This presidential election has turned Facebook and other social media sites into a political frenzy. I see people bicker over candidates like there is no tomorrow. Well, I have news for those folks: this country will endure and there is a tomorrow. Anyhow, I am not one of these people who constantly posts every political article that they read, when we really have no clue if what it says is accurate or not. Having said that much, I will divulge into my top reasons for keeping my political opinions to myself.
To begin with, I avoid all arguments with people who I care about and those who I would like to remain friends with. I truly care about the people on my social media because I do not get to see them often. Social media is the best way for me to keep in touch with friends and family, but when it is constantly plagued by political rants, opinions, and arguments, it is the most depressing thing to read. Now, I know that someone can argue to just unfriend these people or to stay off of social media altogether, but, as I said, it is the best way for me to keep in contact with people. I would just hate to know that I lost a very close friend due to a political opinion.
I also keep my thoughts to myself because voting was generally intended to be a private affair. No one demanded that you tell them who you voted for or which candidate has your support. Again, I do not see the need or desire to inform everyone of that information. I am not one of those people who posts every aspect of my life on social media, so it really does not make sense for me to post anything about the elections. Plus, keeping my opinion private helps me avoid arguments with my friends.
My third point builds off of my other two points. Why should I be criticized by anyone based solely on the candidate that obtained my vote? Is it not more important that I did my civic duty of voting? As a woman, I respect the fact that I actually have the right to vote and I appreciate all of the women who worked endlessly for me to have this right. I do not wish to abuse my right and no one should have the audacity to say anything to other voters. I believe that if you are going to call out anyone, call out those who did not vote. Every vote matters because it shows the electoral college members who the population selected.
My last point is that I find that political conversations are never pleasant. You either find someone who agrees completely with you or you bicker tirelessly until someone gets upset and walks away. I can find so many more interesting topics to talk about without getting upset or having the conversation die. One specific example is the fact that Tom Hardy did not win the Oscar. I could also talk to you about how Leonardo DiCaprio finally won the Oscar. Talking about almost anything else is more interesting and satisfying to me than politics.
You may call me "old-school" as much as you would like, but I just do not understand the point of posting everything about a candidate or the opposing candidate followed by your opinion. It is, honestly, quite tiring to constantly see negative ideas all over Facebook. I understand that you find politics very important, but is it so very important that everyone on the Internet needs to know? I mean, I have no liberty to tell you how to run your social media, but those are just my reasons for keeping my political opinions to myself.
