Last week, on March 15, 2019, a gunman killed at least 49 Muslims at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was yet another horrible example of the violence in our world.
Before the shootings, one of the attackers posted a 70+ page manifesto online that included racist statements and ironic references to memes. It was clearly meant to insight fear and hatred. When David Greene of NPR News interviewed New Zealand’s Ambassador to the United States, he referred to the document as a “screed”.
I’d never heard of screed and had to look it up. In the process of doing my research, I became aware of something more important: this screed highlights a dilemma almost as big as gun violence: how the Internet is helping spread hatred.
First, let’s look at screed.
screed \ ˈskrēd \ noun, from Middle English screde, fragment; from Old English scrēade; akin to Old High German scrōt piece cut off
1 a : a lengthy discourse
b : an informal piece of writing (such as a personal letter)
c : a ranting piece of writing
2 : a strip (as of a plaster of the thickness planned for the coat) laid on as a guide
3 : a leveling device drawn over freshly poured concrete
I think definition 1c fits my example best. Thank you Merriam-Webster.
Now, the problem this particular screed represents. Before the days of social media, such a screed would be seen primarily by traditional media outlets- newspapers, television stations. Those outlets could act as “gate keepers” and would only release snippets of such a document. But now, with the Internet making it so easy for people to reach the public, anywhere, anytime, everyone has access to the entire screed and its divisive messages. According to The Atlantic, the screed was designed to “troll” – meaning it was written not just to express an opinion, but to get clicks and shares and lots of online attention. And so, The Internet is giving the words of all of us more power, and sometimes that’s not a good thing.
I admire New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for trying to keep the names of the accused out of the media. She didn’t want to give the attackers what they so desperately wanted: attention. Unfortunately, now the name of the prime suspect is out there, and he has gained the notoriety he wanted.
But we can still take some responsibility. We can filter what we consume and share on the Internet. We can choose to fast from negativity, pessimism, and hate, and feast on truth, hope, and compassion. (Very appropriate for Lent.)
Let’s be thoughtful about the screeds we read and share.
If you like to learn new words and the origins of their meanings, visit the Wondrous Words Wednesday meme at Bermuda Onion. Each Wednesday, bloggers share new words they’ve learned.
Thanks for getting nerdy with me!
I only knew screed as a lengthy discourse but agree that the one the killer left behind is more a ranting piece of writing. I also agree about the internet and 24 hour news channels.