Yesterday on Facebook, a longtime friend posted a message saying he was burning out on people's political missives there. I am too. Most of it is powerless and judgemental. There's no listening going on, just people talking over each others' heads. That thread was behind my post of a new Internet law that says "No one has or ever will be persuaded by an argument." (Law in the sense of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, not the Bill of Rights.)

I'm surprised I had so much to say. Mostly what I wanted to do in this post is remind people who read my blog of what Rodney King said, so eloquently, during the Los Angeles riots of 1992. 

My missive continues...

I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, and get online with my iPad. When I did last night I saw a post, on Facebook, from another friend saying everyone should vote. She went on to say that most of the people she knows who aren't voting are white men. I am of course a white man, and I am most definitely voting, even though I live in the bluest of blue states.

Imho, the problem with both these posts is they aren't about specific people, so they cast a wide net, and in doing so catch innocent people, some of whom incorrectly think the post is about them. 

I thought perhaps Chuck was admonishing me, because I post links to stories on Facebook (also on my linkblog and Twitter). And with Callie's post, I know she wasn't talking about me, but it burned me up anyway. No doubt she thought she was doing good, but it felt very un-good to me. I have strong reasons for voting, I don't need anyone to tell me why to vote, and further, I don't like being judged unfairly  because of my gender and race. Same as anyone else, any gender or any race. I don't know why it's so hard for people to get that men are real people, as are white men, and we process bigotry the same way everyone else does, as injustice, as a threat. 

She posited that it's because white men are in charge, but Callie, I don't feel at all in charge. I feel marginalized, as if no one listens to me. I might as well hang it up. I'd better get my strength from within, because none of it comes from outside. 

My ancestors emigrated to the US during the Holocaust, fleeing for their lives. I suspect, even though Trump has a Jewish son-in-law, that we are in trouble too if he gets elected. So if you really want to say it, you'd have to say Christian white males, because there are quite a few Muslim white males. Carve out an exception for them too. 

Or you could just forget the generalizing and say something simple and more gentle like "I'm voting and I hope all my friends do too." You're on solid ground there because you're talking about your own plans and your hope. Pretty safe. 

I can't tell anyone what to do, but I can unfollow. That was Chuck's advice. I have a motto for such occasions -- Don't slam the door on the way out. It can be hard to remember such a rule. I didn't post an objection, but I did unfollow. And in the light of day, I wrote this blog post.