Over the years, I’ve developed a love-hate relationship with Twitter n/k/a X. It’s not as polarizing as my love-hate relationship with Reddit, or my love-haven’t-really-found-anything-to-hate-about-it-yet relationship with Mastodon. But that being said … there are moments on X when, for one reason or another, I get transported away from my jaded, cynical soon-to-be-61-year-old-self, and turn into a gushing fanboy, even for a moment.
I’ve blogged about this before. That time, for example, when tennis legend Martina Navratilova replied to one of my tweets.
Or the year before, when my all-time 70’s TV crush AND a powerful political commentator both replied to an online post of mine.
We now bring you to 2024. Maybe you’ve heard of this actor at one time or another. Mark Hamill. Yep, I just mentioned his name, and you’ve already got an image of him as a Resistance fighter pilot dropping those missiles into the Death Star opening just like it’s a swamp rat hunt at Beggars’ Canyon. Or his anger and frustration to find out that he is the son of the most ruthless overlord in the entire galaxy. Or his casual “dusting off the shoulder” boss move after Kylo Ren tries to obliterate him on the planet of Crait.
And it’s not just his appearance as Luke Skywalker that makes genre fans rejoice. He’s been the animated voice of the Joker in the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series, and he even played a Joker-like character called the Trickster in the 1990 CBS superhero show The Flash.
Of late, Mark Hamill’s appearance on X has been a breath of fresh air, a calming sanctuary in a wretched hive of scum and villainy. (Okay, yeah, I gotta knock the puns off.) He shuts down idiots with ease and expertise; and he uplifts those who could sometimes use encouragement in this crazy, cuckoo world.
Two weeks ago, the X platform got rid of visible “likes” – in other words, if someone went to your page and tried to see what your likes and interests were, those “likes and interests” were blocked from view. The argument was that it protected users’ privacy; but honestly, it just meant that a user could like really disgusting, nasty stuff and keep their racism and bigotry and misogyny hidden from all.
One day after the “likes” option was removed from X, Mark Hamill decided on his own little protest of conscience. He would physically type the word “like” on every post that he liked.
I thought this was cool. So I responded back to Mark Hamill.
And this happened. Seriously. THIS happened.
Um … could you give me a moment … just a moment here …
AAAH!!! AAAH!!! Mark Hamill liked my tweet!! (running around the room like I just finished watching Star Wars in 1977 at the front row of the Cine 1-2-3-4-5-6 multiplex at Northway Mall … ) (genuflecting and bowing) I’m not worthy!! I’m not worthy!!
I mean … seriously … the man that not only acts, but also works in politics and philanthropy and even makes winking fun of the fandom around his career … he liked my tweet.
You have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA how good that felt for me. It made my day. Hell, it made my last two weeks.
Thanks so much, Mark Hamill. I really, truly, appreciate it. For sure.
Man, all I need now is Lou Ferrigno to like a social media post of mine … and my 1970’s fanboy childhood memories will be truly complete.
Chuck The Writer 
I met my wife, Amelia, on Twitter through a #WritersLift she posted, where I pitched my piece, “A Little Ghost For The Offering.” We maintained our Twitter accounts for nearly two years into our relationship. However, as the platform became increasingly toxic and hostile towards the LGBTQ+ community, we decided to close our accounts in protest.
It’s incredible that Mark Hamill “liked” your tweet! That reminds me of an experience I had when I was working as a Firefighter and Paramedic. One day, my boss called me on my day off and mentioned that a “VIP client” needed an escort for a hike near Big Indian, New York. It’s fairly common for celebrities to request off-duty rescue personnel to accompany them during outdoor activities or extreme sports. I arrived at 0700, unaware of who the client would be. To my surprise, it was none other than David Bowie. We spent the entire morning and early afternoon hiking together, creating an unforgettable memory.
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