Posted on 09/18/2012 8:42:21 AM PDT by raccoonradio
Liking” a political candidate on Facebook is the new front yard campaign sign — except that it’s more like bringing that sign to the dinner table and waving it in your friends’ and family’s faces.
And that, social media experts and regular users of Facebook say, is a bad idea.
“Part of me wants to stay away from it, and part of me wants to go to the extreme and say, ‘I can’t believe you people,’ ” said Natalia Espinal of Waltham.
As the campaign for president has ramped up, the elementary school teacher, who describes herself as liberal, said Facebook has become a pressure cooker. Though most of her close friends share her political views, some co-workers and childhood friends don’t.
“ ‘Liking’ Mitt Romney is like putting a sign on your lawn, but writing a status you don’t agree with — you get really angry,” she said. “You don’t want to get involved, but you really want to.”
Steven Elsesser also finds political Facebook posts invite debate — and he usually engages. The 25-year-old registered Democrat said: “If I see something posted there and I think I have something constructive to say, I will note it.”
Elsesser, who grew up in a conservative New Hampshire home, said he and his mom have had some political disagreements on Facebook, and he tries to post links to studies or reports that factually back up his argument.
“My mom had a post about Planned Parenthood, and my reaction to that is ‘That isn’t true,” he recalled. “This is my mother. It bothers me that she thinks this thing is true. This is not some random voter. This is someone I know. I wouldn’t be a good active citizen if I didn’t say anything.”
He admits it would be healthier to say something face-to-face as opposed to via social media.
“Sometimes the comments escalate because you’re posting online instead of having the conversation. People might think you’re angry with them when you’re not. My mom will get defensive,” he said.
Which is why one etiquette expert votes for a ban of all political posts on Facebook.
“As a believer in democracy, we need to have these conversations, but not on Facebook. Go to rallies. Knock on your neighbors’ doors. Come over to my house to see the debate. But don’t go into why you should be voting for this person on Facebook. Convince them in person so there can be a real dialogue,” said Jodi R. R. Smith, president of Mannersmith, a North Shore-based etiquette consulting company.
Stephanie Weitzman, a Newton mother of two, agreed, saying she just has to count to 10 when she reads offensive posts from a former colleague.
“I get frustrated, but I haven’t unfriended him because I don’t know what the future holds and if I’d ever need to contact him,” she said.
Oh no, I drag-in politics at every opportunity. I think that it’s a matter of survival. Better for me wake them from their reverie, than have reality provide us all with a rude awakening!
Not gauche at all!
I have a dear friend from HS, we met in 1974, and while we do not see each other often, we can pick up the phone and pick up where we last left off. We have always avoided politics on the phone or in person as we’re polar opposites. Not quite so easy on face book. My husband has asked me not to provoke her by commenting on her political posts - to which I agreed. However, he also has come to realize it is not fair to me to stick with that agreement when she insists on commenting on my political posts.
We haven’t spoken in a while, except about food on FB, because of my insinuation she was a hypocrite for claiming to being a devout Catholic while at the same time disagreeing with some of fundamentals of the Church teachings.
Thanks!!!!!
Dunno. I follow some of my favorite authors on Facebook. Also, Jeff Head and others. Used right, Facebook is pretty rewarding.
I didn't mention in my post above that I sometimes "lurk" on FB via my husband's dormant FB page... he is OK with that, btw! I never post on his account... as it is not MY account.
He joined FB during the 2010 campaigns to read posts by one particular local conservative political friend. Hubby hasn't looked at his account in over a year and a half, but back when he joined, he asked me to figure out how to hide certain posts, ie silly stuff (games, silly chit chat, etc.) by some family members - it was cluttering up his "feed" or "wall" or whatever it's called.
Luckily I do check his account once in awhile... you never know what photos will be "tagged" into/onto your FB account by other Friends. I've had to remove a few.
I've been in a quandry whether or not to join FB myself. I spend way too much time on FR to also have time for FB! ;-)
We do not discuss politics EVER but recently I included her in a anti liberal e-mail by accident. I got a blast from her OR her husband accusing me of forwarding false information. It was NOT false but to someone who gets their news from the NYT (yes in Mexico) it was not what they have been told.
I don't like to be preached to by a liberal NYT reader so I have a feeling that from now on I am busy when ever she/they comes to town.
The one that hurt the most was a man who was my roommate, neighbor, and bud when we were Lieutenants, then Captains together. We reconnected on FB after a ten-year silence. Caught up on family, career (he is a LTC now, and I was a SFC).
Then we got to talking about the wars. He did two tours in Afghanistan, interacting with the locals; I did one tour downrange and a lot of black work. He talked so sympathetic about the Muslims you would have thought he had converted himself and his whole family; it sounded like Stockholm Syndrome.
The final straw was when he started sending me links about supporting The Kenyan. I cut all ties after that.
I’m using your picture on my facebook page:)
Thanks
I found that ‘ignore posts from this friend’ feature on FB. I haven’t unfriend anyone, I just have them n ignore.
If they can’t live with my political views, I don’t need them as friends OR as family!
OH BOY!
Remember, I grew up in NYC as did all my HS friends. Amazingly, it seems more have moved from the dark side than have stayed or moved over there.
There is one girl, actually none of us are girls anymore our 35th reunion is currently being planned, who was never a “friend,” but by the middle of senior year I had absolutely NO use for. Of course looking back it was all typical petty teenage BS, but....... Anyway, from different conversations on FB, I imagine that we will get along just fine when we see each other at the reunion a year from now.
Going to a Springsteen concert tomorrow, a Mrs. JimRed b'day gift from our son the architect. If he starts mouthing off about politics (other than get out and vote civic duty stuff) I'm going to shout for him to SHUT UP AND SING!*, and pull out and unfold the SHUT UP AND SING - 2016 sign. Mrs. JimRed would confiscate it if she knew I had it.
*Thank you, Laura Ingraham.
Yes, being a musician myself I find most are liberals because they’re too stoned or stupid to know better.
The worst thing you can do as an artist is to go political and piss off 50% of your potential audience.
yes, maybe...
That’s how I feel - that I’m providing them with information they wouldn’t otherwise get, since they only watch the usual media suspects. In some cases my few conservative friends have learned some things they wouldn’t have known. At this point, I feel that we really are fighting a civil war - and we’re fighting against the so-called mainstream media to get the truth out there, even if it makes people angry at us.
You have been here at FR for a long time, do you remember a young girl, highschool age I think, who posted here?
She was not liberal but definitely a NYer. She said that she didn't understand how people who didn't live in NYC were able to survive? NYC was the center of the universe, in her mind, and she wondered how people were able to have jobs and buy food and clothes if they didn't live in or very near NYC.
I howled with laughter and I think all I said was “honey you need to get out more”!
No I don’t remember that, but probably would have howled just as loud as you!
It’s been 30 years since I left NYC and I haven’t missed it in YEARS!
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