Community can mean different things to different people. Here in Cochrane we like to think it is a place where people work toward the common goal of creating a safe and sustainable place to live.
Cochrane’s foundations were poured on the sentiment back when it was a frontier town where people relied on and supported each other.
Today many strive to maintain that spirit by promoting shopping local and working to preserve our Historic Downtown’s important traditional character.
Of course no community is without its problems. Similar to towns of similar size, Cochrane deals with waves of property crime. That is not to downplay the seriousness of such crimes or the impact they have on people, but overall Cochrane is a safe, friendly and beautiful place to live.
It is easy to take that for granted and disappointing to see forums that actively seem to work against the community spirit we should all work to maintain.
Social media is a powerful tool that can link us together or tear us apart as anyone who has fallen down the comments rabbit hole on basically any politically-charged thread can attest.
Cochrane, AB Rants and Raves on Facebook is one such site where one might wonder if its benefits are outweighed by the damage it causes at times.
While it’s a great place to express opinions on everything Cochrane, there have been numerous instances where those opinions have bordered on defaming community businesses and fellow citizens.
Even more disturbing is the frequency of which discussions quickly devolve into arguments, which descend even deeper into all out bullying. Examples of body shaming, sexism, ageism, and of course the typical right versus left political insult hurling – that serves very little purpose – is a common occurrence.
Clicking through some of the accounts registered on the page, it is obvious many accounts are fake and designed by people for the sole purpose of trolling.
According to the page’s administrator, such behaviour is uncommon and is not tolerated on the page. When it happens or is reported, the posts are deleted and in some cases the users banned but the administrator adds the page strives to ensure it is not stifling freedom of speech.
With more than 7,000 users, the administrator does admit it can sometimes be difficult to catch every post that breaches the page’s guidelines.
Some might read this and say “suck it up snowflake,” or “if you don’t like it don’t read it,” or “everyone is entitled to their opinion.” That is all well and fine and in some respects those comments are partly right.
Unlike the proverbial tree falling in the forest though, comments on Cochrane, Rants and Raves do make a sound whether they are seen or not. They reverberate through the community and serve as reflection of the people who live here.
No one is saying that people and places do not deserve criticism or opinions of discontent on issues should not be voiced, but one should always ask if their words are constructive or destructive.
As a community, do we want to build ourselves up and show our neighbours kindness and support or tear ourselves apart and spew hate and insults?
Only one answer leads to the type of community we all want Cochrane to be.
