We’re supposed to be kind and loving to everyone;
but…
There are some folks who enjoy being insulted,
going out of their way to extend or prolong a conversation that should have
ended before it ever started. These folks are often found on social media
forums such as Facebook or Twitter. I’d have included conversations on
elevators; but that in and of itself violates a Cardinal Rule of remaining
silent while the doors are closed.
The problem, at least as it has presented
itself, arises when you read something which runs contrary to your opinion, an opinion
based on a lifetime of experiences, feelings, prejudices with an occasional
fact thrown in just for fun. These type of contrary comments beg for a snide
reply and, (pausing to inhale) they most often are found in comment threads
belonging to someone listed as one of your ‘Friends’.
Of course, (I read somewhere that you’re not
supposed to start a sentence with Of course; but I like to live dangerously),
where was I… there are others who’ve specialized, even made careers out of
insulting others. “ Don Rickles earned the nicknames “The Merchant of Venom” and “Mr.
Warmth” for his poking fun at people of all ethnicities and all walks of life.”
But what about the common everyday Smart-Alec
who doesn’t make a living insulting their friends, strangers or people who
didn’t check with their mothers prior to commenting in an open social media
forum? What’s the average Joe/Jane supposed to do when he/she enters a
conversation only to find the other individual is never going to ‘get it’, what
then?
This is a modern day challenge. In the past
you’d simply shake your head and leave; but in our day of omnipresent
communication abilities, there really isn’t a way to exit without appearing
cowardly or uninformed. All those years of schooling, indoctrination and
prejudice can’t be ignored or wasted; no, you have to get your Two Cents in.
Of all the folks I know and consider
associations, some reaching close enough to be classified as Friend, I try to
weed out those who ‘will never get it’. This saves time and energy; but it
limits the number of times I’ll have to apologize to the Lord for yet another
human frailty, another sinful act on my part…remembering that we’re supposed to
be kind and loving to everyone.
I really do try to be open-minded, giving
others the opportunity to admit that they are mistaken and could use a healthy
dose of my insight. Those who are unable to benefit from my exhaustive library
of information; well, it’s their loss and good riddance to bad baggage. Some
people have never learned to enjoy sarcasm, considering everything to be on the
level.
The Onion and BabalonBee take great pride in
killing off these weaklings, often leaving their entrails scattered across the
internet as a warning to others. Their message, have fun laughing at the
ridiculous because most of the time it can’t compare or compete with what’s
really happening.
All of what I’ve written to this point, this
nonsense, is a set-up, a way to introduce my latest slam-dunk reply to someone
who just won’t let a comment thread die. I have no idea who the individual is;
and don’t figure on inviting them over for lunch to find out other areas of
life on which we don’t see eye to eye.
After a prolonged exchange, (that’s when you
never actually exchange ideas or convince anyone of anything), their final
‘insult’ to my intelligence was, “You watch Fox news too much”. I’m sure that
must be important to some folks; but is it really an insult?
I sent the following, “I get my most important
information from a Ouija Board; but since most of this data comes from dead people I
must assume they are Democrats.”
Do you think this individual will request
being my Friend any time soon?
