Lately I always feel so depressed and grubby after interacting with ‘woke’ trans zombies on twitter

[Whackitupto200]

I hate myself for even engaging. I feel embarrassed that it’s out there in public for everyone to see - me arguing with idiots. Why do I waste my energy? I was asking some perfectly reasonable questions about legislation and got a load of tweets calling me a transphobe. I didn’t even specifically mention trans people, I was talking about the Equality Act.

I just cringe imagining my boss or the parents at the school gates seeing my feed and me stick in these pointless back and forths with aggressive woke beards. I used to think it was worth it to speak out but I’m wondering if it’s just all too much of a drain.

Am feeling very despondent today. I got sucked in this morning and now just feel grubby for having let myself.

Arguing with idiots on the internet is generally a waste of time IMO.

I hear you OP. I've taken a step back from twitter as I'm beginning to think it's a waste of time. Who are most of the people we argue with? Weirdos and nobodies. And most celebrities are too concerned aboit their careers to debate on good faith. The battle will not be won on Twitter, there are much better uses of our time.

I feel like this all the time.

I'm a bit better at asking myself whether it's worth engaging by doing a quick check of who I'm engaging with. But I'm not good enough.

I used to think it was a personal failure if I had to block someone. Now I realise it's about being more effective and not stopping to allow time wasters to distract me.

But I tell myself to pack it in all the time. There's a shelf life for arguing with fools online and it's best to know when to bin it.

sometimes I feel the same, but then I look at where we were a year ago, and now.

Its so much more in the open. I see some young (18/19/20) year old women speaking up. I see some transexuals sticking up for us. I see more and more people standing up and saying 'You know what, this is not fair!'

So dont give up. Please.

I deleted my twitter account for similar reasons.

I felt I’d done my bit of fighting (around 18mths) and for the sake of my own mental health, had to stop.

You need to look after yourself.

So don’t engage. Simple.

Twitter is a vile platform.

Top tips from me are to ignore any accounts of bearded men and anime characters. Just don't engage with them.

I always reply to newspaper articles with a GC viewpoint always pleasant never angry. And to celebs who dare raise the issue. To support the few brave GC voices and pleasantly oppose the woke brigade.

If it's stressing me out I remove myself and go and do something more pleasant instead (pretty much anything tbh)

I don’t bother with random TRAs on the Internet. I might challenge people like Alice Roberts because they hold a great deal of influence, but in that case I’m playing to the undecided who also follow her, not to the lost cause herself.

Twitter is a vile platform

It really is. I dip back an forth to keep track on happenings (without an account) on many current topics. Many times I get tempted to make an account to comment. Frankly it’s just not worth it. I’m in absolute awe of the women who battle it out day after day.

I feel the same. But - I do find it an information source. I always make sure that - no matter how irritated I am - I am never more than gently sardonic. I try to be kind and courteous - even when people are spoiling for a fight. So any one looking at my tweets could only disagree with my opinion (on safeguarding, say, or the nature of womanhood) not with the way I’ve conducted myself, name-calling etc.

And I try to look like a balanced person by tweeting about other things: hedgehogs or medieval literature.

I think there are other useful things to be doing - but equally the more noise people make, the more it encourages the cautious and the more it leaches out to people not directly engaging.

It’s good to take a break though.

This is what I go by:
One: you may not be getting anywhere with dumb poster but your arguments may be swaying others silently reading. Post for them.Stay sharp and reasonable. Make your points, duck out

Two: turn of all notifications from anyone not following you. That way you won't get swamped by nobodies calling you a terf after you've made a post (Settings: Notifications: Advanced filters)

I tend to read and lurk on Twitter and even that is a strain on my mental health. When I do rarely engage it doesn't feel like it's making a difference.

It lots of ways it's suited to a particular type of personality, and unfortunately that's one that gets pleasure from these kinds of interactions and that's what makes it so toxic.

Twitter can be great in some ways but it also brings out the very worst in the very worst people.

I know but a lot of times we are writing for the other people who may be reading, not the fool we are engaging with.

I look at Twitter when my attention is directed to it, but have no Account. Sometimes I think I should do my bit, but I know I would then feel as you. What’s nice about this thread is that it almost feels like mutually agreed guidelines. I don’t like the occasional GC pileons seen, any more than the much more frequent Tra attacks. But I do love it when someone GC gently skewers someone who really should know better.

I don't even interact; just read and I get so angry at the nonsense of it all. I just retweet; however I've taken a step back recently , from retweeting as they were ALL GC. I do need to be more confident in posting my own opinions on this matter, but there are so many brilliant tweeters out there and posters here that I don't feel I
would have anything else to say that would add value.

You're lucky you're still on it!
I got a permanent ban after trying out Twitter for just a few months, for saying directly to J Yaniv "You're a person who isn't a woman in the dictionary definition of the word"
Which is basically true.

My mistake for Tweeting the person directly. My mistake for being honest in an online platform hostile to honesty.
My other tweets were about cats or Lego or totally mundane things I didn't even have a particularly "GC" track record on it!

Twitter is shit. I hope it folds. Soon.

Leave it alone.

In my view the time would be better spent writing to MPs/making formal complaints, etc.

I think most ‘people’ in twitter are bored kids/teens, very odd adults and people with issues who are looking for a fight.

Just imagine the person you are engaging with is a gobby 13 year old. You could very well be...

I only joined recently, and set up an account so I could do 'likes'. I have never posted. I always block the sponsors as my small protest against T's misogyny. I also come away sometimes with my head spinning at the ridiculousness of it all, and am in awe of and very grateful to those who do post.

A lot of them will be paid trolls. Your logic and reason will never compete with £££. Go run yourself a hot bath with lots of essential oils. Think of it as a cleansing ritual to get rid of the MRA grub. Then take a long break from your twitter account. Life's too short.

Twitter is where a lot of the information is. It's where I got the information to lobby Scottish representatives. But my god it is one of the most aggressive mainstream places I've ever seen. Hard to believe that the bile some people spew doesn't spill out in their every day lives in the likes of road rage or other types of aggression. Maybe set yourself a limit when responding. Women like you here and on Twitter have woke me up.

I have been on a twitter break for a few months now after I earned a ban for speaking about biology then hours later twitter decided that someone directly threatening me and my children was not a rulebreak. Kind of got to me, that one.

It is a bit of a cesspit really. But a lot of great people are there too, enduring endless abuse to try and get the word out, and I salute you all, I just cannot do it right now as its affecting my mental health a bit.

Huge credit to all the women who venture into that cesspit to counter misogyny and lies with calm facts.
As PPs have said, the original poster will either rage or ignore you, but your logical arguments may help to save hundreds of young people from the TRA gaslighting.
We are definitely seeing the first stirrings of doubt amongst the woke. More GC people are feeling able to speak up, awareness is spreading. Look at the delay in the Scottish assembly over self ID, the backtracking on transgender guidance for schools and Scouts.
Don’t lose heart - you are some of the agents of change. More power to your elbows! Keep pushing!