The Election Is Over, Can We Have a ReFriending Party Now?

I wrote this two years ago...and holy moly does it apply to 2018, too! Did I find the answer to all the anger on social media? I think it did...a RE-Friending party might still be in order. And maybe, more important than ever!

2016 Post Election Blog

As I scrolled thru my feed today I saw two disappointing things. One, the unfriending continues...and the fingers in the ears syndrome is beginning!

Ever since Donald Trump won the election to become president, I've watched so many emotions running across the Facebooks. Not so much Twitter, and not at all on Instagram (at least not the folks we follow on @y105fm...follow us today!). It seems like half the country is furious and frightened, while other half wants folks to knock it off and get with the program. (I was wayyy off on Twitter, eh?)

The Unfriending

I'm not an unfriender. I am an unfollower, but that's temporary, and only happens when I see outrageously unpleasant stuff. Unfriending, tho? I've only done it a few times, and it followed a conversation. Why? Because if we can't disagree and still talk to each other, I think we stand no chance of uniting to solve the problems we face. We'll be locked into "winners and losers" and I see that leaving too many people behind.

The Fingers in Ears Syndrome

I've been seeing more of this. It happens when someone who's been posting super one-sided political stuff for two years says, "I'm going to unfriend or unfollow anyone that still talks politics. At all. I only want to see cute babies and puppies!"

If you don't much post about politics, no foul. But if you do, you seem to be saying, "I wanted all of you to listen to me, but now, I don't want to hear your point of view."

What Now?

I think we should have a REFOLLOW party. One day we all get together with our phones, laptops, whatever, Have some drinks, a few 1/2 price apps, and we REFOLLOW people. And then...we put the screens away, and we talk to each other 'til late in the night, and remember why we were friends in the first place.

NOTE: In a lot of ways we seem to be worse, but really, are we? More and more people are saying they're sick and tired of all the anger, and are making efforts to talk to one another. The sides are still sides, but the middle is talking more, at least from what I've seen.