Hatred is alive and well in Malta.  It functions daily and colours the social media with all kinds of disgusting and unimaginable speech, spewing from a belly that is toxic and morbid with fanaticism, facism and intolerance on a level that cannot be resolved, ever. For some people, it is all they have. They cling to it like a source of energy. They then, most likely, go on to violent behaviour with domestic abuse as a natural release for their own inadequacy and get satisfaction from personal attacks wherever they see fit to direct them.

This is not about defending politicians of any party but the low-life comments directed without restraint at subjects such as Beppe Fenech Adami, Roberta Metsola, Arnold Cassola and anyone who mentions rule of law, migrants, corruption and anyone at the forefront of the fight against corruption, is immediately verbally abused and kicked, spat at and reviled in a way that beggars belief.

We have seen the gross comments on Facebook received by Dr Fenech Adami and Arnold Cassola.  Mario Azzopardi has found reverse celebrity status with his misogynistic rants against MEP Roberta Metsola to a point that we just ignore this behaviour from him as we would from the psychotic person.  Metsola, though, did well to comment as she did, in order to defend the truth. 

Karl Stagno Navarro has his own programme on One TV to drive home the hate and single out anyone who he perceives to be a nuisance to the great One. Jason Micallef is from the same stable of One TV and single-handedly drove Malta’s Valletta 18 City of Culture into the slums and went on to disgrace himself, his position and his country with the obnoxious comments directed at the assassinated journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

This hatred is not limited towards politicians and journalists. It finds a target on anyone who has an opinion and can speak rationally. Most of all, I think, above the politics or hot topics, they hate the way some people have rational thought, for whatever the topic and wherever it may be coming from. This was especially so against Daphne’s Running Commentary which was the most rational journalistic work.

During these days of self-isolation many have had time to speak out and to create a cultural place which appealed to very different audiences. One of these is the unlikely video-blogger/influencer Adrian Zammit. He says it as he sees it. Politics or no politics. You may cringe at the sight of him practically eating from the same plate as his sweet dogs, you may get scandalized by his cat- calling to his neighbor and her weird cat and the juicy outbursts he has not just at someone who happens to come calling when he is live on YouTube but also when he gets phone calls full of insults and diatribe about politics.

He gave out his mobile number and encourages anyone who wishes to call to do so and comment freely but he dismisses outright the ones who are plain stupid. His frank and man-of-the-street philosophy has reached a following of 7,000 and he has become a place of refuge for some people who have struggled with the virus isolation and financial burdens. In a way he has managed to do what very few have done before and that is to get people together across the social divide. A bit like pastizzi or a hobza.

Adrian Zammit’s style may not be for everyone but he has a point. There are morons and idiots and so many who are unable to use any form of thought other than bullying, insulting and raging against anyone and anything that is outside their doctrine.

When this kind of behaviour is given credit in any way, when it is exploited as a lobby for votes and becomes main-stream, we are heading for a failed society that is already being seen around the world as having lost its soul.

Corruption was the engine. Collusion was the fuel. Hatred is the product. 

We, as a country, as a people, cannot go on allowing this hate speech to stand as though it is another bit of swearing that we have become accustomed to.

An amusing cameo of the way we are forged in Malta was presented on Facebook by James Ryder. It is Horror Movies based on Maltese Localities. From shout-outs to daddy coming from Sliema, to the whole range of what Maltese swearing has to offer coming from Hamrun and Birgu’s speak Maltese please and simply not being able to hear the phone call in St Julians due to the construction noise. To some extent we are a product of our environment.

Malta’s problem with hate speech may be due to the fact that although we fought WW2 we have never fought each other. There is perhaps an accumulation of residual passion that has had no other way of venting itself except with hunting, driving like maniacs and swearing like breathing. This has now developed into a more sophisticated form of passive aggression against others where it can reach audiences and admiration from other poor psychos. Beppe Fenech Adami is told that he should have terrorists at his door and some of the most vulgar descriptions where you cannot even imagine how people come up with such scum.

A tolerant society should not tolerate intolerance that can lead to division otherwise it is like becoming an enabler to a wife-beater. You may be a liberal but freedom comes with responsibility. Some behaviour is not fitting and safe for society to tolerate unless it wants to reap the consequences of violence, bullying, arrogance and degradation. That does not mean that we resort to similar behaviour to oppose it, but that we have laws enforced and better education to protect our values and keep order. It requires respect for others above all. It is also the responsibility of those in power, political parties and religious and other organisations to seek out anti-social elements and racial discrimination or discrimination on basis of gender, sexual orientation and politics. 

Malta has been disgracing itself more than enough lately. We really do not need to add this pathetic and shameful contortion of our identity to the heap of refuse that goes for praise and glory these days.

So, go on Sir, and enjoy posting your “bigilla Blogger” comment to this article as has become your tickle these days making sure to add a label of PN or drag the newspaper into it.

Will we ever grow up?