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Guerilla Dhafare - YouTube
mindatrisk
Veteran
Hello 
I'm sure that many of you have noticed that YouTube - and, in particular, YouTube comments - is a veritable bitch-fest, with people arguing, insulting and, generally, expressing all their very worst attributes from the safety of their computer. It's not even a minor issue on a few videos. In fact, i'd say the vast majority of YouTube videos that I go on are littered with abusive behaviour.
Alas, it is what it is. What we can do is to begin to promote healthier messages within videos - messages that encourage tolerance, understanding, respect, and harmonious interaction in YouTube comments. Now, this could be done as a stock message that everyone shares alike so that it becomes a recognisable thing, or people could just share their own individual message as they see fit. A stock message could be something like this...
LIKE this if you too wish for people commenting on YouTube to be tolerant and understanding of each other; to unite in all their common desires and wishes; to express all and only their good, loving qualities; and to be happy and at peace with who they are… And, if you really like this, then copy and paste this message onto every video that you watch, and let’s spread some love around this place… it is needed.
I sent this message out about a year ago on a few videos and got quite a bit of abuse in response, i.e. 'fuck off you twat' etc. BUT, this is good! Whilst it is enough to simply share the above message, if you feel that you can engage with responses in a peaceful manner then all the better because you will have the opportunity to walk your talk and set an example of what peaceful, respectful, tolerant etc. interaction looks like, especially so in the face of confrontational, abusive responses. However, if you didn't feel able to respond and engage peacefully then it would be infinitely better to just leave it at the message.
Again, the purpose of this idea is to share positive messages (and examples where possible) where they are needed. I am sure that there are plenty of people on YouTube who feel very similar about the abusive, nasty behaviour that pollute so many videos, so here is an opportunity to put our practice into action and use our compassionate and wise skills to benefit others.
Peace be with you all.
......
For those not familiar with the term, Guerilla Dhafare is a movement dedicated to sharing the Dharma through unconventional, skilful means with new audiences. Here is a link to a recent thread that discussed the concept and its merits...
http://newbuddhist.com/discussion/19641/guerrilla-dhafare#latest
I'm sure that many of you have noticed that YouTube - and, in particular, YouTube comments - is a veritable bitch-fest, with people arguing, insulting and, generally, expressing all their very worst attributes from the safety of their computer. It's not even a minor issue on a few videos. In fact, i'd say the vast majority of YouTube videos that I go on are littered with abusive behaviour.
Alas, it is what it is. What we can do is to begin to promote healthier messages within videos - messages that encourage tolerance, understanding, respect, and harmonious interaction in YouTube comments. Now, this could be done as a stock message that everyone shares alike so that it becomes a recognisable thing, or people could just share their own individual message as they see fit. A stock message could be something like this...
LIKE this if you too wish for people commenting on YouTube to be tolerant and understanding of each other; to unite in all their common desires and wishes; to express all and only their good, loving qualities; and to be happy and at peace with who they are… And, if you really like this, then copy and paste this message onto every video that you watch, and let’s spread some love around this place… it is needed.
I sent this message out about a year ago on a few videos and got quite a bit of abuse in response, i.e. 'fuck off you twat' etc. BUT, this is good! Whilst it is enough to simply share the above message, if you feel that you can engage with responses in a peaceful manner then all the better because you will have the opportunity to walk your talk and set an example of what peaceful, respectful, tolerant etc. interaction looks like, especially so in the face of confrontational, abusive responses. However, if you didn't feel able to respond and engage peacefully then it would be infinitely better to just leave it at the message.
Again, the purpose of this idea is to share positive messages (and examples where possible) where they are needed. I am sure that there are plenty of people on YouTube who feel very similar about the abusive, nasty behaviour that pollute so many videos, so here is an opportunity to put our practice into action and use our compassionate and wise skills to benefit others.
Peace be with you all.
......
For those not familiar with the term, Guerilla Dhafare is a movement dedicated to sharing the Dharma through unconventional, skilful means with new audiences. Here is a link to a recent thread that discussed the concept and its merits...
http://newbuddhist.com/discussion/19641/guerrilla-dhafare#latest
0
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
I don't even read YouTube comments, let alone engage with them. The best way to deal with trolls is ignoring them.
It's not your problem.
People post stuff by the millions, and they will always receive a massive plethora of responses. I'm sure they have their 'big boy/girl pants on" and can deal with it if they choose to. It's part and parcel of publishing, and a common risk they take.
As with anything published for public use.
Look to yourself first, before attempting to be someone else's Knight in Shining Armour...you can't 'protect' everything. So it's best to let it be and watch your own camp.
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Even then, you may come across as just another new-age self-help addict. You know... the guy that touches his chakras with energy crystals while hollering "metta!".
I know as it it takes one to know one.
And now back to the interfering . . .
While you may think that this would be a great cause, I think the general population would see it as nothing more than religious spam. Which, if you go to the right videos, YouTube has plenty of.
