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Love for a Twitter Troll:
An MLK Day Response to Internet Racism
Sherard Edington
First Presbyterian Church, Lebanon, Tennessee
Last year, on Maitin Luther King Jr. Day, a stunning exchange untolded on the social media site Twitter. It began that morning with a posting by a person who pledged that day to be as racially offensive as possible. In his opening salvo he piOclaimed, “In honor ol MLK day today, I’m taking a vow to use the word «*** as many times as possible and in the most inappropriate times.” As I quote from his postings, I have done my best to edit aiound his offensive language and horrific displays ol racism. Even the name this person chose as his identilying handle is distastelul. I will refer to him as “the poster.” Rarely do I wade into the septic suit ol social media. I shy away from Twitter and Facebook. I shun Reddit and Tumblr. However, on the occasion that I do slog thiough those pestileiOus waters and find mysell Lacing an intentionally inflammatory statement such as the one made that MLK Day, I usually choose to ignore it. I move along and treat the online outburst like it’s a dead dog next to the highway. I hold my nose, aveit my eyes, and step on the gas. There is nothing I can accomplish there. On the internet, a person who posts an inflammatory statement is known as a tiOll—someone who, like a fisherman, “tiOlls” for a response. The standing rule on the internet is “Don’t teed the tiOlls” because by engaging them you just get hooked. One soul that day did choose to engage this particular troll, but in a manner that I find inspiring. That person is Ijeoma Oluo—an African-American writer who lives in Seattle. On that MLK Day, Oluo Led the troll. 1 ؛she had attacked the poster with spite and bile, I would have pinched my nose and stepped on the gas—nothing to write home about. Instead ol responding with hate, she chose to shower this person with love. Oluo’s initial rejoinder to the poster’s pledge to use the η-word was to offer a quotation from King himsell: “Let no man pull you so low as to hate him. —Maitin Luther King Jr.” To this, the poster responds with “Oh so you’re one ol those n*** loverstoo’?” Oluo then counters withanother quote: “Hatedestroysthe hater… -Martin Luther King Jr.” Poster: “Your parents must have named you by putting every letter in a hat and randomly selecting 6 letters.” Oluo: “I believe that unarmed tnith and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. -Maitin Luther King Jr.” This volley continues with the poster calling Oluo offensive names and spewing racist remarks. Oluo does not back down. The poster then turns his sights directly on Dr. King, but Oluo stands strong. She deflects the poster’s violent blows with a steady litany ol Dr. King’s words: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that, and I’ve seen too much hate to want to hate, mysell.” Finally, late in the day, Oluo posts this prayer: “I wish you peace and love and freedom from the hatred that hints your heart.” The poster asks who that quote belongs to, and Oluo answers that these are just her words to him. It is at this point that the poster wavers and admits that he is IT years old and ‘just tiOlling.” Oluo says, “It seems sad that you would troll a movement so many died for.” She points out that
Easter 2016
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lynchings alone accountedfor almost 5,000 deaths in the African-Americans’ struggle for racial equality. She then adds, ”1 hope that one day the lives of black people will matter to you. Your life matters to me.” During their exchange Oluo mentions her son. The poster says, “He must have a really cool mom.” Oluo replies that indeed he does have a cool mom. She asks the poster about his own mother, and he informs Oluo that his mother died a year and a half earlier. The conversation continues, and the poster talks about his mother’s death and his subsequent depression. Toward the end, Oluo writes, “I wish you luck. And I hope you will try to refrain from huiting others while you try to heal.” The poster replies, “You are so nice, and I’m so sorry.” We can’t know if the poster is indeed male and IT years old. We can’t know if anything he said about himself is true. But that is not impoitant. What matters is the spirit in which Oluo responded to his words. She did not attack him with anger—as was her due—but with an unstoppable outpouring of patience and love. In Luke’s gospel we read Jesus’ command: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also…. Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:27-31). I cannot imagine a more peilect demonstration of Jesus’ words or realization of Dr. King’s dream than Ijeoma Oluo’s grace-hlled response that day.
Note Go to goo.gl/WWhmRl for the full transcript of the Twitter postings.
Journal for Preachers
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