Once newspapers entered the online world, humans of all kind, enjoying the priviledge of anonymity invaded the space. Some of them believers in the dirt there were spreading, others just unable to separate their minds from their education and family background. In the age of print, they were there too, but reaching their destination was harder: they had to write an actual letter and send it by post. The power of the Internet is the momentum.
The German journalist and writer Hasnain Kazim had it all, from a very early age. And he decided to collect all the hate letters in a book, where he also shows his answers.
The main question is: Should One Answer Hate Comments? Isn't it that by answering them one is offering credibility to such approaches?
Kazim's hilarious yet smart answer to his trolls are worth reading it. Maybe at the end of the exchange some changed their mind, but some minds may be so damaged that there's nothing to do. His 'penpals' are contesting his belonging to the 'German people', hate foreigners, accuse him of Islamisation or on the other end, being an enemy of Islam. It's hard to make everyone happy nowadays.
Kazim's contagious humour let you forget what realities many are living in Germany nowadays. Their Germany is obsessed with origins, against foreigners of all kinds, unaware of the tragedies of its past mistakes. A scary landscape, you don't want to do anything with. But if you live there as a foreigner you will be forced to think at least twice.
It's worth sometimes answering hate mails, but there is so much to do against those worrisome trends.
