It's hard for
me to write this post because I want to make certain that I am writing
from love, but because what motivates me is indignation, I know I might
easily come off as either whiny and weak or partisan. If either of those
conditions are what you get from this post, I will have failed.
I have been home
with baby Anna for a couple of months, now, which has given me great
time to really get to know her. This downtime has also given me very
little time with other adults, so I have depended upon group chats with
some of my crazy friends in Tyler, Facetime with my friends, parents,
and sister, and--sadly--upon Facebook for everyday interactions.
Now, full
disclosure: I am a progressive (a.k.a. "Liberal Scum"). I was raised by
generous, loving Conservative Republicans--my dad owns a struggling
small business, and taxes have always been a burden for him--but from a
pretty early age, I felt that some people were paying attention to money while others were paying attention to people.
Please understand that, though I tend to see the world better from the
standpoint of one who focuses on the needs of people, I know this is
probably because I was raised with no financial needs--free from money
worries, I have been free to focus on people more. There is a good
chance that things only work if some people are people-centered while
others are money-centered; it likely requires both in the big picture.
That being said, I
am usually okay with the fact that about 50% of people tend to disagree
with me, politically (really more than that because I live in East
Texas, but I am writing from that big picture I mentioned earlier), and I
don't even get bent out of shape about people voicing their
points-of-view--I loved the "I disagree with what you say, but I will
defend to the death your right to say it" quote from my 6th grade Social
Studies teacher's bulletin board. However, much of what I see on
Facebook these days goes beyond rational people who happen to view the
world differently that I do right into the realm of fear-mongering
militants spewing hatred. When I run across these sorts of posts, I
usually comment, calmly, just to push back a bit, but there are some
posts that bring out the worst in me.
Take this gem:
In
a way, this is a pretty funny little jab at Obama. At least it is
creative. But it is also pretty offensive to people like me, and it was
created and posted just to piss us off. It is inaccurate, racist, and
religiously hypocritical (Christianity actually calls us to love people
who are not "us," like Samaritans, but instead we use our religion of
love as a weapon against Muslims), and it picks on Obama in an
underhanded way (he is not a Muslim, not that there's anything wrong
with it if he were!)
It seems to me
that crap like that is not honest--I would be fine with a friend posting
her honest fears about a candidate, but the above is actually a
statement not meant to open respectful dialogue.
But there is much
worse out there! There are people who wish to exploit the honest
religious faith of so many Americans by using the schemes and tropes of
Christianity, but plugging President Obama into the Apocalyptic
framework (that so many of us have suck a small understanding of,
already):
This one pisses
me off in 3D! It is exploitative and underhanded and it is a lot of what
is wrong with Christianity as it is expressed these days.
* * *
What
baffles me is that I don't get what so many people have against Obama. I
mean, he hasn't been terribly liberal or anything near the "Socialism"
that so many people lament. He has been pro-Wall Street during a time
when many Americans (and anyone truly Liberal) would have
hyper-regulated, since shady, under-regulated practices resulted in a
huge recession; he has not declared "war on Christianity," though just
listening to pundits would make you think that America, today, doesn't
look a thing like America under President Bush. Maybe I am thick, but I
see the same country with mostly the same policies and practices as six
years back. About all that Obama has accomplished is restoring the US's
credit abroad, in both Islamic and non-Islamic countries, and the
infamous "Obamacare," which stopped way short of anything truly liberal,
and which has not yet take effect--he gave insurance companies tons of
time to find sneaky back doors before the better parts take effect. In
fact, what is now the Affordable Care Act was originally a Republican
plan.... From my vantage, Obama's lack of real Progressive revolution comes closer to having me vote elsewhere than anything that he has done.
Honestly, I don't
see whatever it is that makes our President any worse than President
Bush was! I mean, think of all of the things we did as a country under
Bush that are simply not "American": Warrantless wiretapping. Torture of
prisoners. Unilateral attacks on other countries. Unabashed war
profiteering. Posturing and attitudes that ostracized the world
community. Perhaps it is because of Bush's Koala-bear face, but somehow
none of the above seemed to outrage my Facebook community nearly as much
as Obama has just by being in office.
