My Crowded Room
(Blog #8)
Since
the “hooplah” of this particular Presidential Campaign got into full swing and
with the performance of one Presidential Candidate’s lack of debate etiquette,
I have purposefully been forcing myself to keep my opinions and comments about
all of this to myself. That isn’t to say
I haven’t had plenty to say, I just am careful what and who I say it to. The fear was that I would end up like the
gentleman on the podcast presentation: “losing friends because of a difference of
opinion.”
Not
long ago, I read on Facebook some comments my youngest sister made about a
particular candidate and how he was failing to live up to a particular standard
in her “un-voting” view. I asked if she
voted (knowing that she did not) and when she told me what I already knew, I
was quick to tell her that if she wasn’t willing to vote to make a change, then
she should keep her opinion to herself.
Immediately and out of nowhere, one of my cousins piped in and told her
that that I had no right to say anything and that she should speak her
mind. I don’t have an issue with her
speaking her mind. I just was at a place
where I was fed up with everyone griping and complaining about the election and
who wasn’t doing this or who was doing that that I learned a long time ago from
my grandfather that if you want to change things then you have to begin with
your voice…as far as elections are concerned.
You don’t necessarily change things but you at least have your voice
heard.
As
a minor elected official for Huntingdon
County
About
a week ago, I was pleasantly surprised when my sister proudly displayed her
voting card and told me she was excited to finally have her voice heard on
November 6th. I was pleased
that she got what I was trying to tell her.
She wasn’t offended much like my cousin who now has befriended me on
Facebook and refuses to acknowledge me when I say hello to him.
Aside
from the opportunity to express ones opinion about various things, i.e.
politics, SNS also allows for people instant access to checking facts during
the debate that either helps or hurts people to be better informed with what is
being talked about during the debate.
This is completely different than what it was like just a short four years
ago. During all three recent Presidential
Debates, facts were checked, quotes and facial expressions went viral and
people were caught off guard with their particular candidates’ performance or
lack thereof. Big Bird made a comeback
during the first debate and just before the third debate Romney’s ‘Binder full
of Women’ became a hit.
Kathy
Humphrey’s article, “Social media puts all of us in debate “spin room”, printed
on October 22, 2012 in the StarTribune National says:
“Twitter,
a site that lets people share thoughts in 140-character bursts, reported 7.2
million tweets during the town hall-style debate Oct. 16 between Obama and
Romney. Facebook counted 1.7 million mentions of Romney and 1.8 million
mentions of Obama as the debate ended. Both sites offered data breaking down
themes in users' comments. For instance, 28 percent of tweets sent during the
debate were about the economy.”
Since the 2008
Presidential election, SNS have been more active in helping people to learn the
facts about their particular candidate and the importance of their views on
particular issues.
Sometimes
with everything that is being spewed from both the candidate and social media,
I am feeling a little crowded in my otherwise small pew. I wrestle with whether I really want to even
think about making room for whatever is yet to be shared.
-JT
I agree with your blog post. I think many people constantly complain and yet they do not offer a solution to the problems that they talk about. I think that social media somewhat entitles people to rant about their lives without actually making any sense. I would prefer if people would stop attacking others on Facebook and try to have a logical, intelligent discussion.
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