October is anti-bullying month. Our school districts and college administrations are doing their part in educating the students in their care on the perils of bullying. I fear, however, that their efforts may be for naught.
Bullying is bullying. It doesn't just occur in the classroom or on the playground. It is not only limited to text messages between "mean" teenage girls. It happens all too often among adults; in the workplace, in public settings, on the internet and in the home.
Bullying does not follow an age restriction. Adults well into their "golden years" bully each other as if they were still in middle school. In fact, cliques, harassment, ostracism are prevalent among elders. (Senior Bullying) Many of us have witnessed bullying in the workplace among co-workers and employers. We have seen it in places of worship between members of the congregation. We have observed it at one time or another in the park or ball field. We are not immune to the bullying on various social media sites where commentators have resorted to name calling and harassment rather than engaging in meaningful debate centered on the facts.
We have become desensitized to the negative campaign tactics of our politicians. Rather than calling them out on their over the top lambasting of their opponents, we tend to remain quiet all in the name of it being "election season". Politicians can and should disagree on the issues; but those disagreements should be debated on their merits and not on personal traits of one's opponent.
Again, I applaud the efforts being made by our school officials to end bullying in their institutions. However, until adults start behaving like adults; not like characters from "Mean Girls", their efforts may not hold weight once their charges are off campus among the "adults".
There you have it. The State of the Union is in the history books and the obligatory social media pontifications have begun.
For clarification, pontification is "the act of speaking out for the purpose of hearing oneself speak.
Posturing...speaking to people that don't really care what you say one way or another since you're speaking solely to front yourself as "someone in charge"'. (source: Urban Dictionary)
In fact, this article may, in fact, be classified by some as a pontification; but, I digress.
As the pundits from both sides of the aisle start dissecting and analyzing last night's speech; let's remember that as the insults and accusations begin to fly on social media there are issues closer to home that we all can be advocating for without alienating our social media friends.
There are those in the south; many of whom who spent the night trapped on icy highways in their cars fighting to stay warm. There is the senior citizen down the block wondering if the frigid cold and icy roads are going to keep the "meals on wheels" volunteer from delivering what would probably be their only hot meal for the day. There is the single parent sending their child off to school this morning worrying if he or she will be warm enough at the bus stop.
The examples above are just the tip of the iceberg. They serve as reminders that, while we each have a right to express our personal opinions regarding the President's speech, we should not lose sight of what is happening in our own backyards. They are just as important as the president's proponents and refuters arguments over the national political and social issues. However, insulting our social media friends over these issues is serving no purpose other than adding more fuel to an already raging firestorm.
Please excuse me for interrupting your comments and online posts for just a second. I understand that your negative rants are just as important as the "feel good" posts that I share with my online connections; however, does that mean you have the right to hijack my positive outlook on the world and, in turn, ruin my entire day?
We all have our opinions when it comes to politics, social issues and, yes, even cats. If you post something I do not agree with, I make the conscious effort to either reply with facts that substantiate my opinion or simply scroll right by your post. I do not go out of my way to post a comment that is disparaging or outright mean spirited.
Maybe I am naive to think that adults are capable of having an intelligent online conversation without the name calling and vile comments. This was not how I was raised nor was it how I was taught to carry on conversations with people I may disagree with.
Yes, debate is important and a fact of life. I am not discouraging it by any means. It you disagree with something I post, then state your case as to why. Simply calling a third party out in your reply does not help to advance your case.
All too often, there are those (myself included) who have been forced to delete a post because the comments posted in response have gone rogue. These forced deletions go against the whole purpose of social media.
We can be social without being mean spirited.
