The Miner's Canary

In the 18th and 19th centuries, coal miners often took a canary down into the mines with them. When the level of toxic gasses became deadly, the canary would die and the miners were alerted to the danger. Carbon dioxide is an odorless toxic gas that will kill a small bird long before the miners succumb to its poison in their system.

There are people in the online exer community--particularly SGA abuse survivors--who are
extremely sensitive to the toxic relational styles of narcissistic personalities. My SG friend is a miner's canary. So am I, for that matter.

To people who have developed a high tolerance to toxic interpersonal gasses, it’s easy to dismiss us as individuals who “blow up at the slightest little thing.” When you can't smell that CO2 in the mineshaft, listening to a miner's canary
choke and gag might seem like trying to put up with the petty annoyances of a diva prone to making a situation into “so much more than it is.”

The miner's canaries in TF's online exer community are highly sensitive to the toxic gasses of blowhards and bullies. People who have a high tolerance to the methane blown from the backend of a bull may not notice a thing. Maybe that’s how these folks were able to stay in TF as long as they did.

People with a high tolerance to BS should pay attention to the number of dead canaries currently populating the mineshaft of the online exer community. Sooner or later, the toxic gasses could reach a level that will choke the life out of all of us.