I’ve noticed a trend recently that has really taken off like wildfire. No, you won’t find in on the pages of Vogue or on the runways in Paris, but you can certainly find it everywhere else.
Divide & Conquer are hitting the streets hard and the Social Media even harder as we get closer to November 6th. Can you say Caps Lock and Crazy?
On Monday I made a comment on a conservative friends Facebook wall. I just couldn’t leave well enough alone. She posted a photo, paid for by the Romney campaign, regarding high gas prices. I simply stated “Who holds the largest vested interest in Oil in this country? Hint: He doesn’t live on Pennsylvania Avenue.” Nothing mean-spirited, just a fact.
Well, hot diggity I never saw this response coming … “Good Grief! What does that have to 
do with anything Lisa? It is supply and demand, simple economics. Guess you weren’t home-schooled or you know how an economy works. Sorry, but I have had it with people who didn’t bother to learn anything about how things work.”
My parents were not Economists, but they certainly knew how to rob Peter to pay Paul and survive. Hey, looks like I might have been home-schooled after all…so there!
I must say I was a little taken back by this attack. Isn’t that exactly what I just said without the hate & judgement. Needless to say this certainly had me wondering…What the hell just happened? Are we really that far removed that we can’t even recognize that we might actually agree on a point? Maybe she was blinded by my peace sign icon…I don’t know.
The down right hatred I’ve witnessed over differences in opinions on political views, religious beliefs, race, sexual orientation and the reproductive system of a woman are downright mind-boggling.
News Flash: Conflict and Tension are tearing We The People to shreds at the speed of light. If you want to regain the will of the people, you must recognize the wisdom of Parker Palmer.
“Political civility is not about being polite to each other. It’s about reclaiming the power of “We the People” to come together, debate the common good and call American democracy back to its highest values amid our differences. The civility we need will come not from watching our tongues, but from valuing our differences and the creativity that can come when we hold them well.” Parker Palmer
The words you choose have a profound effect on the people they reach, please choose them wisely and Enjoy The Ride!
Life With The Top Down 
Well done! I am pleased to see someone taking the high road for a change and actually thinking about what they are saying…after actually listening to what the other person has said.
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Thanks Michelle…that comment sat with me for 2 days. It’s like arguing with a lamp.
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Soon November will be past, and people can once again use Facebook for updates on soccer wins and the merits of high fiber diets. In the meantime, I’m keeping my head down and avoiding the experts.
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You’re a smart man. I was doing so good, but when things are so wrong and hateful, no matter what side you’re on..it’s wrong. I caved….womp womp
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We’ve all been down that path…The good thing about presidents is that they make handy scape-goats for everything which we don’t like, unless they’re our choices of presidents, in which case everything is due to the guy before.
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That’s one reason I left the Book of faces.. so much negativity I would sign off and feel absolutely drained.. People are hell bent on being”the right one” that they neglect to see reality for what it is.. makes me sad, to say the least.. Now you be good on FB or I might be bailing you out of FB jail 🙂
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You are so right! The fact that there is a delete button is preventing my arrest.
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Excellent piece!
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Thank you!
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I hate election time. It makes normal people crazy and you are so right. There is no tolerance for another opinion.
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I know exactly how you feel. It’s as if you were whacked across the knuckles. You said nothing harsh or even that provocative. There was something else going on there. You are so smart…home-schooled? Where’s my baguette, I’m Fedexing it to you.
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Really, where was my baguette when needed it!?
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Get it out, leave it by the door. Don’t leave home without it.
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The politicians in your country seem to be dividing the country in a not so nice way by playing on people’s belief systems this election. There have always been two sides to every story, but this time the lines between sides is getting blurred by a lot of ugly rhetoric. I will be very happy when the election is over & hopefully everyone goes back to being civil again.
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The constant stream of negativity isn’t good for anyone no matter what the subject line happens to be.
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We live in a polarizing society: with us or against us; go team!; heads, I win… you get the picture. I try to remember that we are all perfect expressions of the whole and, as such, it behooves us to benefit the whole. I don’t always succeed. Thanks for reminding me why I don’t do facebook!
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ugh. Facebook. I only go there to press the obligatory 3 likes a day, and that’s it.
The divide and conquer is going on everywhere. In India they’re trying to put states up against each other. I never really understood countries at war with each other, and now this is just too much! Countries at war with themselves!
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Young & Smart you are MFE!
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Ugh. I’ve given up trying to debate facts with so much of the political posts. I share a lot of stories on Women’s Health, Marriage equality and Freedom from Religion… then I post racy modeling photos just to put another twist in peoples undies. Passive aggressive 😉
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Well said. 🙂
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And this is why I stay off Facebook during political season …..
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Smart woman you are Penny!
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