As much as these new houseguests think they know what they're getting themselves into, they have no idea. Yes, the house itself is stressful. There truly is no preparation for living amongst fourteen complete strangers purposely selected to drive each other nuts, but what lurks outside of the house is truly unexpected. Even the most beloved houseguests will be subjected to their fair share of haters. The trolls do not discriminate because it's not about the person they're attacking; it's more about them spewing the vile hatred they harbor inside at whatever is within striking distance.
Now usually trolls stay within the scope of forums, message boards, comment sections of articles/blogs, etc., but the Big Brother trolls band together and travel far & wide to attack us where we live (well as close as they can get) Twitter, Facebook, P.O. Boxes, & sometimes our personal e-mail addresses. Over the years they've even gone so far as to petition to get houseguests (and their parents) fired from their jobs. They've made it their life's mission to ruin our lives because you see; they have no life of their own. Death threats? Par for the course. Insults? "NIGGAR!", "You diserved to get raped!", & "THAt SERIAL KILLER sHOULD HAVE FINISHED YOu OFF!" were just a few gems hurled at me from behind the keyboards of the trolling cowards. And if you know anything about me, I was more bothered by the misspellings & ALL CAPS than the toxicity launched my way.The houseguests are playing a game within the confines of a well-decorated fish bowl where every word spoken and action taken is documented for perpetuity. A game in which lying, manipulation, backstabbing, etc. are sometimes very necessary strategies in order to win; emotions run high, stress is inevitable, mistakes are made, drama ensues and we do it all for the fans of Big Brother...there's no us without them. There's no show without us. Our real lives shouldn't be the subject of troll meddling. Save that for the game. You can't text 1 to get us fired or text 2 to have us meet our early demise. It's called perspective. Get some. Preferably one less skewed, like... It's a freakin' reality show for your entertainment!
I'm a fan of reality TV as well, my current favorite being the Real Housewives franchise. How good was the catfight that was The Real Housewives of New York City ?! I was enthralled by the bitterness, floored by the craziness, and entranced by the ability of the women to look so fabulously divine while being so downright dirty. Well, Alex's wardrobe was questionable at times, but I digress.
Of course, I picked sides. Primarily Bethenny's over Jill's. That's what you do in reality TV! However, do I hunt down the villainous stars of my favorite shows to unleash an onslaught of rage? No. Unlike trolls, I'm content with my life and myself. And I don't have the time or the inclination.
Reality TV stars are real, three-dimensional people, but reality TV features only the side viewers can mock & hate or love & root for. There is no in between. Naturally, we're seen as caricatures of ourselves wherein people "know" us strictly as one type. Fans of Big Brother get this, go along for the summer ride, add a little snark here & there, and drop the animosity when the season is over. Trolls? All they know is pure malice, atrocious self-loathing, and trolling with their fellow haters, the homies...
