As the election cycle continues to heat up I see more Americans entering the discourse in social media. I participate fairly actively in the discussion myself on facebook and twitter. Recently I’ve seen some trends that annoy the daylights out of me. Before I share them, I offer these disclaimers: First, I’m not perfect and I know it. I have caught myself on more than one occasion doing the very things that annoy me the most. I am working hard not to, however. Second, I am not an expert on social media etiquette; these are simply my personal opinions. Now, allow me the opportunity to vent just a bit.
1) Why must we be so quick to label one another? I’ve been called everything from a GOP loyalist to irrational and everything in between. Quit trying to slot me; I don’t fit either of these criteria. Let’s refrain from labeling and name-calling and instead engage in a meaningful discussion. You don’t get to assign my loyalties; nor do I get to assign yours.
2) Social media is a great avenue for sharing informative news articles and interesting blogs. Those with whom I interact run the gamut of the political spectrum. Most of them share good and insightful information (after all, I do tend to pick high quality friends), and I read as much of it as I can in the time I have available. When I post an article or blog I usually post a quote from the article that I feel sums up the main point; I try to refrain from posting my opinion on the contents. Let the piece speak for itself and trust the reader’s intelligence to “get it”. A facebook friend recently posted a blog describing a study wherein it concluded that to be conservative one must also be stupid. To preface the article he posted (paraphrased) “and we needed a study to tell us this?” I no longer follow his posts. Be respectful, people!
3) As a Christian I treasure God’s Word, which He gave to reveal His nature as well as to nourish and inspire. It was not given for us to carve verses out of context and sling them at those who oppose our views in sorry attempts to support our political positions. Conservatives and liberals are equally guilty here. Abuse or disrespect Scripture and I will call you on it every time.
4) I generally ignore posts that disparage people personally. Ron Paul is not “crazy”; Rick Santorum is not “insane”; Barack Obama is not “anti-American”; Conservatives/Liberals are not "stupid"… You get the point. I try to post items that support my personal positions; those posts may be consistent with the views of one or more of the candidates. I will also post items that highlight current issues in which I disagree with any of the candidates, the President and/or Congress. That’s called “free speech” and the Constitution protects my right to do so. See point 5 below.
5) Whether you agree or disagree with my positions, feel free to engage me in a civil, respectful, objective discussion. Such dialogue makes us stronger as individuals and as a nation. Post an emotionally charged, biased, unsupported, or disrespectful response and I will probably ignore it. If I disagree with you and post an emotionally charged, biased, unsupported, or disrespectful response call me on it.
I am excited about the role social media can play in our national dialogue. I have learned much from my social media friends over the past couple of years and I am grateful for that. If this piece inspires you to “up your game” as it holds me accountable for my own behavior then I’ve achieved my purpose. Happy tweeting!
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