Today while I was on Facebook I shared a post to my timeline. I tend to do this a lot and I liked the post so I didn't think much of it. I usually get a couple of likes on a post and that's about it so when I received a comment on the post I was surprised. When I went to look at it I found that one of my friends from church was disagreeing with the content of what I had shared. I had no problem with this and saw where his disagreement came from so I responded to him explaining how I had seen the post differently from him. He then responded with the fact that he didn't believe the original poster had interpreted it the way I had. My response was this " In this society almost anything can be misinterpreted or interpreted differently than how the original person who said it meant it to be interpreted. If you go by that logic then anything is dangerous to post and everyone should just stop saying anything."
After a few more comments back and forth he commented that no one was going to get the interpretation out of it that I did. I thought about that for a moment before responding and saying my Facebook, and my social media in general, is a way for me to express myself and share what I like or think is relevant. If others don't see it the same way I do or don't like the same things I like then that is fine because they are different from me and as such have a right to their own opinions and interpretations.
Another friend of mine then jumped in and proceeded to say that one of the other guy's comments was ignorant and made broad assumptions. I thought this was a little out of place as I had the situation under control and I was trying to explain my views without saying that the other was wrong because it wasn't. That's what he thought and he had a right to that opinion. I'm a firm believer in the idea that if you can explain your thoughts and beliefs without saying someone else is wrong then you should feel free to express your thoughts and opinions. Saying another person is wrong is the single quickest way to make someone never want to believe what you believe.
All in all I was happy with how I handled the situation and wish that my other friend hadn't jumped in with a more judgmental and accusatory statement. I also hope that I was able to clearly explain what I thought without disregarding the other person's opinions.
Rachel- It sounds like you handled the situation with poise. Sometimes it is hard to defend your reasoning because posting on social media has become somewhat of a mindless task. We post without thinking of consequences or what others might think of our post. I think it is common that when there is conflict, others like to join in whenever possible. If someone has the chance to express their views, they will jump at the opportunity. I hope that your friend from church now understands your reasoning and accepts your point of view.
ReplyDeleteRachel- I do think you handled the situation well. I had this happen to me the other week and it threw me for a loop as it did you. I could not agree with you more on the response of it being your social media page and it is there for you to express yourself. I too brought that up and took a slightly lower road and said if you do not like what I am posting then do not follow me. So you definitely took the higher road and you did it in a respectful manner at that. Our society is becoming one that has overbearing opinions and do not know how to professionally and or respectfully express them.
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