Facebook is an enigma to me.  I think despite rumors to the contrary,  it is here to stay and most definitely a part of the modern culture.  I love it.   I hate it.  I get disgusted but it gives me a connection to people when I feel alone and has helped me reconnect with people from my past that years ago I would have never heard from again.  It allows us adults to act childish  and the kids to act stupid.  I’ll admit, or maybe I shouldn’t , to seeing if I have more friends now than the most popular person from high school does.   Or I would if I could find them.  But anyways…..

Lately I have been super annoyed at the way the pages work.  They don’t really, or maybe I just don’t get it but it is a constant source of irritation since I made a page for my blog.  I know there are quite a few people who get here from Facebook (hereafter referred to s FB as if I need to explain that. ) but I can’t get anybody to click the damn LIKE button.  How hard is it really?  And why do I care.?

There is a Like button over there somewhere if you feel so inclined.  Just, you know, click it.  It won’t hurt you and it will for some sick reason boost my self-esteem.  Ok, that was just a shameless plug that I saw a perfect chance to fit in here, not much of anything to do with the subject at hand.  it’s over there though.  —————————–>>>>

In regards to the Like button I find it odd that it is so hard to get someone to push Like but so many seem to be Block happy.  Um, I am speaking in general terms not personally of course.  I am smart and funny and gosh darn it people like me and I haven’t been blocked…much.  Less than likes ok?  Geesh.

I only just learned of the BLOCK button recently, in the last few months.  Less than a year for certain.  I would imagine that the inception of the Block button had nothing but good intentions.  Allow people who are being harassed and stalked to hit the block button and poof, the person that is chapping their ass just ceases to exist.  really.  If you search for them, they aren’t there. If you have the same friends, and post on the same comments neither of you will ever know.  It’s like living under the radar.  And I had thought that since I am not a stalker or someone who harasses people in a public open forum, not any other way either of course, I would never be a Blockee.  In fact after the original discovery I let it slip from my mind.  I have never had the need to block anyone from my FB my phone or any other part of my life.  It[s the cyber equivalent of the restraining order, easier to get of course.

So it came as a complete shock to me when one day,  I noticed that one of my friends was missing.  Yeah missing, gone completely like they just vanished into thin air.  I made mention of this weirdness to my 18 yo who, without even looking up from her own FB page, flippantly said

Oh, you have probably been blocked.

Blocked?  Like what?  A Lego?  Is that some sort of new fangled kid speak for being hit by a linebacker?  Or ….what?

At that point I was informed that said friend had probably pushed the Block button and thereby caused not only themselves to disappear from my page but me, to cease to exist from their life.   Just like that.  Poof!  I must have sat there with my mouth hanging open in disbelief long enough because she finally looked at me.

Mom! Are you ok?

Blocked?  But I didn’t DO anything.  I’m not a stalker.  I’m not Crazy (let’s not debate the finer points here) Why would they do that?  I don’t understand.  I didn’t DO anything.

Mom, people do it all the time

But ….why?

I dunno, cause they can I guess.

Because they can.  Now, it may be just a little button to a lot of people but to me, it was a big deal.  And after this experience I had several more with different people who would block then unblock me at their whim and sometimes I would get on FB and realize that someone who was important to me had just decided I was no longer to them.  I’m not going to lie, at first it hurt.  It made me feel small. It made me feel like I needed to defend my actions even though I wasn’t being a pest.  I should note here that the first blocker and the subsequent ones were all related in some way and would appear and disappear from my life at the whim of two people.  I also became aware I was not the only one that was subjected to this behavior.  As time went on, the blocked people probably started to outnumber the actual friends on one of their lists.  And the body count continues to grow to this day.

One time, when I knew one of these “friends” was headed to block me yet again I beat them to the punch and I, going against the very grain of my being, hit the Block button first.  I immediately felt the power of being the user of this little button.  Now it was I with the ability to make someone disappear….to make someone insane with the inability to see what was happening in my life, who my friends were, what I posted on…Oh Yes!  I get it now.  But after the initial rush of TAKE THAT! as so often happens I felt really bad. I even got a little Dr. Seuss ish about it.

