Ambiguity

I try as hard as I can to avoid discussing politics on any type of social media. I admit that I love to discuss it, but when you write down a political opinion, and leave it dangling like a fat worm on a hook, you set yourself up to catch way more than you are fishing for. Of course the anonymity of the internet brings out the worst in some, but you also set yourself up to be fact checked by someone that is quite a bit more informed than yourself!

I would take this one step further and say that maybe politicians should keep their political opinions off of social media as well, but really that wouldn’t be fair. Facebook, twitter and many other sites are great for getting business, but I’m a firm believer that you will do much better on these sites if you simply sell yourself…not an item. If people see you as the voice of say, used cars, then when someone wants a car they will think of you. You will be the go-to person and the voice of reason instead of someone begging (maybe not the best choice of words) for a sale. But either way, once you brand yourself, you better know your stuff and be prepared to defend your opinions.

Below is a quote that I copied directly off of the Facebook page of a local newspaper. I won’t name the person responsible for the quote (or discuss the credibility issues of a newspaper on FB), but I will say that it is a local politician’s opinion of the perceived threat caused by a local case of flesh eating bacteria.

“… As a father, I dont think I'll let my daughter get in Lake Sinclair right this minute - but mass panic is never a good idea. The CDC, DNR, Law Enforcement and the Medical community are not suggesting to avoid the lake - and until they do, the best thing we as a community can do - is go about our recreational holiday activities as usual. Lake Sinclair brings guests/tourists and unless the experts say otherwise, we should continue to promote one of our biggest assets

Maybe it’s just me, but did this statement “say” anything? If it did say anything it said I’m going to panic, but you shouldn’t; we don’t need mass panic so one at a time please. Or maybe it says that locals shouldn’t swim (too risky), but it should be okay for out-of-towners and THEIR kids. What this statement says is that I have your best interest in mind…no matter what this interest may be. Change your mind and will declare that I changed mine too; this is a poster statement for political ambiguity.

Statements with this obvious level of ambiguity not only hurt the creditability of this man, they harm all politicians. It makes me want to take the comments of even my favorite elected officials and run them through a fine-tooth comb. But I also think this highlights the danger of discussing serious business on social media. Would you want your doctor to diagnose your illness while sitting by the pool choking down margarita number six? “Cool! I just got a PM on Facebook from my lawyer telling me to plead guilty.” I don’t think so!

When we blur these lines accountability goes out the window. If you choose to use these sites for official opinions…then at least be sure you give one!