Went for a walk with my dog, found 100 bucks on the ground. Today will be a good day
Other times it's more like...
Why can't people keep their damn mouths shut and leave me alone?
MANY times it's a rant about something.
Here is how it plays out. You get up. You scroll. You see. You respond. Whether it's with a :) or a :( or a "HUGS" or even if it's a "I am so sorry, babe. Love you lots here if you need me."
When we do this, when we engage, we become a part of the entity. YOU go about your day. Have your coffee deal with your EDJ, kids, cleaning whatever.
10 HOURS LATER....
That thread you smiled at, hugged, said a little somethin somethin... It now has 147 comments. None of which you will read. But you catch the last one.
"I think you all need to back off and shut your mouths and grow up."
EEEK! Now, you're very curious. So you grab a beer, wine, drink of choice, sit and read them all...
OMG. I had no idea so and so was addressing so and so OMG I should have said nothing.... And so it goes. You become Guilty by Facebook Thread Association.
Is there a remedy? No. Because as long as the masses of stupid people breed we will forever be victims of this ridiculous disease.
Can you avoid it? Sure, never speak again.
What do we do? I have an idea...
When you engage in ANY status, understand that you don't know the whole story. That by doing whatever it is you do when you respond, you are entering what could be a cesspool of intolerance and God knows what else.
Personally, I don't really hold people in threads accountable when they simply offer kind comfort or a smile, even a freaking hug. I DO however hold those who let their fingers tap at the keyboard, acting like they know every detail of every situation, and that their words should be carved into stones and mounted on walls.
THINK. THINK SOME MORE.
Don't go off on someone on a thread who truly is offering an ear. Don't put them into the group of idiots.
If you don't want drama don't put it on Facebook. I don't think airing your dirty laundry all over social media will do you any good... Trust me, been there, done that. Ended up having to shut down my original account and reopen.
Be kind to one another, and if you can't then don't be shocked when you wake up and find yourself as a "labeled" person.
So much this.
ReplyDeleteSo So SO much this!
ReplyDeleteI am a victim of this almost weekly. Sometimes I can't believe how naive I am!
ReplyDeleteBut many times, the original thread is just someone venting, or maybe being a little passive-aggressive, and it seems so straightforward. So I comment. But where it gets crazy is the commenters who are in-the-know (or partially aware at least) get angry and take it to another level.
I have become better at spotting that. When I see people who are usually pretty normal blow-up on a thread that I didn't think was that big of a deal, I realize there is something else going on, and I step away.
What is horrible is the fallout from these weird mystery-arguments can last a long time. I have found myself on the "wrong" side of threads a few times, and though I stand by every comment I made, I know I've made enemies.
It is sad because facebook could be such a great place for mutual support, for sharing and making connections. Instead, I find it more and more like a junior high school cafeteria, full of "cool kids" and bullies, and cliques that I will never understand.
Personally, I try to be nice to everyone. People can dislike me, or find me annoying, or whatever - but I have no guilt. I know I've never hurt anyone intentionally, at least.
Oh man, I hope this whole post wasn't another one of these threads and now I'm going to piss more people off....