Something happened on Facebook that was so ugly, I did something I normally wouldn't do. I unfriended. And I may do more of that...
That's a "fraught" thing to do these days, and people read a lot into it. Politics. Feminism. Lefty. Righty. Middle-y. Devil worship-y. Whatever.
My social media philosophy is pretty simple: Discuss. Feel free to be passionate. Get ugly, and I don't care if I know you personally, you are out.
I'm not bothered by people's various politics...even when it gets a wee bit heated. There is a certain tone some people take, however, that I just can't stomach. So ugly. So nasty, that I gotta let 'em go. See the thing about unfettered vitriol is...you lose the fight.
It's like getting screamed at in an argument. The screamer may even have a point...but all you hear is "Blahblahblahblahblah!"
I did a post that should have started an interesting conversation on women's rights. It illustrated the VAST difference between life in America...and life in Iran, for women.
We live in a world filled with hysterical hyperbole.
I like to poke the bear, and jump-start conversations into uncomfortable areas. I like to make people think...and I like it when they make ME think.
What I don't like, is people starting off nasty and getting downright disgusting from there. If people are as horrible in real-life as they are behind their keyboards, we are doomed.
Back to that post: It was about a teenage girl arrested in Iran for dancing. She was busted for not wearing a hijab. She could be sentenced to a year in prison, and up to 90 lashes...
Let's think about that for a second.
A teenager dances without a hijab on her YouTube channel, and she is under arrest.
Pretty sobering, and a great jumping-off point for a conversation about where women are in this country, and where they are in some others. I was thinking..hey, perspective. Here is what I got, instead:
That was the FIRST comment on the post.
Oh...it got worse. The ugly increased exponentially, and I watched, in awe, as some folks showed off the absolute filth and slime they were willing to slog through to make a point.
I gave myself a few days to think about it, and made the cut this morning.
Only one "friend," but I will feel free to do it again if things devolve in that fashion.
I am sick and damned tired of some people feeling free to be ugly on MY page. They can do it on theirs. But, I don't have to join in their reindeer games, and neither do you.
LaDona out.