YOU may not have heard of Maggie Lieu until yesterday.
A 24-year-old astrophysics student at Birmingham University, she is one of the 100 shortlisted candidates chosen to set up the first human colony on Mars.
The personal qualities needed to get thus far in the Mars One process are considerable but they're as nothing compared to the decade's worth of astonishing training and preparation that lie ahead. Throw in the fact that the eventual trip to the Red Planet will be a one-way affair, and you really have to admire them.
Not even Maggie, though, can escape the haters. "Somebody wrote to me saying: 'Why do you dye your hair like that? I hate people like you....'" she said. "This person also tweeted me some horrible things. They compared me to a mass murderer in the US who had gone round shooting kids in a school... What did I do to deserve that?"
There is, of course, no answer to such a plaintive question. Wired.com, I remember, last year re-posted an article by a blogger on her experience of being trolled on Twitter. She said that if trolls cannot stop you, they can at least ruin your quality of life. The piece was headed 'Why the Trolls will always win."
I admire people - women in particular - who can keep going in the face of online trolling. It can, to state the obvious, be cruel, vindictive, and frightening.
Sometimes, however, you can find people, or organisations, hitting back: not through insults and threats, but by turning the other cheek.
Last Friday, the Quba Islamic Institute in Houston, Texas, saw one of its buildings burn down in a suspected arson attack. The damage was substantial.
Its Facebook page attracted dozens of comments offering commiserations and/or donations, but also lots of toxic remarks from haters. The centre's wise and tolerant responses are worth noting.
To one post - "I can donate some bacon sandwiches and a bible if you all want!" - the church replied: "We would gladly take your donation ... And we may feed the homeless in our area with the sandwiches. You are such a thoughtful human being!"
To a man who posted a curt "Forgive me if I don't shed a tear", the reply was: "You are correct. No need to shed tears for material loss. Alhamdulillah, no people were harmed. Thanks for your perspective."
There were lots more in this vein, much of it predictably racist. It has now gone viral, as is the way of such things. If only it were so easy to deal with all those who voice hate online.
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It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
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We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
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