My Facebook page is unsurprisingly
stuffed to capacity today with posts about the grand jury decision in Ferguson,
Missouri. I'm not sure I'm a fan of social media as the best forum for
discussions of this kind. Arguments tend to be oversimplified. Quips quickly
turn derisive and arrogantly dismissive. The flames fan higher. People are want
to have strong opinions--as they should--regarding the topics of institutionalized
racism and police brutality, but are Facebook and Twitter really the place for
venting our anger?
I'm torn
because, while I see social media as an effective tool for spreading the
message and keeping the dialogue alive and vital, I also see my Facebook
'friends' lashing out at one another in ways that can't be productive. These
are complex issues which require comprehensive discussions, not memes and
140-character publicity rants. Furthermore, the instantaneity of these modes of
media make us all behave like ace reporters all vying to out 'scoop' one
another. It's all old news in just a few scant hours so we need to get our
opinions in fast. Speed at this kind of frenetic, exponentially accelerating
pace rarely mixes well with justice.
By the look
of things, though, justice doesn't seem to be too high a priority. Facebonkers (to
steal a Ricky Gervais-ism) and Tweeters chime-in on the Big Issues of the day
largely because they have no other outlet or they just want to make sure they
remain relevant. Mostly it's just uninformed, reactionary drivel. There is no
substantive context, no real content, no self reflection or wisdom. Instead it
is just one long, divisive hall of mirrors with your face or my face--and not
Michael Brown's face--propped up squarely at the margin of our abbreviated
philosophies.
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