything against, wouldn’t you agree?

So, if they can hate me that much then how much hate could they have for people that they do meet? Or know in real life? And from that, I ask myself, are they a time bomb waiting to go off? I mean, with that kind of hate in their blood, what are they capable of doing to people in their “real life”? How much harm are they willing to inflict on someone that they associate with on a day to day basis?

Do you see where I am going with this?

Better yet, how horrible is it to know that they have a few “online” friends who feel the same way towards me? People that do not know me who are doing everything in their power to “hurt” me. And why?

We could also extend that question to the rest of the bullies in the hate group, “Badly Behaving Authors” on Goodreads. From H.J. Leonard to John Green and their members and supporters – where does all of that hate (and self entitlement) come from? Not just for me, but for other authors who speak out or speak their minds about topics and issues? Why do these people (these bullies) feel that authors and those who support us shouldn’t be allowed to have a voice or opinion about something? Especially about something they wrote!? (Like their books)

It’s like, the bullies believe they have a right to say and do whatever they want to say and do to anyone they choose but nobody else has the right to say and do anything to them. How does one get like that?

And why is it so important for them (the bullies) to do it in public forums? Why is it not enough that they just can’t say their peace and move on? Why must they lie about me and the others just to try and get people to NOT buy our books? Where does that kind of hate come from? Is it just something they are born with? Is it some kind of resentment towards others because they themselves don’t have what it takes to pursue their own dreams? I mean, how does one get to be so hateful?

We already know these people try and claim that they are the good guys. That it’s us authors and our supporters who are “bad”. Yet, they are the ones using fake names or no names. They are the ones trying to hurt author’s sales in hopes that they and their family starve or go homeless. They are the ones who wish people harm or even death. (Like Mrs. Joseph wishes on me) I mean, these are the people who are spending all their free time preaching hate. “I hate this author, I hate his or her book, I hate anyone who doesn’t agree with me ….” And so on and so forth. They are also the ones who go around using the “F” word a lot too. Even in their so called reviews, they use it. Why? A study I read once says that 90 percent of the time when people use the “F” word, they use it out of anger or hate. How can someone hate something so much like a book? I mean, really? You hate a book so much that you have to cuss it out? Or the person who wrote it? And we are to believe that YOU are the sane one? The nice one?

Hell, most of these books they claim to hate they never even read. And they hate books because they hate the person who wrote it because the person who wrote it actually has an opinion about something? Or asks a question? But still, how does all of that hate get to such an evil level just over the internet? ….. I don’t get it. I don’t understand.

It is just one of those things we may never be able to figure out. Kind of like with Hitler, for example, why did he hate Jewish people so much? Or Osama Bin Lauden, why did he hate anyone and everyone who weren’t Muslim? Or even the terrorists that we are still fighting to this day. What makes them hate so much? Or even the Ku Klux Klan, why do they hate so much? The list could go on. The world and our history is full of people like this who just hated for no particular reason. And maybe we will never discover the answers as to why they do hate just like we may never learn the reason for why these Goodreads bullies hate so much. Or why Jon and Amanda Welling hate me so much. Or why their friends hate me or even why Jude Henderson hates me. Or why she stalked me on my blog and why she used my dear friend to do it. Or why she posted emails that may have been fake? I mean, these are questions that unfortunately we may never find an answer to. Or why, like with Hitler, they hate everyone who doesn’t think and believe like them.

As for their hate towards me - So then maybe they will say it’s because I stalked Jude. But the truth is - I didn’t. And there is no evidence to show that I did.

Then they will say it’s because I posted a “fake pic” as a joke. But I already owned it and apologized and explained. But that’s not good enough for them?

Then they will say it’s because I posted that “List”.  – But it is true. And I only did it because Jude used my friend to get to me to stalk me on my shared blog. Granted, I could have been the bigger person, but why do good people always have to be the “Better” or “Bigger” person? Why can’t these bad people just stop being bad and they start being the better and bigger people for once?

Or then they will always come up with some reason for to defend their hate. Even by claiming that “we” (authors) invade their spaces when in fact, I have presented evidence on this blog, and STGRB has also presented proof that shows otherwise – that they (the bullies) are the ones invading spaces. But their excuses go on like the Mississippi river. Just like Hitler’s excuse for killing Jewish people, something about they have no soul or whatever. This is what the Goodreads bullies (and the Amazon Kindle Forum bullies) say about us authors. And that is the worrisome part. How long before these internet terrorists stop being satisfied with just bullying people on the computer and turn their hate to the “real world” and end up really harming someone in real life? Or worse yet, maybe kill them? I mean, that amount of hate runs so deep that sooner or later, one has to wonder when it will build up to the point where just attacking people on the internet is no longer satisfying and their hate spills into something else? I mean, when someone like “Mrs. Joseph” on Goodreads wishes somebody like me dead, how long before she actually turns that hate and wish to someone in her reality be dead? Maybe even taking it upon herself to “do it”? Is she a twig waiting to be snapped?

Let’s face it, it is normal to wonder about these things. I mean, people who hate this much for little or no reason are clearly “very unstable”. I have also discovered that the majority of these bullies have very little friends on their social sites. Many of the author’s who support and participate with these bullies often have very few friends and even fewer fans. That in it-self should send a message. I mean, I heard the reason that Ann Somerville broke away from the bullies was because her book sales were suffering. But that’s just what I heard. I am still not convinced that Somerville has stopped bullying. Let’s face it; a zebra can’t change its stripes.

Still, it makes me think, why do people carry so much hate inside of them? I guess we will never know for sure. But people like Amanda Welling and her husband Jon, and Jude Henderson, and all their friends and supporters and all of the bullies who are ashamed of what they do so they hide their identities on the Goodreads hate group “Badly Behaving Authors” and all the people like them will more than likely always be around. Just like the Hitler’s and Bin Lauden’s of the world – They will just hate because maybe, that’s the only thing they are good at. And that makes me glad that I do not live next door to them. At least, I hope I don’t.

My solution? Just hate the hate.

I’m Carroll Bryant …. And this is The Looking Glass.

Things We Learned Today:

* Nothing that we didn’t already know

I know some of you will say that I am no better by posting my stuff in defense on my blog here … and you’re probably right. However, what DOES make me better than these bullies is this – “I am willing to take everything down, and move on beyond all of this. They are not.” – And there lies the difference.