You have no idea what a lynch mob is — so stop saying it

Words, believe it or not, have meanings. Lately, many people have been using “lynch mob” to refer to a group of individuals calling people out for bad, disrespectful, out of place behavior. I should not have to say it, but this is absolutely not a lynch mob.

Lynch mobs in the U.S. and Britain were almost exclusively targeted at disenfranchised groups. This term is racially charged and using it to describe something like internet comments is completely insensitive and softens the absolute horror of men and women killed at the hands of actual lynch mobs and it’s absolutely not okay.

[YNaija]Lynch mob strip, beat and hang 2 men accused of stealing in Egypt (PHOTOS, VIDEO – Both extremely... ngrne.ws/362XPs

— Nigeria Newsdesk (@NigeriaNewsdesk) March 19, 2013

This is a lynch mob. These men were stripped bare and killed in some large angry group’s idea of justice. A group of people, on the internet, telling you to be more considerate of others is absolutely not a lynch mob. The similarity ends with there being a group of people involved, and dare I say it; emotions. If you are angry about being held accountable for what you say and do maybe you should take a couple deep breaths and consider what people are telling you.