I thought the last presidential election campaign was
brutal. I sense that this time around the campaigns will be even worse. I
believe this election campaign will be a metaphorical blood bath. I want no
part of it.
I recall last time all the hurtful, mean-spirited things that were said about both Obama and Romney. Most of you know that I supported Mitt Romney for President. I was appalled at the viscous attacks made against him. I could feel my blood pressure quickly rise as some of my friends on Facebook said Romney belonged in prison and that he was racist, a flip-flopper, and much, much worse. And while I made negative comments about Obama, most of those comments were in the form of "sharing" anti-Obama memes or "liking" negative comments. I know that my comments were as hurtful to Obama supporters as those supporters' comments were to me of Romney.
It doesn't have to be that way.
I have tried in recent months to not respond to Obama and Clinton supporters’ attacks against Republican candidates, and most recently Donald Trump. I have tried to not write on other friends’ timelines responses to their attacks on Trump and I have tried hard to not write on friends' timelines responses to their support of what they see as virtues of Clinton and Obama. I've taken the time to search my comments history. I am sorry to say that I have made so many comments in the past years that I did not search as far back as I would like to search. But, from what I was able to search I found that I was true to that effort. I am not saying that it isn't there; I'm just saying that I didn't discover any such comments as far back as I searched.
I suppose what bothers me most is the slanderous hyperbole and rhetoric that was flung around with no concern for the truth. I think what bothers me as well is the non-contextual quotes that make a person look bad. I am especially sensitive to that having been misquoted or quoted out of context by print and broadcast journalists myself. I think what also concerns me is that we tend to jump to incorrect conclusions based upon one side of a story and without vetting all the facts.
With all this in mind, I am going to attempt something during this presidential election season. I want to make a commitment to it. I really do. I just fear that I can't because I, too, get emotionally caught up in the race. But, you can help. Here is what I am going to attempt to do.
1. Unless you specifically ask me to comment on your support on your timeline for Ms. Clinton and her running mate, I am not going to respond to any accolade you may give her and/or her running mate.
2. I am not going to respond to negative attacks against Donald Trump or a third party candidate that I may support at some future time on your timeline.
3. I am not going to respond to positive memes about Ms. Clinton on your timeline (if you are a Clinton supporter) and (this one is especially difficult) I am not going to respond to negative attacks on your timeline memes against Trump or any candidate I support.
4. I will most likely make supportive comments for Donald Trump or other candidates on my own timeline. Any attack on any candidate I support on my timeline will be deleted. If you are one of my friends who disagrees with my position or comments I make for the candidate of my choice, you are welcome to say that you disagree on your own timeline. If you have rebuttal comments to make, make them on your own timeline. I will try and return the courtesy.
5. I reserve the right to "like" comments and memes supportive of candidates that I support.
6. I reserve the right to "like" comments and memes that paint opposing candidates, platforms, etc., in a negative light.
7. I will carefully consider reposting/sharing negative memes or comments about candidates that I cannot support before deciding whether or not to repost or share them; however, I am more interested in factual information rather than rhetoric and hype. However, I want to make it perfectly clear that I hold Ms. Clinton responsible for the debacle in Benghazi and I believe that her private email server at least violated the spirit of the law if not the law itself. Further, her claim that she didn’t share classified information on her private server is ludicrous. If she wasn’t smart enough to know that something should have been classified information when it appeared on her server she isn’t smart enough to be president.
8. I reserve the right to "hide" negative comments or memes about candidates that I support.
9. I will value all factual information about any candidate, whether I support or oppose the candidate.
10. I invite and value civil discourse on the candidates on any person's timeline when conducted in a respectful manner. Name calling is not civil discourse nor is it respectful.
I am going to try. It will be difficult but it will be easier if you will try this approach with me. I invite you to "LIKE" these comments if you are willing to TRY to do the same.
I recall last time all the hurtful, mean-spirited things that were said about both Obama and Romney. Most of you know that I supported Mitt Romney for President. I was appalled at the viscous attacks made against him. I could feel my blood pressure quickly rise as some of my friends on Facebook said Romney belonged in prison and that he was racist, a flip-flopper, and much, much worse. And while I made negative comments about Obama, most of those comments were in the form of "sharing" anti-Obama memes or "liking" negative comments. I know that my comments were as hurtful to Obama supporters as those supporters' comments were to me of Romney.
It doesn't have to be that way.
I have tried in recent months to not respond to Obama and Clinton supporters’ attacks against Republican candidates, and most recently Donald Trump. I have tried to not write on other friends’ timelines responses to their attacks on Trump and I have tried hard to not write on friends' timelines responses to their support of what they see as virtues of Clinton and Obama. I've taken the time to search my comments history. I am sorry to say that I have made so many comments in the past years that I did not search as far back as I would like to search. But, from what I was able to search I found that I was true to that effort. I am not saying that it isn't there; I'm just saying that I didn't discover any such comments as far back as I searched.
I suppose what bothers me most is the slanderous hyperbole and rhetoric that was flung around with no concern for the truth. I think what bothers me as well is the non-contextual quotes that make a person look bad. I am especially sensitive to that having been misquoted or quoted out of context by print and broadcast journalists myself. I think what also concerns me is that we tend to jump to incorrect conclusions based upon one side of a story and without vetting all the facts.
With all this in mind, I am going to attempt something during this presidential election season. I want to make a commitment to it. I really do. I just fear that I can't because I, too, get emotionally caught up in the race. But, you can help. Here is what I am going to attempt to do.
1. Unless you specifically ask me to comment on your support on your timeline for Ms. Clinton and her running mate, I am not going to respond to any accolade you may give her and/or her running mate.
2. I am not going to respond to negative attacks against Donald Trump or a third party candidate that I may support at some future time on your timeline.
3. I am not going to respond to positive memes about Ms. Clinton on your timeline (if you are a Clinton supporter) and (this one is especially difficult) I am not going to respond to negative attacks on your timeline memes against Trump or any candidate I support.
4. I will most likely make supportive comments for Donald Trump or other candidates on my own timeline. Any attack on any candidate I support on my timeline will be deleted. If you are one of my friends who disagrees with my position or comments I make for the candidate of my choice, you are welcome to say that you disagree on your own timeline. If you have rebuttal comments to make, make them on your own timeline. I will try and return the courtesy.
5. I reserve the right to "like" comments and memes supportive of candidates that I support.
6. I reserve the right to "like" comments and memes that paint opposing candidates, platforms, etc., in a negative light.
7. I will carefully consider reposting/sharing negative memes or comments about candidates that I cannot support before deciding whether or not to repost or share them; however, I am more interested in factual information rather than rhetoric and hype. However, I want to make it perfectly clear that I hold Ms. Clinton responsible for the debacle in Benghazi and I believe that her private email server at least violated the spirit of the law if not the law itself. Further, her claim that she didn’t share classified information on her private server is ludicrous. If she wasn’t smart enough to know that something should have been classified information when it appeared on her server she isn’t smart enough to be president.
8. I reserve the right to "hide" negative comments or memes about candidates that I support.
9. I will value all factual information about any candidate, whether I support or oppose the candidate.
10. I invite and value civil discourse on the candidates on any person's timeline when conducted in a respectful manner. Name calling is not civil discourse nor is it respectful.
I am going to try. It will be difficult but it will be easier if you will try this approach with me. I invite you to "LIKE" these comments if you are willing to TRY to do the same.
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