Campaigning for Agreement


Part of the whole deadly triad of blaming others and impression management is campaigning for agreement. We are herd animals. Especially the extroverts among us. We are not comfortable being shunned or blocked of even not getting enough likes for our posts on social media.

I call it the deadly triad because in just a few hours, thanks to Facebook and email, we can create opinions which once took months to spread by word of mouth and telephone. Thank heavens we have gotten beyond literal lynch mobs. But maybe what we have now is worse, because we do not even have to think about what we are doing when we post on social media. Nor can we take it back easily because once it is out there it is out there.

And some organizations like the Right to Lifers who want to kill abortion doctors don't just shop for agreement but campaign for it. They post names and addresses and hit lists of those against what they believe on websites they manage. And they celebrate in a post when one of the list is taken off. The GOP has found if you repeat a lie often enough everyone comes to believe it is the truth. The Christians have done it with Christmas. Don't want to say Merry Christmas? Well, you are now apart of the persecution of the believers in Jesus. We want to divide to conquer. Not with us than you are obviously against us. It is all in or all out.

But we do it also on a smaller scale on free platforms. There are those on your friends' list on Facebook that will crucify groups or individuals for doing them wrong. And if you do not fall in line and agree with them you will become one of the shunned. It can be very damaging in a small community which relies on social media for its information. The intelligent don't chime in. They whisper in corners at face to face events. Those who speak the truth or even voice doubt in a campaign for agreement can named the enemy.

Words have power. Do not misuse them.

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