I have never liked negative humor, or really, negative talk if any kind. Joan Rivers used to drive me nuts, because she couldn’t seem to be funny without ripping someone else down. That mean-spirited style lives on in talk radio today, and I can’t stand a minute of Rush Limbaugh or Al Franken. In my opinion, you don’t make yourself taller by standing on someone else’s shoulders.
The radio, however, only offends you if you turn it on, and when you do tune in to those programs, you know what to expect.
In this era of social media, where everyone and everything seems to be connected, it’s easy to get ambushed. It amazes me that so many still don’t understand one simple concept….when you write something, it’s likely that someone will read it. And if it’s full of invective, it’s likely to illicit a response more negatively focused on the writer than on the subject. Still, getting “flamed” on the internet hurts…and reading it is always painful, even when it doesn’t involve me.
My good friend Scott Naylor, who used to consult with companies on their IT etiquette, said he constantly had to remind his clients that when they write anything, “there’s a person reading this on the other end!”
If you look around on the internet, you’ll find hundreds of “rules of engagement” on the ‘net. Let’s boil them down to just 2….don’t write anything that you wouldn’t say to that person’s face, and remember the Golden rule. With that, I think we’ll all be good.
Thoughts?
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I posted a link to a Pat Buchanan article to my Facebook page last week questioning if America was falling apart (with so much anger from different groups toward each other, as the premise). The firestorm that erupted in the hours following just about made me barf!
Seemed to me that folks were reading a lot into the article that wasn’t there- and from folks’ preconceived notions spewed vitriol on a variety of subjects never mentioned.
Learned a lesson- that even if I’ve read the article and agree- I can’t assume that others will read and respond accordingly.
Oh, and by the way, yes. I think we’re coming apart at the seams. Opposing opinions, and the freedom to express them- something that made this nation great, are now the excuse to kill, steal, and destroy it seems…
Rob