The Ugliness of Social Media

This is the Statt Mann Baby. Time to Scatt a little bit.

I have a feeling this won’t be popular.

There’s a mild controversy on X, or Twitter, surrounding the memory of Sherry Pollex, a warrior for NASCAR and an even greater warrior in the fight against cancer. Pollex died last Sunday after a nine-year battle with ovarian cancer.

The issue is the social media response of former NASCAR and IndyCar driver Danica Patrick and others. She nobly said Martin Truex’s statement on the death of his longtime girlfriend and life partner didn’t meet Patrick’s expectations.

She implied that a public relations person wrote it for Truex and, further, that Danica didn’t like Truex much anyway.

This ongoing argument is the exact reason social media troubles me.

As if what Truex says or doesn’t say about the death of someone he loved should meet the needs of anyone else.

As if the keyboard warriors including Danica got up at four in the morning to hold Pollex while she vomited her guts out and wipe her tears when she was done.

As if what went on between Truex and Pollex is any concern of anyone else.

As if Truex and Pollex owe social media something for the way Sherry died or Martin responded to it.

Arrogance can be so ugly sometimes. So can social media.

Peace.