November 9, 2012 by David K. Sutton
Reminder To Self: Stop Engaging In Political Debates On Facebook
Because I run a political blog, as you might imagine, I sometimes find it hard to resist engaging in politics on Facebook. I’ve done a pretty good job through this election season ignoring most political Facebook statuses, but sometimes I just can’t help myself. And it seems I often find myself debating with someone I don’t even know for which we both have a mutual friend. And I’m amazed how often these debates devolve into one-directional name calling. Maybe I just have thin skin, but I try to stay cordial in these debates but I fully expect that at some point I will be referred to as an “Obamabot,” or a “sheep,” or any number of other colorful terms. — Because I guess that is a requirement of a cogent argument?
So I need to remind myself once again to stop engaging in political debates on Facebook. I mean, that’s one good reason to have a political blog, so I can post what’s on my mind without the blow back from friends and their friends. It’s not that I don’t want to engage in political debates, but I’ve found that the debates I’ve had on Facebook usually are a huge waste of time. Although it has produced a number of follow-up posts on this blog, so maybe it’s worth it after all? What do you think?
