The other day my son asked me an interesting question. He wanted to know if there was this much division and demonstration and open conflict between races back in the days of Martin Luther King Jr. My son was born in 1984 so the MLK days were well before his time.
I thought for a bit, and I told him I did remember a lot of protest and demonstrations in the 1960’s, but most of it was directed at our involvement in the Vietnam war. I do recall some racial violence and tension, but I told him I did not think it was as intense and “in your face” as it seems to be today.
He asked me what I thought the difference was. I thought for another moment. I’m pretty convinced the difference is social media. Back in the 60’s there was no vehicle for the emotional back and forth dialogue that exists today. We saw news reports on TV and read them in newspapers, and if you wanted to be heard you had to take the time to write a letter to the editor and hope it would be published.
Now you can sit in your living room with your phone or your lap top and instantly react to comments and posts you like or don’t like. The result is the equivalent of people vehemently arguing with each other, with emotions rising as the words get more intense. Except you don’t have to risk physical intimidation by doing this in person. You can say anything to anybody and still remain safely isolated in your recliner.
I know many people who are sweet and amiable in person but who then get on social media platforms and express blunt and inflammatory opinions they would never verbalize face to face. My Dad used to tell me “just because you think something, doesn’t mean you should say it.” Yet social media allows us to do just that. To pour out our festering fears and emotions with no concern of personal intimidation.
It has brought us to a kind of verbal civil war. Our side against their side, whatever your definition of sides are….black against white, liberal against conservative, Christian against secular, young against old. The problem is everybody has a side these days and social media is the battleground.
Problem is, there can be no winner in this kind of war. The casualties include our sense of love, trust and security.
It doesn’t have to be this way. The platforms we use to fight can also be used to understand and heal. Let’s try that. Imagine the possibilities if everyone would post something constructive and non-hostile.
If Martin Luther King were still here, he would click the “like” button on that.