I Avoid Facebook Arguments

In social media, everybody has a opinion and multiple platforms on which they can express that opinion.

Now, I will argue with you on Twitter.

Facebook, however ... I tend to avoid arguments on Facebook. Now, I will not run away from a FB debate if someone starts one with me.

But, a few years ago (actually, more like six, seven, eight years) I was one of those people who would start and finish debates (some might call them arguments) on Facebook.

In the process, I had lost some Facebook "friends" in the heat of battle. Some of them are no big loss. If you can't have a reasonable difference of opinion, without someone unfriending you, then maybe you were not good friends in the first place.

Facebook is where a lot of people come for lighter conversations (not all people but an increasing number of people). It's to the point, now, where you see someone bring up something political and you scroll down your news feed a little faster.

These days, that's my approach.

Politically speaking, I've discovered that my friends tend to be split almost right down the middle between conservative and liberal. So, if I post something political there's like a 50/50 chance I'll piss someone off. In my younger days, I would have had fun with it. Being older, I find such arguments not as worth it (at least on Facebook).

Yeah, Facebook is more for the soft stuff these days: family photos, photos of your dinner, quotes from famous people, conversations with kids, sports, etc.

Most of my Facebook friends leave the hardcore political stuff alone. There are exceptions to the rule, but they are just that ... exceptions.

Twitter is a different story and a different platform.

Bring on the Twitter debate.

I'll largely punt on the Facebook debate. Even when you win, you sometimes lose.

Tone Can Be More Important Than Words

How many times have you had an electronic conversation (such as email or some sort of online chat function) with someone and left somewhere between annoyed and pissed off?

OK, how about we break it down a little more? How many times have you had a conversation with a person who had a good point, but made the point in a way that flat pissed you off.

Raise your hand. OK. OK. OK. It's impossible for me to see with all of the hands I would imagine are in the air at this very moment.

Sometimes, we kick a certain type of etiquette clean to the curb like an NFL placekicker on most kickoffs.

This is where the smart ones among us are successful. They are successful where others fail because of their ability to deliver an effective message.

Your message will become pointless if you deliver it with a tone that is: angry, condescending, hypocritical, unnecessarily harsh, etc. Instead, phrase your message in a positive way -- even if you may be frustrated for one reason or another. It's impossible to read body language in an email. So, the non-verbals that are readable in conversation have little to no value.

So, keep that in mind.

BUT, if you absolutely have to be negative, frame it in a soft way. Don't come out blasting at the end of the electronic message. And, try not to end it with a negative. But, especially avoid beginning the email with hardcore negativity. Chances are, the rest of your message will be lost in the eyes, head and heart of a pissed-off reader.

A word to the wise (and, in some cases not so wise). When it doubt, take a soft approach. You'll win greater support than by being a jerk.

Ohio State Player Says He Was Spit On ... Wisconsin Coach Doesn't Care ... Just Glad He Won

Ohio State University basketball player Jared Sullinger says he was spit on by a fan or fans after the University of Wisconsin team won its basketball game in Madison, Wis.

Sullinger tweeted about the incident and it has been in the media.

Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan could have cared less. He was still wrapped up in his team's victory. Absence of any damning evidence, his message to Sullinger, a student-athlete, was simple: sorry if you were spit on, but there's no evidence and we won.

Check out the quotes from Ryan (his uncaring reaction doesn't surprise me in the least knowing his reputation) ... keeping it classy.

He says it was a great day for his students. Apparently that includes allegedly spitting on another student from an opposing school. In Ryan's eyes, it is OK because there's no evidence.

The full story: http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketball/story/Ohio-State-Buckeyes-Jared-Sullinger-Wisconsin-spitting-incident-021311

Once Again, Harry Reid Looks Weak And All Wrong

Sen. Harry Reid has come out against the building of a so-called mosque in New York near Ground Zero.

I've never been much of a fan of Sen. Harry Reid. Frankly, were he not running against a political nut (Sharron Angle) I would be pulling for his opponent (even a Republican).

