LAST POST

This website will no longer interact with “X” (formerly Twitter).  It is time for the Last Post.  Recent events in Ireland highlighted how toxic a platform it has become.  Real evil lurks among its many posters.  Many using anonymous handles for vile threats and comments. Most of the posts are by the same people pretending to have a vested interest in a cause or by artificial intelligence (AI) bots (A bot is software that performs tasks automatically, usually by following rules or patterns instead of needing a human to do each step.).  Bots created by malicious people hoping to destroy democracy and world order. People who are failures in the real world but have the tools to hurt in a virtual world.

Whatever about the artificial forms, the human ones are the vilest of them all.  You know the handle, the cause, the aim is highlighted. The profile gives no indication of the real identity either in words or pictures, just the cause which usually involves undermining or threatening democratic authority and due process. However, if you dig down through their history, inevitably you will discover that they are not even from the country they are attacking. They are just cowardly excuses hiding behind anonymity and trying to sound like brave warriors.   The reality, a keyboard warrior is never a warrior in the true sense.

Disgusting also in the past few weeks, is the use of AI to produce completely false videos and narrative.  What a wasteful use of human intelligence! The anonymous threats including death threats to people in authority or indeed their families.  Their posts are a reflection on those anonymous criminals. They need prayers and they need counselling.  They lack courage and honesty to reveal their own identities. Along the way, many gullible people get dragged into their online crusades, misled by evil leaders. Some, front of stage and some, behind the shadowy scenes. I challenge any of them to a real public arm wrestle, but they are too cowardly to accept as it will reveal who they really are.  

If you were to read recent social media comments, you would be forgiven for thinking the whole world and country has a certain viewpoint that is promoted through the comments. That nobody wants people in authority and would harm and undermine, if at all possible. To truth is, these posters are clueless about how democracy works. Each one wants to be a Trump like dictator themselves. Fortunately, the reality is that less and less people are using social media as their news point. What once had wonderful potential is slowly being destroyed.  The majority of the population have given up on social media or never ventured that way in the first place. Most young people do not interact with X or Facebook for that matter. Young people are more and more looking for comic book communications but unfortunately now even video can be totally manipulated by AI. Nobody wants to read articles (like this one) anymore.  They have become too long and too challenging for the younger reader. Their knowledge depending on an instant picture rather than well thought out and verified words. 

I got involved with Social Media, to primarily promote my writings and my GAA Coaching skills.  It seemed like a good route at the time. I have found, none of these platforms to be successful with very minimal hits and engagement when required.   Little or no interaction from drama groups, producers, directors or indeed GAA clubs. This has been noticeable from performance data for a long time.  “X” can be useful for keeping up to date with live scores from GAA matches around the country. At this stage it is not worth fuelling the already bulging pockets of Elon Musk. Me, moving away from “X”, on the face of it, is not going to upset Elon too much. I don’t pay for his product in the first place.  However, I am a target for those who do pay for the advertising on “X”. If more do what I’m doing and stop using and promoting the platform, it will eventually hurt the insatiable greed of its owner. Remember, how much support this platform supports the dark web of conceit and lies that we are witnessing.

In future, I will use my websites and investigate alternative promotion options. The GAA also must find alternatives for promoting and providing live information. Anyway, the platform is extremely transient and too easily flooded with articles that are not of interest.  A posts lifespan is very short. With AI in particular, posts have become confusing and not capable of providing proper advertisement of events. If they are posted too soon, they disappear in forest and if they are not up in time, they provide inadequate notice.

I would urge people to find alternatives. Social Media is becoming a blight on the world, lets start by moving away from “X” interactions. If you are using it for viewing purposes, dig deep to see if you can validate the poster by looking at their profile and studying past posts.  Understand their agenda and motivations. Start from a point of “that’s not true” on everything. I will continue to monitor Meta contributions which does seem to do a tiny bit better in its feed delivery, for the moment. I do succeed in getting lots of sport and writing articles, most of which are valid. I am not ruling out following suit and kicking their logo off my website. I have blocked so many contributions at this stage, I am almost down to just sport and writing, but sometimes I do miss useful information. In the meantime, let’s play the last post for “X” and stop feeding the muck from Elon Musk’s product and filling hid pockets with advertising revenue!

THE SHORT STORY

My latest Short Story, “The Pattern Of Seamie O’Connell” has been published on the Website.  Please take a few minutes to read and enjoy. It is loosely based on a true story from one of my personal experiences, like so many of my short stories. It was specifically written as an entry for the 2018 RTE Radio 1 Francis McManus Short Story Competition of which there was over 1800 entries.  Congratulations to those who won. However, without trying to be ungracious, I often wonder what these arts competition really want, particularly the ones run by RTE, our national broadcaster. This is meant to be a short story competition suitable for radio. What better theme than a story about one of our national sports, descriptive by nature, a solid story and of course an Irish theme. Ideal for broadcasting in that our national broadcaster frequently broadcasts GAA matches live. This match has the added drama and the back story. Throw in a funeral and sure it must be the near perfect traditional Irish story.

The judges were for the RTE Competition were Danielle McLaughlin, RTÉ’s Arts and Media correspondent, author Sinéad Crowley and book publicist Cormac Kinsella. The stories were limited to 2000 words. Not a lot for a writer to be descriptive and tell an epic story. Cormac Kinsella said of the winning entry, “What impressed me most was despite its length the reader is given a fully realised world that the characters inhabit.” Seriously “A fully realised world!”. What is that? And if you could do it in less than 2000 words, what is left for the story? Of the runner up, Sinead Crowley commented “It soon becomes clear that there is another layer waiting to be uncovered. Deceptively simple, with well-drawn characters and evocative writing”. Another layer and deceptively simple! Evocative writing! In my youth, the hens were good layers!  I didn’t know you could draw picture on radio. Of the third “Doesn’t shy away from its material in any way and at the same time remains nuanced, with lots of subtle layers”, said Danielle McLaughlin. Why would it shy away? It’s meant to be a story!

My issue is that words like “layers”, “evocative”. “nuanced”, “subtle”, “deceptively” and “realised” are words RTE adjudicators love to use to try to make themselves sound more educated and sharper than the common man or woman in the street. What is wrong with saying that it was a “funny story”, a “sad story”, a “dramatic story” or a “tragic story”. The common denominator is the word “story”. Yes, it’s a story, a short story and the story is the important ingredient of a short story. The story matters! RTE adjudicators represent arts nationally using taxpayer’s money. So maybe now and again they need to think of keeping things simple so that everyone no matter what their level of education can feel part of the arts and literature that this country is famed for. Ireland is famed for its story telling. Let’s not lose the art of the simple story telling to fancy words and evocative language! Maybe it explains why so many are turning away from the National broadcaster to watch, read and view the stories of other countries in their medium of choice.  Everybody loves a good story, even more so when it is Irish based.

Anyway, rant over. I would be interested in hearing my audiences’ thoughts, both on competitions our National broadcaster run and thoughts on “The Pattern of Seamie O’Connell”. In the meantime, some of you will have noticed a small restructure of the website, where the Gallery and the Contact are now part of the Main Menu, not to mention this excellent evocative Blog that is deceptively simple with loads of layers, subtle sarcasm and I just realised how nuanced it is! Don’t be afraid to let me know your opinion and connect with me on social media.