Why are people utterly terrified of anyone or anything a bit different?

This. It’s not fear. It’s people enjoying feeling superior.

Different example but as a teen I was bullied mercilessly for liking Take That. They were a mainstream famous band so it’s hardly that i was being “different”. It just wasn’t cool. It was cool to like Oasis or Nirvana etc. Those people weren’t bullied. Take that fans (at my school) were.

Trainspotting isn’t “cool”. They aren’t afraid of him. They want to put him down and make sure he knows he’s not cool. Plenty of people never grow out of the teen bullying phase.

Can't understand why people take the mick... if they don't like what they see they can scroll past!

He doesn’t care. I went on a night out with him once and he’s absolutely rolling in money, gets free members clubs memberships, brand deals. The hate only fuels the brand.

Some people love to tear others down to make themselves feel better. It's bullying really. They're sad, angry losers who don't know how to interact with others who are a bit different.

And they're probably jealous because he has a lovely girlfriend 😄

They're not terrified, they're just arseholes.

Instinctive discomfort around people who are 'not like us' is quite natural. It is built into us from the times when we all lived in tribes and had reason to fear other tribes who might attack us. It's what's behind racism and and discomfort around people speaking other languages, or simply not looking like us.

Most people now generally have control over that primal feeling. It's lessened with time and with experience. But it's there.

Some people turn it into anger and want to feel 'safer' by having these different people sent back to where they're perceived to have come from. Others mock them to make them seem harmless rather than threateningly 'other'.

It's complicated. Social media has just made it more evident, and somehow permissible 'because lots of other people are saying the same' (which the troll wouldn't come across often in real life).

I think I know who you mean. I think he's adorable. I have the same enthusiasm for cats. That makes me a proper saddo apparently 😎

Of course it's not.

If it was, well over half of Mumsnet would be terrified of Katie Price! 👀🤣

It’s not fear.

People like that hate themselves and it spills out. Projection. I love him too, passion is a beautiful thing to watch.

just look at the abuse towards Kate Middleton then Meghan.

Their only crime was for each to marry a rich and safe guy!

You don't need to go further than MN. Some people are bitter and miserable, and try to spread their misery by being nasty.

why do bullying trolls bully?
to try to make themselves feel better about their petty life.

Again, you can be sure the most outspoken on the forum are the most timid, obedient, meak people in real life, who daren't say a word disagreeing with anyone. They use internet to create a fake personality.

Happy people are never nasty, they have better things to do.

Also just to add, a lot of them are trolls with the sole intent of offending so don’t let them win. It wouldn’t matter if a person was run of the mill normal (whatever that means) they’d still find something.

Welcome to the internet in 2025.

No one is safe from vile abuse.

All you can do is choose to ignore it or campaign against it if you can be bothered. Otherwise filter it out mentally.

I deleted Facebook because the comments section on lots of posts are sexist and racist and they stress me out.

Social media is now a toxic cesspit.

Ahhh Francis! He’s bloody brilliant. You cannot help but smile when you see how happy trains make him. He’s infectious!

Because people are bullies

It's not 'terror' or 'fear' though.

Some people just think they're above others and that their choices are the only 'right ones'.

For example if someone regularly holidays in the Maldives and looks down on/takes the piss out of those who holiday in a caravan in Skeggy, do you really think it's because they're 'utterly terrified'?

Of course they not.

They just think they're better than them.

I've seen him before, he's fantastic. People do fear those who are perceived as different, that's hardly breaking news so I disagree with the pp who said it's got nothing to do with that.

There are a couple of people on Instagram who come up on my feed now and then and they post themselves dancing. Many people are so mean and cruel about them because they're not conventionally attractive and aren't talented dancers. But they're clearly enjoying themselves and I wish that was all that mattered. They're brave to keep posting it.

I think you’re right, OP.

Fear motivates and drives us in so many different ways, it is what underpinned Brexit, for example.

I recommend ‘the Power of Nightmares’ documentary on IPlayer (I think it’s still up there) which explains a lot about how ordinary people’s fears are played into by those seeking a measure of control over us.

There’s a theory that says that many of those who show this behaviour are low on emotional intelligence.

Those with higher EI are able to accept differences more easily.
Those with low EI are more likely to be racist/ablist etc.

SM can feel anonymous enough for stupid people to let rip and say the hateful things.

I think it's because people who don't really think for themselves find it threatening when someone dares to act as an individual.

I don't thinks it's fear it's just being mean. There are plenty on MN too who just love to upset for no reason.

I sometimes think there is something equally disturbing about people who spent their time online complimenting and gushing over strangers.

No one who is commenting negatively on his stuff is terrified of him, that's nonsense, people had always made fun of those who are different to them or eccentric or whatever. No one's frightened

Trolling is an industry in itself.

i’m not sure exactly why that is, other than the obvious - those who troll are desperately unhappy in their own lives and can’t bear to think of anybody actually living happily or contentedly.

Mental illness undoubtedly plays a part too, unfortunately.

however, I hope TrainSpottingMan has a thick enough skin to realise that, and keep on doing what he’s doing. Go for it, TSM! 😃