We must find ways to get along

As another contentious election season is upon us, divisions again flare, and tensions give way to violent clashes. You will blame whomever you want for this, but here are a few facts to keep in mind that, I hope, will help keep things on a civil level during the coming onslaught.

Social media can often be a major instigator and, ultimately, the enemy. For one thing, it allows people to be far more nasty to each other than they might be in-person. 

Social media is engineered to feed you what you’re interested in, what you respond to. So, if you react (positively or negatively) to “xyz” political thoughts, you’ll get lots more of that fed into what you see on social media (and very little of other views). Even more so when you “share.”

Sharing posts on social media can be another weapon in an arsenal that divides us. Few take the time to consider the source or the validity of what they choose to share. We must all be more vigilant and question everything. 

• What is the source? Who said it, researched it, verified it?

• Who produced it? Is it a legitimate news or information or governmental agency? Or does a flag, eagle, or some other patriotic symbol make it feel legitimate? Any legitimate source can be searched online, and their website should list an address and who is behind it. This is very important, but most will continue to blindly share.

• Who is sharing the information? Is it your brother-in-law who works in government and knows his stuff? Or is it some random person or organization you’ve never heard of? For security reasons, it’s best to only share posts from actual (real-life) friends or organizations you know are legit. One of the sneaky tricks bad -people play is to get you to share something mild and agreeable, only to change the actual post to something else entirely. Knowing who generated the post in the first place, as well as who is sharing it, can be important to your reputation and security. Sometimes sharing something on social media opens up your friends list to people who have evil intent.

In a broader sense, it’s important to remember that we all fall on a spectrum of thought and beliefs. Very few actually fall at the extreme ends of that spectrum, although we are quick to judge everyone as either one of “us” or one of “them.” The truth is much more likely to be somewhere in-between.

We all want to think we’re smarter than to fall for some of the tricks being played out there. I guarantee you, we’re not. For instance, Russia has proved itself a master at “agitprop” (agitation and propaganda) and they have a whole section of government dedicated to it. Their goal is to turn us against ourselves and instigate a new civil war here. They have methods we don’t even know about yet.

Bottom line: If you can’t personally vouch for the source and truth of something you see on social media, it’s best not to share it. Most of all, just be kind EVERYWHERE.