I
Get It!
“Like and share if you
love Jesus.” “Keep scrolling if you love Satan.”
“Obama is a Muslim,
non-American and only wants to destroy this country.”
“Obama is the answer to
America's prayers and has done more for the country than the past x
number of presidents combined.”
“Share if you love your
wife or husband or sister or brother or aunt or uncle or cousin.”
“Share if you know
religion is a farce and anyone who's religious is a throwback or a
naive ignoramus.”
“Guns are GOOD!”
“Guns are BAD!” “Ban guns!” “Require guns!”
“Democrats stink.”
“Republicans stink.”
“Ship all the rotten
illegal aliens back to wherever they came from.”
“Make all the illegal
aliens American citizens.”
“Christians against
Obama”. “Christians for Obama.” “non-Christians for/against
Obama.”
“Share this if you're a
REAL American. If you don't, pack up and move out!”
Do you recognize any of
the above statements from Facebook or your emails? Or possibly a
variant of one of them? Do they prompt you to forward or share the
message or do they make you want to unfriend the sender? Do you
agree 110% with the sentiment of some of them or are you vehement
about your opposition to them?
I get it.
I got it back a few years
ago during the political campaigns when you expressed your
preferences. And then did it again. And again. And numerous times
daily. And continually since the elections. I figured out your
allegiance after checking out the first couple of them. Here's a
question back at ya. Did you think you were going to change my mind
by your postings? Did you think you'd steer me away from the “error
of my ways” by your sharing all the vitriol on the Internet that
was available for sharing? Even the ones that had been proven
incorrect a LONG time ago? Or were you just venting, just expressing
your rights by belittling the “worthy” opposition?
I hate to burst your
bubble, my friend, but your continual haranguing on the negative
aspects of the running candidates did absolutely nothing to change my
mind insofar as the support of my candidate. I picked my man quite a
while ago and ended up voting for him no matter how virulent your
pronouncements were.
Now don't get me wrong.
You ARE my friend. You may have diametrically opposing ideas on a
bunch of things from what I do, but you are STILL my friend. You
wouldn't be on my friends list otherwise. I do NOT friend anyone who
I don't consider a friend. With maybe a couple exceptions, folks
that I friended in a weak moment. Or to maybe just keep tabs on
someone. But the vast majority of my friends on Facebook ARE my
friends.
And to all my devoutly
religious friends and family: Thank you for your concern about my
well-being and my immortal soul. Seriously. Your thoughts and
prayers ARE much appreciated. I may or may not share your particular
beliefs but I'm very pleased that you're a believer, whatever the
flavor of that belief may be. My only complaint, if you may call it
that, is the absolute choice some of you like to give me on your FB
postings. Some of you like to give me the old “you're either with
me or agin me” choice. And, in your mind I'm sure you believe that
there actually IS only that single choice, only that specific flavor
of belief. Only black or white. And I'm sorry if I offend you, but
I see LOTS of shades of gray in LOTS of areas of life. That may be a
curse or a blessing, but it's me and that's where I'm at now.
Back to the politics. I
honestly do try to examine most of the examples you might put forward
to explain a stance or position. Sometimes I see your point and on
others I draw a blank. To be honest, I don't mind those postings.
They generally require some study and some reflection and I'm usually
willing to do that. But I do want to tell you I'm not very fond of
what I call the “straight hate” postings; the ones that say “I
hate so-and-so, now and forever, in every aspect of his life, for
every thing he's done and for everything he wants to do.” Excuse
me, but I'm going to skip over those posting and try my hardest to
not dislike you for them. They trouble me and I don't need to be
troubled.
Also understand, my
friends, that there are issues that we will never see eye to eye on
and which I'll never agree with you. That's just the way it is. I
will probably always be pro-this and anti-that. If that's in
opposition to your stance, so be it. Badgering me for my beliefs is
an exercise in futility. Better to let it go and agree to disagree.
Or post some funny cat
pictures.
Please also look up the
definition of jingoism if you don't know it already and understand
that there are ALL KINDS of Americans. All colors, all religions,
all kinds of backgrounds with all kinds of beliefs. And the VAST
majority of them are GOOD Americans, from the Navajo woman on her
reservation hand crafting a silver ring to the turbaned Sikh in
Detroit praying to his elephant god. From the rabid liberal
newscaster to the rabid conservative newscaster (you fill in the
names). From the demonstrating hippie in 1969 carrying the anti-war
sign to the begrimed Marine close to the Vietnam DMZ during the same
year. From my close friend “A” to my close friend “B”.
All good Americans.
Please also note that
fervency is not a necessary requirement for citizenship or emblematic
of your patriotism. There are a lot of laid-back souls who don't
jump up and down when the patriotic music starts or who don't carry
signs at demonstrations. Lots who show their patriotism and their
love of country in quiet, unobtrusive ways. Doing this or that
“under the radar”, quietly serving in the military and then not
strutting about their patriotism, patiently supporting a candidate
with time or money, thanking veterans for their service, flying the
flag.
Be aware that I see your
Facebook posts and I know where you stand. I see who you like and,
way TOO often, who you hate.
I get it.
You know, I originally
intended this blog to be one where I would scream and carry on about
the dumb postings and closed-minded pronouncements of the folks on my
friends list. I planned to holler about their shallow meanness,
their blank-minded membership in whatever organization that they
professed involvement in. I'd lambast them for not checking Snopes
out before posting an item that was totally wrong and proved so. I
planned to express my mild to profound distaste for most of their
mindless postings. I really did.
But then I decided that
wasn't right.
Why couldn't they post
those messages? Why couldn't they believe what they believe? Why
couldn't they shout their mottoes and their credos and their passion
in high fidelity and living color? What made me the arbiter of what
they could or could not say?
What made me sure they
were wrong?
As a matter of fact, I'm
sure there were a LOT of people who read those self-same articles and
pronouncements and said, “Right on, brother!”
So, if you carry anything
away from this blog, from this small rant of mine, carry this. If I
don't forward your messages, if I don't comment my approval, if I
don't profess my undying support of your brand of faith, don't
believe for a minute that I don't support it. Or that I do.
If I don't profess my
undying love for whatever item you've put forward for my perusal or
don't forward same, don't think I'm not for it. Or against it.
If you absolutely need to
believe something about me, believe this:
Some things I'm for and
some things I'm against, but for the vast majority of things that go
floating through my Facebook pages I'm far more likely to be simply
ambivalent. And I'm just not very demonstrative. And I'm truly
sorry if that offends you.
But if you want to know a
secret, I'll tell ya one! If you want me to share one of your
postings, if you want me to comment on it or tell all my friends,
just make me laugh. Just be clever or just make me think.
I'll share those in a
flash with a great comment!
But for the rest?
I get it!
