I’ve posted political views on my Facebook wall lately. Others have commented, and quite a few of those comments were contrary to my views. (And no, I was not surprised by this.) I have tried on a few occasions to reply, to reason, but the results were never satisfactory. People have made statements that are diametrically opposed to what I’ve posted. I have been told that because I do not agree with them, I have been duped.
So, my policy from now on is to delete posts/comments that are intended to undermine, oppose or refute what I have posted. Now I anticipate that I’ll catch some flak for this policy, too. In fact, I’ve already begun to implement this policy, and I’ve been told that if I don’t want comments to my posts, that I should disable comments.
They missed the point. It’s not that I don’t want comments, per se. I just don’t want to deal with people who presume to take my posting of my blogs or Internet macro images on my wall as an invitation to debate. That’s not what my Facebook wall is for. Let me illustrate my point here with a real-world analogy.
If you came into my home and saw a print hanging on my wall that said “As for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh”, would you assume that you have the right to hang another print beside it proclaiming “God is dead”? If so, you would be wrong. It would be presumptuous—not to mention rude—of you to try.
I hang prints on my real-world wall as a means of expressing my convictions and letting houseguests know something about me. I do not hang prints on my wall as means of inviting others to come into my home and hang prints opposing what I believe, or to challenge me in order to change me. If I want to participate in an exchange of differing/opposing viewpoints, I’ll attend a town hall meeting.
In like manner, My Facebook wall is not a public forum designed for debate. It’s my “wall” in my virtual “house,” to post on it as I see fit. I will not accept attempts to negate what I’ve said, to censor and/or censure me for speaking my mind in my own “house.” I do not go to the Facebook personal profile sections—the “walls”—of others with whom I disagree and try to undermine what they have posted, or argue with them. I will accept nothing less than the same courtesy.
If you don’t like what I’ve “hung” on my Facebook “wall,” no one is forcing you to hang around and stare at it. To use another cultural analogy, “Just change the channel.” Move on. Un-follow me, or un-friend me, if you’re that bothered by it. But don’t try to negate what I’ve said or change me. If that’s the kind of “houseguest” you are, then you’re not welcome. I will delete your inappropriate comments. And if you press the matter and persist in inappropriate behavior, if necessary, I will un-friend you.