Johnny FourStar has taken to the internet to tell everyone his favorite SHL team.

"I like the Winnipeg Aurora"

This post on Chirper set the internet ablaze. Wow, could a shl superstar really be this honest? I can't believe we get such great insights from all of our favorite players these days. See, social media is all about shouting into the void. If you're good at it, you'll get engagement. And that's just what Johnny's post did. He got a bunch of likes and rechirps. Even better, his fans were joining in on the conversation. One said they liked the Aurora too. Another said Johnny was his favorite player and he also liked the Aurora. These thoughts continue the conversation and create a community around the things we all love and enjoy. Maybe Johnny FourStar will share who his favorite player is. Wouldn't that be exciting!

But not all is peaches and roses out there on the world wide web. Someone posted "I hate the Winnipeg Aurora." The nerve! Why would someone so blatantly disrespect the general consensus? Is it a cry for help? Why would someone be so wrong yet so bold?

Johnny FourStar has yet to respond to this tortured soul. I wonder if he's seen the message. See, our favorite SHL superstars have phones just like us. And I bet they scroll the internet just as well as we do! But can Johnny handle the heat? Does this person's opinion change his mind? Is his favorite SHL team even still the Aurora?

I wonder what the effect is of all of us having a bull horn in the digital public square. Do we have too many opinions? Is it too easy to spread hate? Has the mob swallowed civilized discourse? What's it like being a public figure in the SHL?

Johnny FourStar avoided comment pregame this week. I shouted "do you still like the Winnipeg Aurora?" but he didn't respond. I wonder if he's grown callous and cold now that he's been exposed to the dregs of the internet. Can shl superstars even block these relentless trolls? Did it affect his game on the ice? Do random internet strangers really have that much power over our beloved hockey players?

I wonder how the world would be different if we didn't have social media. Would we all be best friends? Would everyone have the same opinions? Or would we silently resent each other, silently judging each others judgments in silence? Would people be able to speak to each other with kindness, or at least without putting one another down?

I think if chirper didn't exist everyone would have the same opinions as me. But is that the goal? Is that the perfect utopia we are all striving for? I think discourse is disruptive. We all could learn from social media a lesson that only social media can give, maybe some things just aren't worth saying. So the next time you want to chirp at your favorite shl players, remember they're real people too. And their opinions are often more right than ours. Because they are good at hockey.

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