You may have noticed that every time you post an interesting article or retweet something you find particularly interesting, there are a few people who are quick to respond with harsh words. While I myself have some strong opinions about the way our society is and how it ought to be, I don't often go against my peers to make them feel bad about their own beliefs.
I understand that for some issues, speaking loud and clear is essential. When it comes to marriage equality, for example, I believe the movement required a lot of outstanding voices that spoke for the rights of all those who wanted to get married. However, I don't believe that people who express their own opinions via social media should be met with such negative backlash. If we strongly disagree with the messages someone is posting, then we can choose to speak to that person directly about why they feel the way they do, or we can just ignore the person all together. It's not that hard to block someone from your newsfeed or to stop receiving their posts. A simple unfollow is really all it takes.
Again, I'm not advocating for silence. Yet when I post an article that I find relevant, that doesn't mean I agree with every single thing that it says, nor is it an open invitation for you to comment on why you think my opinions are wrong. Hostility is hardly ever the way we accomplish anything. Opinions aren't meant to be shoved down other people's throats, at least that's my opinion on the matter.
It's easy to call people out on social media. But I believe that if we sat down and had conversations with each other, we would find more points of convergence than points of contrast. While social media has allowed for us to voice our opinions more often and to more people, it has also allowed us to be openly hostile to each other. Rarely is an article posted without negative backlash. I respect everyone's right to speak, but I also believe that those people should show some respect to the people they decide to call out.
We all have the right to free speech, and we all have the right to say what we want. And it may not be written in law, but there's a sense of courtesy that I think is missing from a lot of our conversations or comments on Facebook and Twitter. If you have an opinion, share it. If you have a different opinion, share that too. But that doesn't mean going ad hominem - calling out the person who is sharing the opinion rather than the opinion itself. Nor does it mean bashing someone for the way they feel. It's my opinion that we all deserve a little kindness, even if others think we're just plain old wrong.
