Is That A TV on Your Head or Are You Just Happy To See Me?

I really have too much going on right now to actively write this blog.  I will get back to it once things settle down.  However... that doesn't mean I am not trying to read YOUR blogs.  I don't always have time to comment like I should.... I am in a time *crunch* here, but I do comment when I can.

However, I would like to take a moment to let you in on my friend JJ's new blog.  It is a political blog.  Yeah, it is NOT for everyone.  If you are currently eating up what all of the current media is selling, this blog will probably not be for you.  However, if you watch the news and alarm bells sound, something seems off, the numbers don't add up, it all just really doesn't make sense, you don't see how they keep adding things up and getting numbers that don't actually crunch...  Well, then you are ready to get down to it, take a closer look at what is actually going on, discuss the issues like adults.  Yes, this blog is for adults who are interested in intellectual discourse.  There is no name calling here.  There really is no blaming one party or another here.  There is simply an acknowledgment that the government that was created by our Founding Fathers is failing.

We can pretend that it isn't happening.  Or can we talk about what is really going on in order to arrive at solutions to save YOU and ME.  If you are interested in THAT, go visit Politics for the Average American.


image found on facebook... shocking!

This is so junior high school

People keep taking me by surprise.  And I really don't know why that is.  I sort of feel like Julia Roberts' character in Pretty Woman minus all the hooker stuff and Richard Gere.  Well, and the money.  Okay, it's pretty much the fact that she was living a rough life and no one and nothing should have surprised her but she was actually really naive.  Richard Gere's character says something like, "It's just that people rarely surprise me," when he finds her in the bathroom flossing.  He thinks she is doing drugs and is all set to throw her out.  And she says, "They constantly surprise the crap out of me."  And you scratch your head, silently thinking, "What????"  And then you realize that it is true.  She really is that hopeful about people... still.  Frankly, I don't know how she managed.  She was dealing with people who were paying for sex for three years up close and personal. 

I have been on facebook for two years and I have about hit my limit.  No one has paid me for anything, but I have seen more than I care to, and I find it more than a little disturbing.  I watched one friend live in fear of posting anything political on her page for the duration of this election, because she didn't want to be attacked by her "friends."  She watched one friend after another post anything remotely conservative on their pages, and one of her high school friends tore into them like a rabid dog.  She said it was terrifying to watch.  I said that it was okay not to post.  Just don't do it.  However, by election day she had enough, found her voice, and posted a few things she saw going on.  She didn't go crazy with it.  Just voiced HER OPINION ON HER PAGE.  And it was a feeding frenzy.  Said "friend" cut loose on her.  Even after this person please asked for no negative comments aimed at her personally.  Anything said about the candidates was fair game.  That didn't stop this person.  She attacked my friend personally.  So she got unfriended.  And then that person called her out on her page and all of these people my friend thought were her friends started attacking her personally.  It was like junior high school on facebook.  Only so much meaner.  And then it got even worse.  I really can't even go on. 

Fast forward to yesterday.  One of my high school "friends" left this comment on my wall.  "Sorry Robin. The elections over and we have to live with the voter's votes. I have grown weary of your right wing posts. I like you and want to stay your friend.... I silently was polite for 8 years of a Bush presidency. We will get through the next 4 years too. - I am hiding most of your posts but I don't want to cut you off totally. We still have things in common. Struggling." 

Well, huh.  We went back and forth a couple of times.  I pretty much left it like this:  "If you need to click on my posts in the wall feed and hide them that is fine with me. If you need to unfriend me that is okay, too. I will respect you for your decision. Whatever you do."  The last comment I left was about having to leave because we are on vacation, and I would either see her later, or I wouldn't.  And then I left.  And I didn't really think about it again for several hours.  But when I did, I was not happy about it.  Why?  Because she posted it on my wall and we have  A LOT of mutual friends.  We went to high school together.  I would have felt very differently had she sent it in a private email.  The more I thought about it, the more it felt like posting it on the wall was an invite for everyone to get in the public smackdown.  It felt very much like being in junior high school again.  

The irony with this particular friend is that when she posted something about voting for Obama she put it up almost with an apology.   I commented on her post that Freedom of Speech is one of our most important rights.  It is a right given to us by the First Amendment.  Never be afraid to speak your mind or voice your opinion if you are speaking what is in your heart.  I knew that she knew my views.  I told her that I might not agree with what she has to say, but I would fight to the death for her RIGHT TO SAY IT.  And then she turns around and basically tells me that I better shut the f*ck up or we won't friends.  She said it nicer than that, but it essentially came down to that.  And she posted it on my wall hoping that some of our friends would hop on for a Hatefest, which I am happy to say hasn't happened yet.  Probably because she hasn't posted it in her status... yet.  She did do that to one of our former classmates.  So, there is still time.

Some of you who might read this blog are facebook friends who share differing opinions.  You know who you are.  And we have honored and respected one another simply by not responding to one another's posts about these issues.  I believe that to be the correct course.   That is how we continue to get along.  I think that our friendship is based on mutual respect.  

And I know that a true friend would never go to someone's page and say to someone, "I am really sick of hearing about your "fill in the blank," so if you don't knock it off, I am afraid I am going to have to unfriend you."  Let's try a few words for that "blank" just so that we get a clearer picture: family, God, religion, cancer, migraines, fibromyalgia, politics, music, money troubles, homeless people, dogs/cats who need adopting, dogs/cats who are about to be euthanized, your church, your relationship (be it good or bad), your job (be it good or bad), your lack of a job.  Man this list could go on forever.  Whatever.  

I used to think that social media was a wonderful thing.  Yay.  A way to connect with people.  Now, I am not so sure.  I have seen the harm of social bullying on Facebook.  But it has got nothing on Twitter.  Twitter rules as the Social Networking Bully.  As such, Twitter seems appropriately named.  It is people just vomiting up every thought they have....from a bunch of twits.