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If I haven’t declared my complete support of “freedom of speech” here on T-blawg by now then I haven’t done my job very well the last six years. Speaking my mind through words whether they come from my mouth or my fingertips is something I pride myself on. This site and the social media channels supporting this site have become my soapbox. I am very aware of this. I also know that social media has given everyone and their mother, pun intended, the opportunity to voice their opinion for better or for worse. And lately it has been the latter.
We are in an election year and this of course brings EVERYONE and their opinions out of the woodwork, on to their soapbox, whether it is Facebook or Twitter or Instagram and into the faces of everyone that they know or don’t know. People you work with. People from your old neighborhood. People from college. Close friends. Old friends. Family members. Complete total strangers. They all have something to say. Some make sense to you in your mind. Some sound like you. Some share your views. Others…not so much. They are ignorant. Possibly even racist. Clearly uneducated. Borderline insane even? But they ABSOLUTELY have the right to their opinion and they have every right to voice it. But on their own Facebook page. Not mine. In their own Twitter feed. Not in my feed. On their own Instagram. Not on mine. You see, I don’t have time for nonsense. For ignorance. Nor do I tolerate blatant stupidity. Especially from someone who is clearly looking to argue instead of trying to inform me. There’s a difference, yo. You’re not coming over to “T Land” and planting your flag. Oh no. Not today, Satan. Not any day for that matter. I’m Italian. I’m a fighter. But arguing with someone on social media is one of the most pointless and useless ways to waste your time and energy. I have learned this with the rise of social media over the last 8 or 9 years. And besides, when has anyone changed your mind through a social media argument? When has someone changed your point of view on anything due to their tweets? When has someone else’s meme or infographic, whether it is “right” or not, changed your vote? NEVER. So preach your opinion in your own land. Not in mine. And don’t forget people, social media also gives us the power to turn off the rants of lunatics. It also gives us the ability to unfriend and unfollow anyone and everyone. It gives us outs that we don’t have in real life off of social media. So use them. I certainly do.
One plus to all the insanity happening on social media now is that we all get an opportunity to see how our friends, family and social media acquaintances truly feel. Their masks are off. A lot of them have exposed themselves. Some really aren’t good people. For me this has helped vet through a plethora of people I have in my life both in the physical and digital forms. And now I have a different type of information to make educated decisions on whether I want to continue communications or relationships with them. Some make me want to catch up with them. Others have put the proverbial nail in the coffin and buried the relationship. Social media…it’s changing us all. For better or worse.
Until next time. Always take it there.
T
T-blawg 