MookyBear

"Parasocial" getting collapsed into "thinks the e-celeb is your personal friend" is understandable given how common that particular version of it is, but there are definitely a lot of subtle and really common ways to be parasocial out there that go unnoticed while doing harm, such as looking at the theming of someone's online presence and assuming they must be Like That offline too.

You look at a blog that's just endless posts about Pikachu, and conclude that the person running it is Obsessed With Pikachu.

You're not demonstrating the social skills you think you are when you come into the notes declaring that you're unable to imagine someone adapting their behavior to the social context of Being On Tumblr btw

The only antidote to fear is responsibility: the refusal to believe that there is nothing we can do, the decision never to take refuge in blaming others, making them the scapegoats for our frustrations and fears. It is easy to complain: to say it is someone else’s fault. Courage is born the moment we decide not to complain but instead to make a personal protest against the evils of the world by doing good, however slight. An ethic of responsibility yields individuals of astonishing resilience – people able to survive any setback and face any future without fear.