As they say, "the devil is in the details". Unfortunately, the details seem to be forgotten when people post titillating stories about others on the Internet. Apparently, even the news media may omit important facts when reporting on a story.
As humans, our natural inclination is to defend ourselves against such falsehoods or omissions. We tend to see these omissions as personal attacks; and many times they are. Lashing out against the original author of the post, whether it be a member of the media or the average Joe, may not necessarily be in your best interest. In the contentious realm of the Internet, those taking a defensive stance are more likely to come across as "whiners" and "cry babies".
Launching a counterattack directly on the original author accomplishes nothing more than drawing additional attention to the falsehoods initially put forth. As hard as it may seem, the best course of action is to ignore the posts. Write your own chapter. Share your joys, your sorrows and, yes, your pain. If others take offense to what you share, so be it. If they are true friends, they will respect your right to express yourself and if they disagree, they are capable of doing so in a respectful manner. Those that take what you post and twist it in such a way to benefit their own beliefs; while at the same time making you look like a fool (or worse), are truly not your friends and have no place in either your life - online and offline.
Don't allow others to write your story. Only you have the power to determine whether your story is found in the fiction or nonfiction section of life's library.
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.