But, the reality is that conservatives have put in place a female Tom Tancredo, who simply is too absurdly nutty (OK, maybe she is not quite as bad as Tancredo, but that is not saying much) to be a U.S. senator (then again, who knows what the people of Nevada will do when the time arrives).

This all brings me back to the latest disappointment from Sen. Reid:

The office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada issued a statement saying, "The First Amendment protects freedom of religion. Senator Reid respects that, but thinks that the mosque should be built some place else."

Obviously, the man is in a tough political dogfight, but this is ridiculous. The man is coming down on the side of Sharron Angle on an issue that is little more than bigotry enforced through a sort of peer pressure.

How would Sen. Reid feel if someone said, "We support the right of Asians to eat wherever they want, but we just want them to eat someplace else?"

How would Sen. Reid feel if the people of Nevada said, "We support your right to run for public office, but we want you to do it in some other state?"

Once again, Sen. Reid proves weak and unreliable when it matters most. So often Harry Reid is in a position to do positive things and so often he predictably lets us down.

Lastly, here is what Angle had to say about Reid on Twitter: Nice of you to join us, @HarryReid

That tells you a lot of what you need to know about Sen. Reid.

For Scott Baio, These Happy Days Are Not Your’s And Mine

Right winger Scott Baio, an actor of the former hit comedy television show Happy Days, took a cheap shot at first lady Michelle Obama and the backlash has been blistering.

Like many on the right wing, even as hundreds of thousands of Haitians are dying and suffering in the wake of a massive earthquake, Baio has been celebrating the U.S. Senate victory for Republican Scott Brown in Massachusetts. While basking in the glow of Brown’s victory, and confident in their efforts they hope will result in the destruction of proposed health care legislation, Baio attempted to take a cheap shot at Michelle Obama.

Baio tweeted, about the first lady, “WOW He wakes up to this every morning,” and posted the below photo for the added shot:

Check out the Huffington Post article because it gets particularly interesting when Baio goes to a variation of the “I’m-not-racist-because-I-have-black-friends” handbook. Somewhat to Baio’s credit, however, he found a new (or perhaps rarely read) chapter, “I’m-not-racist-because-my-wife’s-best-friend-is-black.”

I’m not saying he’s a racist, now. In fact, I think he really is just the typical far-right kind of individual. Arguably, that might even be more disturbing than being a straight-up racist.

Also, from Huffington Post:

“I’m NOT racist for posting a pic of M.O. My WIFE’S BEST FRD IS BLACK,HELLO” he tweeted.

And: “Do I look like I’m racist? This is Renee’s BEST frd. STOP USING THE RACE CARD!!!” Here is a picture Baio tweeted of himself with said black person:

Baio next Tweeted a photo of him hugging his wife’s black female friend. Nice touch.

I do find it interesting how much time Scott Baio seems to be wasting defending himself from the charges of racism.

I also find it interesting that he accuses others of playing the race card before turning around and playing it himself by saying he is not racist because his wife’s best friend is black.

Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/21/scott-baio-tweets-michell_n_431214.html?fbwall

Far-Right Nut Andrew Breitbart Rips Ted Kennedy On Twitter Following Senator’s Death

Think Progress has been following a disturbing story involving far-right commentator Andrew Breitbart, who has been ripping Sen. Ted Kennedy since his death early on Wednesday.

Here is an excerpt from the Think Progress story:

Over the course of the next three hours, Breitbart unapologetically attacked Kennedy, calling him a “villain,” “a big ass motherf@#$er,” a “duplicitous bastard” and a “prick.” “I’ll shut my mouth for Carter. That’s just politics. Kennedy was a special pile of human excrement,” wrote Breitbart in one tweet.

Here is another excerpt to show you how far out in right field this guy is:

When a fellow conservative tweeted to Breitbart asking him not to treat Kennedy like they believe some on the left treated the passing of Tony Snow and Ronald Reagan, Breitbart responded “How dare you compare Snow & Reagan to Kennedy! Why do you grant a BULLY special status upon his death? This isnt lib v con.” Despite his claim that his attacks weren’t about “lib v. con,” Breitbart repeatedly justified them in ideological terms.

Way to keep it classy.

This is part of the reason the right is becoming increasingly marginalized.