Here's
the thing: I might understand people's beef with the President better
if they would communicate it! Instead, I get to see ridiculous posts
about how Obama has raised fuel prices, even though Presidents can do
very little to help gas prices. Or I get veiled references to his race,
or to some war against Christianity, though everyone I know gets to
worship how they want, when they want, etc. The only credible complaint I
have seen is a huge ball of fear because Obama said he, personally,
supports Homosexual Marriage, but how that affects my conservative
friends I still do not comprehend--if you are against gay marriage,
don't get gay married!
* * *
All
of that middle stuff was just positioning myself where you would know
my bias, and expressing my befuddlement with the environment of fear I
have found, especially on FB. This post is really about communication
and love and respect.
It
is not the misinformation, itself, that makes me consider deleting my
Facebook account about three times each week, nor the fact that people
who I care for and respect have opposing views to my own. What puts me
in despair is the manner in which people--many of whom I regard very
highly in the real world--communicate their views. I know people who say
inflammatory things all of the time just to get a response, who then
respond to any response they get with comments like, "Isn't it just like
a stupid Liberal to get his panties in a wad about something I said! I
am an AMERICAN with the FREEDOM TO SPEAK WHATEVER I WANT! You Socialists
are always wanting to limit speech!"
So,
my acquaintance baits people he disagrees with, and then revels in
their replies so he can slap at them again! And he does this sort of
thing for fun, all the time! I know quite a few muckrakers who enjoy
Facebook "debates," but there is something manipulative about that guy's
ways that do nothing to further the exchange of ideas. Does he have the
right to post whatever he wants? Hell, yes he does! but does his way
communicate friendship or respect for the people he opposes? No.
As goes Facebook, so goes the world.
Facebook merely mirrors the polarized state of our country. Gone is
common courtesy, working together for a common goal, and persuading
others that your position is correct (persuasion keeps its audience in
mind and seeks to appeal to an audience using logic and emotions while
maintaining credibility. It can be subtle). What is left is two sides
speaking over one another.
On
a podcast I listen to, I heard Social Media compared to heavy traffic.
In traffic, people in their own cars forget that they are part of the
traffic, that they are in public, and this forgetful state of mind leads
to road rage, nose picking in full view of others, and assorted other
phenomena. I guess we see a sea of machines all around us and feel
dehumanized, and then begin to dehumanize the others we are in context
with. But this kind of behavior is based on a misconception that we are
in private! As soon as we are in a context that is face-to-face, we
become more civilized (few of us would curse out a person in line in
front of us at the DMV, but in the traffic to get there, we are likely
to say or do anything when frustrated). Facebook is just like that.
Trapped in our own minds, responding to disembodied posts, we are liable
to say or post anything; In person with someone we are acquainted with,
we may still disagree, but most would certainly not become abusive
based on the disagreement. It is called decorum, and though most of us
exercise it in person, it can be hard to find online.
I
do not hide my politics on Facebook and I do not apologize for them
anywhere. I feel like I am liberal from a genuine place inside of me. I
try to love others without regard to their race or financial position,
sexual orientation or politics, and I am friends with many people who I
disagree with in important ways. I sometimes WISH that I could change
and see the world as the majority of my family and friends see it all,
but I am authentic in my folly, so I think that I must be who I am
supposed to be. My personal faith ties in with my politics--I truly
believe that we are supposed to care for others' needs above our own
profit and security, that all people of all creeds and nationalities are
children of the same God and are deeply loved by him, and that the
riches I have been blessed with are NOT my own, regardless of how hard I
work--they come from God and it is wrong to resent sharing with others
(even if their culture is different from mine, their employment status
is different than mine, or their skin color is different than mine).
My
job is to share my blessings and gifts with the world and people who
cheat the systems that are in place (be they Welfare queens or Corporate
Lawyers who get Hummers to drive using large tax credits intended to
help farmers get new equipment) have their own karma and have to face
the Source with their own sins--Like my blessings, I have plenty of sins
my own.
So,
though I will likely never come to the exact same political position as
you, kind reader, I promise you that I will speak on Facebook with
respect for you, especially while I am disagreeing with your status
update. And I will continue to turn all of my available cheeks rather
than responding to you without love. I will not forget that it is good
that your position and point of view is not identical to mine, for who
knows what the ultimate plan is, and I will continue to hope that,
together, we can create a world of respect despite differences,
beginning right now, even on Facebook.
