Politics
Every four years, I really dislike this time of year. Oh, the weather is still wonderful as it is finally cooling down. I enjoy the Fall colors too. It is the constant bombardment of politics that drives me crazy. Don’t get me wrong. I am extremely grateful that I have the privilege of voting. And I do believe in free speech.
The comments that bother me are not from the candidates, or on television or the newspaper. I can control that. It is from people that I know. And political comments pop up anywhere. I am following several people on Twitter and all of a sudden I am getting Tweets about politicians. It is the same on Facebook too. I have no problem with people stating that they really like so and so stand on women’s rights. But instead they phrase it as “any woman who votes for X is an idiot.” Or when talking about the economy they state “I can’t believe anyone would vote for that ___hole.” Comments like that take me back, especially if they are from people I know.
Four years ago I worked with one co-worker who sent commentaries using the company’s e-mail about the ruin of life as we know it, if one individual was elected. She finally ended up sending it to the wrong person and is no longer working there.
Did you know that talking politics at work can get you fired? Check out this article on AOL or this older one on Bloomberg Businessweek.
And while you think you’re following all the rules by not talking about it in the workplace, it is a good bet that you are friends with your co-workers, even your boss on Facebook or that they follow you on Twitter. If you phrase your comments wrong, you just might be insulting a friend.
What are your feelings about this?
– Leigh
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I know exactly what you mean, Leigh. I’ve decided not to use FB as a forum for politics, until after the election. People forget that, as important as a President’s thoughts are, more important are the reps’ and senators’ thoughts. They’re the ones who actually propose and pass the bills. Plus, the hate just takes over on these posts, for both the people who oppose their issues and for the candidates. Nothing said on these sites changes anyone’s mind, for the most part. The only time I may comment is when something is said that is so wrongly construed with non-factual statements that it’s difficult for me to let it slide through as fact. Mostly, though, I “hide” them from my newsfeed and concentrate on the small stuff. That’s what I use FB for anyway. Keeping up with the kids and friends and their happenings.
I think, thanks to some politicians, we have become more viciously divided as a country, to the point where normal, rational people cannot have a political discussion, Partly because we no longer even agree about basic facts. Neither side can really understand why the other side believes what they do. As a result, for the first time in my memory (since Bush, I think), people believe that the other side is not only stupid, but even worse, actually Unamerican or evil. The solution is that members of both parties need to call out their OWN side–politicians and civilians–when they engage in this type of destructive behavior.
Two of my acquaintances are no longer speaking to each other because of Facebook posts regarding an election that happened earlier this year. The sad thing is they were really close before that.
I think political debates in this country have gotten ludicrous and inflammatory. We all feel we have to go for the jugular unless everyone, everywhere agrees with us. My feeling about it is that it reduces the whole discussion to a petty, immature squabble. Politics should require a lot more complicated discussion than some blurb on Facebook.
Cannot wait for the day after the election!!!! Work isn’t a problem re politics because I think everyone knows not to use company email for campaigning.
But on Facebook, ai yi yi! I can’t tell you how many people I want to defriend because of their posts. Instead I just scroll on past their postings.