This button isn’t me.

I don’t like it no I don’t, I don’t like it and I won’t

use it to make you feel like shit, it’s not a button I will hit                             

I will not hit it when I’m mad

I will not hit it not a tad

I don’t like it no I don’t, I don’t like it and I won’t.

There ought to be a disclaimer next to the block button, that says this is the equivalent of hurling Legos at someone running them over like a linebacker, or similar to a restraining order.  Please use responsibly.  I do note that if you unblock, you have to wait 48 hours to reblock.  that is a nice feature because when someone who blocked me unblocks me just to see what I am up to, I  can screw with them for 48 hours before I am banished again.  I figure I might as well give them a good reason to block me dammit. And I’ve learned that it will happen.  No matter what.  So I make it fun time for my mean streak.  So what.

I just don’t understand it.  Are we in High School?  Do we feel powerful to have this button to make people disappear reappear……and there it is folks.  Power and control.  And screw this we business, let’s talk about the perpetrators of the mind games on me.

No, I won’t tell you their names so that you can look them up on FB.  Geesh.  Tempting, but no.

I finally realized that it has nothing to do with me.  It’s all about them.  One to assert some kind of power and control goes on a campaign telling everyone that is a mutual friend to also block me.  From who does or does not perform the function, said person decides who the next unlikely peon is.  It’s a sad perpetual cycle.  And it screams of insecurity and regret.  On their part.  Not mine.

I got blocked because they want to pretend their miserable life is so great.  And not be reminded of how much better it was before.  When I was in it.  They don’t want to see that I am doing ok.  That I have friends, more than them now cause they have so many people blocked.  I am blocked because if they cease to know of my existence they will never have to be reminded that they mistreated me, tossed me to the curb and now want me back in their life in the biggest bad way.   I happen to know better.  Blocking me will not erase my existence.  And I laugh at the very thought.  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA.

It really has made me feel better to understand that they are only hurting themselves.  It shows a general disregard and lack of value of friends,  family, whoever they are mind fu**ing at any given point.  It shows childish immaturity and lets me know I am better off without them. It amuses me that someone who claims they are a  good Christian woman person acts in such a menial judgemental way.  It has let me put that stupid Block button back in the recesses of my mind where it belongs because I have never had but one reason to block someone and I will not unless it is a last resort.  I am free.  And a bit satisfied that I bother someone that much.  🙂

So I say go ahead.  Block me.  Throw the Legos at my head, give me the Linebacker treatment.  Try to make it hurt.   I probably won’t even notice anymore.

Incidentally, I found that blocking works on phones too.  It is a frustrating experience no lie, but once you get over the disbelief that you were treated like dirt, just be satisfied that it costs money for most cell phone services to maintain blocked numbers.  With that in mind, I just keep finding numbers to text from just to see how much money will get thrown away on the denial of my existence.  I think it must be around $20 a month just for me and I am not the only person who gets such royal treatment.  The trick here is once you get them to block as many numbers as you can come up with,  you never give a second thought and never even test to see if you get through.  What a waste of money.  If someone is going to try to make me look crazy by blocking me, then I am gonna bring out the unstable idiotic pathetic weak coward in them.  And make them pay… money folks.   It’s just a good laugh.

People like this that abuse the power of the Block button are actually not as rare as one might think.  It’s a sad state of affairs.  If you ever come across someone who does this to you, just remember what I said.  If their block list is approaching their friends list in number, it isn’t about you at all.  It’s about them.  Letting someone like that have access to a Block button is the equivalent of putting a brightly colored banana shape button in front of a monkey.  You really should have to be qualified in some way to be able to use that button.

If I block you, you best look at your actions and whether you are a stalker or not.  But I don’t expect that will be happening.

I am satisfied with my understanding of the Block button and the people who misuse it.  I am off to the next part of my day  while I am sure they are wondering if I have noticed their assholishness yet.  If they wanted confirmation, they shouldn’t have blocked me.

Have a great day folks.   Oh, and the LIKE button is right –>> over –>> that way——->>

Just saying…