Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
When Facebook Reveals that Your High School Friends Have Lost their Minds
Facebook is mostly a way for me to stay in touch with people with whom I wouldn’t make the effort, otherwise. I don’t filter by political or social criteria. (How would I sort my high school friends?) So I just see whatever they’re eager to show everyone. Today, I saw a post that revealed the twisted inner workings of the progressive mind–and it sure put this high school acquaintance in a new mental category:
It’s just amazing to mention Fox News and the Koch Brothers in this context. I won’t respond unless I can think of a really witty way to do so. But I had to tell people about it, and so I share it with you.
This is someone in his fifties. God help us all.
Published in General
“Finally, they’re doing something useful!”
Engagement is not pointless entirely. I believe I may have turned one or two heads from the path of complete mindlessness. Doesn’t even take that much work.
Facebook is great. Use it as the tool intended, don’t abuse it and it is a great tool.
My FB friends list primarily comes from 4 sources:
I finally abandoned Facebook. We’ve moved a lot over the years, so it had been a nice way to keep in touch with friends spread out across the country. But it just got to be too depressing, especially after a pal of mine from high school, who had been a goofy apolitical D&D playing kid, spewed so much venom at/about people like me.
Finally pulled the plug a couple of years ago.
Now my online presence is invisible from family and friends.
You could give it a /facepalm.
I like Facebook.
Here’s my three general rules for Facebook happiness:
And exactly two exceptions to #3:
It looks like you ‘liked’ the post, hmmm maybe you are a squish! JK
For some reason, when I can’t sleep, or when I’m feel especially low, I try to make things even worse by looking for people I knew or knew of in high school on FB. Most of these people didn’t like me, mocked me, or punched me. For the most part, I can’t find any of the people I’m looking for, or they have FB accounts that were set up but aren’t active.. I wonder why. Are they dead? Off the grid? In prison? At lease one such person seems to have been implicated in a homicide. This makes me feel a little better, though I still have horrible memories of school from K through 12 Grade. But still, I want to know where there people are. By the way, I don’t think anyone who grew up in the NYC suburbs is particularly political.
Don’t you have any relatives who can make you feel worse?
Nope.
Ouch.
Hey, I liked the post, not the comment. JK too.
People had friends in high school?
I am a little puzzled by the contempt that many young quasi-Libertarians hold for the Koch Bros. The Koch Brothers are big advocates of the Cato Institute. [I know that over the past couple of years there have been some unpleasantness at Cato, but it has not been over its libertarian bona fides.]
My guess is that these young know-it-alls have been listening to Harry Reid and have not read a damned thing about Cato and the Koch boys.
In contravention of the laws of Nature, Nature’s God, and Facebook, I maintain two existences on Facebook. The “personal” me engages in little if any politics. It is mostly for family pictures and following very old friends. That said, the folks on my friends list are noticeably drifting Right, and the brain damaged lefties jabber far less than they used to.
The other persona is mostly for posting Jason Rudert’s selfies to Lonely Hearts groups.
Are they claiming to be libertarians, or is there evidence to support it? I know one self-described ‘anarchist’ who supported Obamacare, or at least did the last I heard of him.
It sounds like you are doing something right.
My best friend from high school is the one who posts the leftest leftist things (who I still contact when I can. He’s great BTW.) I enjoy the opportunity to pollute his pristine socialist comments with facts.
Percival
“In contravention of the laws of Nature, Nature’s God, and Facebook, I maintain two existences on Facebook. The “personal” me engages in little if any politics. It is mostly for family pictures and following very old friends. That said, the folks on my friends list are noticeably drifting Right, and the brain damaged lefties jabber far less than they used to.
The other persona is mostly for posting Jason Rudert’s selfies to Lonely Hearts groups.”
I suppose this explains a few things that have been showing up in my feed lately.
https://youtu.be/Cq8VQ-8ii10
Note to self: block Percival
I had nothing to do with Facebook until I set up an account because I was recovering from some health issues and was bored. I was amazed how many of my old “friends” either didn’t know anything about current events or still held the same hippie type views that they had in the late 60’s. In other words they were the typical low info voter or were total Leftists. I could take the know nothings, but the Leftists I had to cut loose. Eventually, I got tired of the whole Facebook thing altogether. Basically, it’s a huge waste of time.
Don’t be like that, Jason. Thanks to me, you have fan clubs all over the world!
Just remember, when you’re in Seoul, your name is “Johnny Daewoo.” You’re welcome.
Then he is honest since he listens instead of blocking you out. If he tolerates your “pollution” then there is dialogue. That is what I feel is precluded by a comment as was shown in the post. “Shut up” they say, because “equality,” “racism,” or “you are a Republican.” If there is dialogue, there is hope.
Facebook allows me to see what friends and family are up to–it’s one of the only ways I can keep with some folks. As for politics and religion, I treat Facebook like I would being a guest at a business dinner–the topics rarely get mentioned and then only with gentleness.
I am not on Facebook or Twitter, and I have no regrets. However, at my 40th high school reunion, I got back in touch with a friend (and I didn’t have many) who was very conservative then. I have come over to her way of thinking!
The last I have heard from any of my high school friends was about 4 years after graduation. That over 30 years ago. Why? They weren’t good friends. We were just a group that lead each other down the wrong path. Separation was necessary, and beneficial. I can only imagine where they are now, but it is not likely we would have much in common.
“Percival
Jason Rudert:Note to self: block Percival
Don’t be like that, Jason. Thanks to me, you have fan clubs all over the world!
Just remember, when you’re in Seoul, your name is “Johnny Daewoo.” You’re welcome.”
Hmmm. Lotta them Krean Girls are kinda cute…
I use the opposite approach, and it seems to work really well. The looney left seem to disappear from Facebook.
Also, I approach the engagement with a goal in mind. First, no matter what they say, I won’t get angry and I won’t take it personal. Instead, my goal is to get them so angry and frustrated that they finally give up. And I do it not with personal attacks, nor by talking past them. I find that if you legitimately try to discuss a topic with them, they lose interest.
Example, a friend posted something about socialism a couple of weeks ago, and it was quite clear to me that his liberal friends had no clue what socialism means. So I began to ask: “how do you define the word socialism? In your own words, what does it mean?” None of them could answer the question. One guy got down right angry that I was asking. “Why are you trying so hard to [expletive] all over socialism?” he asked. “I’m not. Just trying to make sure we agree on the meaning of the word.” He never would answer the question, though I kept ignoring his other arguments and asking him to describe socialism in his own terms. He finally said “I’m not having a grade school discussion any more” and left. Mission Accomplished.
I had a similar live experience with a friend from high school. Anytime I asked her to follow her “argument” to its conclusion (I think the question I asked was something like, “Ok, so some dude’s a millionaire. What does he do with the money?”) and she would never give an honest answer beyond the childish Scrooge McDuck caricature. She finally told me that she wasn’t going to let me trap her in some stupid argument. This person, without fail, is always the first person to call people she doesn’t agree with “ignorant”. If it were a just world, the irony would be physically painful.