The Rebirth of Civil Discussion on Social Media

Now that I have painted anyone wrapped up in politics on social media as either a boastful ass-hat or whiny crybaby (depending on who you voted for), I will explain in how you can get the most out of social media, without all those triggers. It's working for me, and it can work for you!

OK, you see something on a social media site that you don't agree with, politically. Here are a few steps to keep you from being either an ass-hat or a crybaby...

• Step One: Remind yourself that about half of the country did not vote the way you did.
• Step Two: Remind yourself that elections happen every four years, and power shifts from party to party every four to eight years, depending on the will of the voters.
• Step Three A (for liberal voters in 2016): Remind yourself that it is the Electoral College that elects a President. The Electoral College was established by our Founding Fathers to prevent any state with a larger population from swaying the results of an election. The EC is to give smaller states more of an equal footing with states like New York and California. Elections via the Electoral College have gone to Democrats as well as Republicans, so this time around is not a reason to abolish a system you think is unfair, just because your candidate didn't win.
• Step Three B (for conservative voters in 2016): Your candidate won. Don't be smug about it. Unless you don't care about the vast numbers of Americans who voted against our new Commander In Chief, you should be more magnanimous. Power shifts in Washington, D.C., on a regular basis, you should not broadcast your self-satisfaction to those who do not feel as confident about the election as you do.
• Step Four: Don't go about unfriending people because of their political leanings. You have built many of these friendships on things other than politics. Take the effort and make it work again. If you have a friend on social media who has been rubbing you the wrong way, you can (in the case of Facebook) unfollow them, but still remain friends. Once the new President's term begins, and things start to calm down, you two can focus once again on the things that created your friendship.
• Step Five: Find new things to occupy your social media time. If your on-line friends (who, by this point have become “annoying, stop showing up on my news feed, shut the hell up”) can't seem to let it go, try this (it's worked for me!)... Join social media groups that reflect your interest (NOT politics!). I've joined a few groups that reflect my interests – science fiction, literature, astronomy, etc. I've even joined a group dedicated to discussion of Mosin Nagant rifles, one of which I own. At no point does politics come into play. I cannot tell you how freeing it is to have meaningful discussions with peers of all persuasions without seeing anything of a political nature cropping up.

Keep in mind that, among the social media outlets I have participated in, Facebook is the most politically-charged. Twitter involves following specific users, Instagram is more like Twitter with pictures, Snapchat is Instagram with more short video clips. Tumblr, on the other hand, is for boobs, cosplay girls, and cosplay girls with boobs (at least by my extensive research in a darkened room when my wife is not home).

If you are tired of the politics on-line, or are easily triggered by what you cannot accept, please try to disconnect with what upsets you. It will all be okay!