Mean-spirited, hate-filled political comments, that’s what.
I am a huge fan of Facebook, but I do not use it as a political forum. I use it to see what my friends are up to. I do not go to Facebook to hear political diatribes from any viewpoint. There are other venues for that.
I respect my friends’ political views, for I have strongly held beliefs, too. But I get tired of the political comments, which are often mean and hurtful.
If you don’t agree with someone else’s politics, fine, but wanting them silenced, marginalized, ridiculed, hurt, or at the worse, dead, puts you right up there with Joseph Stalin, Hugo Chavez, and other despots.
I concur! And thanks for saying it.
Reading your blog is always a highlight. Thanks a bunch!
Thank you, Beth. I hope all is well with you. Come back here any time.
Les
I agree 100%. A few weeks ago found a discussion on LinkedIn (I think it was under the Washington DC Connections group) that was basically a shouting match between liberals and conservatives. It started after a member of the group was criticized for posting Fox News articles on the discussion board. The discussion turned into one of the most offensive, sexist, and racist dialogs I have ever seen on a social networking site. I was shocked that some of these people would resort to derogatory name calling, knowing full well that LinkedIn made it easy to discover who they worked for and what their role was with the company. I think some of the comments made in the discussion may come back to haunt the people who made them, some of whom were executives with major organizations in the DC area.
Stephen,
That’s quite a story, especially when you consider it was on LinkedIn that this happened. But that’s D.C. for you — people are obsessed with politics.
Thanks for sharing this. What an incredible interchange!
Les
I’m with you, Les. In fact, I have “un-friended” several of my Facebook friends for this very reason.
I also just don’t get why online communication (in blogs, discussion boads, on Facebook, etc.) brings out the worst and the most hateful in people. I blogged about that recently.
When I was growing up, we were told that it’s not polite to discuss politics or religion. So we seldom did that — maybe because my mom’s family were Protestants and Republicans, my dad’s Catholics and Democrats. We all got along just fine, even on election day. But, alas, those were gentler times.
I purposely don’t visit any Facebook political forums. And I’ve learned to “hide” the feeds from my “friendz” who discuss it (ditto for religion). Unlike Robert, I don’t have the nerve to “un-friend” folks. I just make them invisible. In a virtual world you can do that, all while appearing to be entirely civil.
Best to you in the new year, sir!
Robert and Bill:
What you suggest is necessary at times. I have de-friended some for making really egregious comments. I have also cut out the status updates from some who abuse the system. That helps a great deal. Cutting status updates from certain people really cleans up Facebook.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Les
Les:
I ran across your blog because I just renewed my membership with IABC and was considering buying your book and CD “The Communication Plan” (2008) in their bookstore.
People don’t realize that everything on the Internet lives forever, with discussions from its early days in the late 1980’s still archived on CD collecting dust somewhere in that warehouse housing to the Ark of the Covenant (thinking of the original Indiana Jones film). One just needs to learn how to unearth these old bones if one is so inclined.
In reply to your blog comment on January 27, 2010 at 4:37 pm, “I have de-friended some for making really egregious comments. I have also cut out the status updates from some who abuse the system.”
You have expressed my concerns about participating in discussions or exchanges on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other Internet communications venues. Selective on whom I “friend” online, I have avoided these discussions precisely because I worry that in this heated political-economic climate, I’ll have to “de-friend” everyone (in a worse-case scenario) unless I distance myself from these debates.
Speaking one’s mind respectfully, and debating, is entirely separate forms of communications. Having been there and done that in the early days of the Internet, I choose to avoid the latter.
Thank you for your fine blog.
Eugene
I couldn’t agree more! I don’t think Facebook was meant to be a political forum, and while I’m all for expressing opinions/beliefs, I don’t think offending your Facebook friends is the way to go!
I think venting about politics has become a new “trend” and social media is losing some of its luster in all the frustration expressed through these outlets.
Thanks for posting this, Potter 🙂