It's like starting a war so that you can be killed, thereby proving your faith in god.
If you are creating hostility, it's the opposite of skilful.
The least I can do is try to recognize when I have been unskillful.
When I watch YouTube videos, I do often read the comments...depending on what the topic is. I don't care to waste my time with off-topic posts.
And, even more importantly to me, I don't want someone else being the thought and speech police.
There's a time and place for most everything...intruding into the thoughts and speech of others will not be appreciated.
Good and evil are subjective.
Who are you to presume that your actions are good?
Only you.
Given the degree of dissent, it may be that your opinion of what is good vs evil, is somewhat....tinted.
"No good deed goes unpunished".
If we're lobbing quotations at one another.
LIKE this if you too wish for people commenting on YouTube to be tolerant and understanding of each other; to unite in all their common desires and wishes; to express all and only their good, loving qualities; and to be happy and at peace with who they are… And, if you really like this, then copy and paste this message onto every video that you watch, and let’s spread some love around this place… it is needed.
... is inciting people to anger?
I don't mind if you want to respond to my threads, but it's a bit pointless if you are just misconstruing what i've said. Hostility may arise, but that is not necessarily because of me, is it? Is Chinese hostility towards the Dalai Lama because of the Dalai Lama?
I don't it matters too much what the general population thinks. Even the Dalai Lama doesn't expect or believe everyone - or even most people - to really take onboard what he is saying, and some are even very much against what he says, but that doesn't stop him sharing his message, and nor should it. Those with ears to hear are few and far between, but once they are found, you ignite a flame that casts a radiant light for many.
Don Rickles: "It takes many years to become a truly great comedian."
Dean Martin: "Yeah, and you ain't reached that point, yet."
He's not misconstruing what you said. And using HH the DL as an example, is a 'smoke and mirrors' argument.
People expect 'Great Wisdom' from the Dalai Lama, because actually, he is teaching Buddhism to those who wish to be taught. It's a select audience, and they want to be told how to behave.
The people you're 'preaching' to have no desire to read your message. Evidently.
LIKE this if you too wish for people commenting on YouTube to be tolerant and understanding of each other; to unite in all their common desires and wishes; to express all and only their good, loving qualities; and to be happy and at peace with who they are… And, if you really like this, then copy and paste this message onto every video that you watch, and let’s spread some love around this place… it is needed.
... is going to be interpreted as evil by most people.
Who am I to presume that my actions are good? Who are you? Who is anyone? We live and die by our decisions and our beliefs. We all have to work it out for ourselves. I think that this YouTube idea could (with some development) be a positive thing. It's worth trying. Anyway, back hand down the line...
'Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.'
To mix my metaphors horribly.
People expect 'Great Wisdom' from the Dalai Lama, because actually, he is teaching Buddhism to those who wish to be taught. It's a select audience, and they want to be told how to behave.
The people you're 'preaching' to have no desire to read your message. Evidently.
First of all, no-one is being singled out or picked on. I'm not sure where you are getting that from. Second of all, I recall receiving maybe 2 or 3 hostile responses, but who knows how many people read the message and agreed or even shared it? I wouldn't know.
I think that Robot absolutely did misconstrue what I said. I never said that I would incite people to anger so that I could prove how calm I am, I just pointed out that if hostility did arise then that would be an ideal opportunity to demonstrate the content of the message. If I was unclear about this then it's my fault, but i'm not sure that I was.
That vague announcement not only ignores the individuals that this is directed against (that they aren't important enough to be addressed directly) but also points out flaws and faults. A double whammy to the human ego. Really unskillful there.
First you use the quotation
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing" -
Top imply that you are a good man, reluctant to permit evil to triumph.
And that was your implication. The intention was to 'underpin' your action.
Then, when I point out that such qualities are subjective, you flip the discussion (back-pedal) and ask who would construe your comment as evil, realising that I do in fact have a point.
I was then not sure where you were going with your discussion, therefore, or in fact, what you're even now attempting to imply.
Other than the fact, possibly, that you agree with me, and that interpretation of intention is the individual's prerogative, and that your 'good' intention has been thrown back in your face as unwarranted, undesired and unwelcome. (ie, 'evil').
When people watch a YouTube video, they expect the responses to be related to the topic of the video.
Thus, your proselytizing, however well meant, would be spam.
Humans may be a mess, and that's okay. It is part of being human. You must have a frame of reference or else you would not think it was insane. You have an ideal in your mind, and it bothers you that your ideal is not made manifest in the world.
We are making real efforts. And my suggestion was to make a real effort. One that actually is effective, curative not diagnostic. Be the medicine, not the doctor. That is my point. The problem with fault-finding is that it is not corrective or constructive... again. You have successfully announced that being mean is not nice, and that angry things hurt others' feelings. It does not change anything. In fact, people proceeded to get angry toward you. So.... you are perpetuating further suffering.
As a generally accepted rule - Buddhists don't proselytise.
I fail to see how productive this discussion is. Frankly, it's going nowhere.