2024-04-07 07:54:35
Both private individuals and celebrities are increasingly affected by hate online. Singer Ben Blümel takes this development into sharp focus at t-online.
Shortly before Easter, Ben Blümel, who made his breakthrough as a singer in the early 2000s, appeared in the RTL event “Die Passion”. For the live spectacle he slipped into the role of Jesus. The project caused a stir, but not only elicited positive reactions. The show fell through with many viewers and was subsequently torn apart on social media. In 2022, the first production of the “Passion” also attracted ridicule and malice. Ben Blümel finds spreading hate on social media “cowardly,” he tells t-online.
“It’s always easy. Especially now in this day and age,” says the 42-year-old and adds: “When I was at school you had to tell your neighbor that he was an idiot and his jacket was ugly – you had to find the courage to go into confrontation.” That is no longer the case these days. “You write down something ugly anonymously and send it off just because you’re not happy yourself.”
Ben Blümel values objective opinions and criticism, “but inciting people against people because you think you can’t be prosecuted is the ugliest thing there is.” The musician thinks: “You can really tell that these people are just looking for quarrels.” Instead, they should “go for a walk, play soccer, paint a picture or do something useful.” “Life is too short,” he emphasizes.
“My life energy is too valuable for insults”
Ben Blümel also points out that what is most important is the stability of the people affected by hate comments. Fortunately, he doesn’t let insulting comments get to him. “You can write to me whatever you want, it doesn’t matter to me. My life energy is too valuable for insults.”
The father of the family is not strongly affected by hatred anyway – with a few exceptions. “But there are also idiots who write on social media that I should take off my hat or who call me a bald man,” summarizes Ben Blümel. However, he ignores these comments, in contrast to constructive criticism: “In my main job in children’s television, I am under a lot of observation. If I explain things incorrectly, professors, for example, write and correct me. These are things that I deal with.”