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.

One Person’s ‘Assault’ Is Another Person’s ‘Fight’ In Griner-Barncastle Showdown

I haven’t written anything about the altercation between Baylor University basketball player Brittney Griner and Texas Tech University’s Jordan Barncastle.

I’m not really sure why I haven’t written about it, but I probably should have sooner since I’ve had some mixed emotions about the situation. My first reaction, as I saw the tape, was to think of the old saying, “If you mess with the bull you get the horns.” Translation: If you provoke a situation you better be prepared for any of a number of possible consequences (some of which are not always good). But, as I watched the video a second time, I agree that it was a clear overreaction (even if she was somewhat provoked) by Griner.

That brings me to an article I read on DeadSpin. Here is an excerpt from that article:

Baylor’s Brittney Griner assaulted someone on a basketball court last night and after dealing with LeGarrette Blount and Elizabeth Lambert, it’s still not clear what the appropriate level of hysterical moral outrage should be.

From a pure “Dude, that’s not cool” perspective Griner’s sucker punch of Texas Tech’s Jordan Barncastle is just as egregious as the one Blount laid on Boise State’s Byron Hout. (And it wasn’t a “forearm.” It was a wheelhouse.) It’s actually worse, because the game was still going on. Never mind that the best player on the team got herself ejected from a close game; there was still plenty of opportunity to get back at Barncastle within the rules of the game. After all, that’s what Lambert was trying to do when she shocked a nation with her vicious elbows. Jostling with opponents is what soccer players do, even if she happened take it beyond the bounds human decency.

First off, I thought Blount’s suspension was excessive, so anything Griner might have received that would have come anywhere close to that would have been at least as excessive (and, yes, I thought Hout agitated the situation and got chin-checked). Blount overreacted, too, but I thought the suspension and national scorn he received was an overreaction as well.

Two other things caught my attention about the above excerpt: 1. Calling Griner’s actions and an assault and 2. calling it a “sucker punch.”

To be fair, Barncastle hooked Griner first and threw her aside before Griner retaliated with the punch. So, the physical nature of the fight was arguably initiated by Barncastle (even if Griner overreacted). For whatever the reason, it seems as if Barncastle is getting a bit of a free pass in the media for her role in this situation.

Frankly, Griner should have just shoved Barncastle if she felt the need to retaliate (as the author of the article, Dashiell Bennett suggested). Griner lost her cool. Hopefully she and Barncastle will learn from this lesson. The punch was out of line, but so too is the demonization of Griner we’re beginning to see (reminiscent of what we saw happen to LeGarrette Blount for his actions).

Maybe both student-athletes will be a little more thoughtful about their behavior next time they find themselves in anywhere close to a similar situation.