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Over the past day or so I've been having a spirited discussion about politics with one of my friends on Facebook. He didn't agree with my opinions at all and I didn't really agree with his; which was fine to me! In fact, I mentioned in a few posts to him that I enjoyed the conversation and the back and forth even if we disagreed. We go back a long way and I respect his opinion and point of view.
Then one of his friends commented directly at me. You see where this is going?
Essentially, my friend's friend (I'll call him Joe) wrote a detailed post explaining why he disagreed with my comments. The fact that he disagreed with me is not the issue; after all, whenever anyone expresses a political view up to half the population is going to think he is wrong!
Here is the issue that I had; Joe ended his post to me with this comment, "And because I tire of writing posts to the misinformed and ignorant, wouldn't it be nice to learn about things for yourself (?)"
He then thoughtfully (sarcasm intended) included a link to a website so I could check my “facts.” Here are some questions that came up in my mind:
In retrospect, I probably should have just let it go really and not responded back. But at the very least, it gave me an idea for this blog!
Now I would love to hear from you! Please join in the conversation and respond in the comments below.
What kinds of things have you done (both good and bad) when faced with similar circumstances? Was I just being too sensitive and this is just normal in today’s social media driven world? How do you communicate with someone who disagrees with your point of view?
Then one of his friends commented directly at me. You see where this is going?
Essentially, my friend's friend (I'll call him Joe) wrote a detailed post explaining why he disagreed with my comments. The fact that he disagreed with me is not the issue; after all, whenever anyone expresses a political view up to half the population is going to think he is wrong!
Here is the issue that I had; Joe ended his post to me with this comment, "And because I tire of writing posts to the misinformed and ignorant, wouldn't it be nice to learn about things for yourself (?)"
He then thoughtfully (sarcasm intended) included a link to a website so I could check my “facts.” Here are some questions that came up in my mind:
- Who is this guy? I've never met him before and have no idea who he is!
- Why did he choose to say what he did and the manner in which he said it?
- Did he really think that saying I was “misinformed and ignorant” would motivate me to consider his point of view, or visit the website he gave me a link for?
- What happened to civility and humility, even in disagreement?
In retrospect, I probably should have just let it go really and not responded back. But at the very least, it gave me an idea for this blog!
Now I would love to hear from you! Please join in the conversation and respond in the comments below.
What kinds of things have you done (both good and bad) when faced with similar circumstances? Was I just being too sensitive and this is just normal in today’s social media driven world? How do you communicate with someone who disagrees with your point of view?
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