A Facebook friend posted the following on his page in 2018:
"I have many thoughtful, caring, and intelligent Facebook friends who say they will not post anything of a political or controversial nature. While I respect that decision, I have to wonder how far things must go before it warrants their public objection. Many have remained silent throughout history and thought it was the right thing to do. Was it?"
My response is below.
[T]his is a topic that has been on my mind a great deal lately. I don't know if I am one of the people you had in mind (though the notion that someone might regard me as "thoughtful, caring, and intelligent" would be flattering!). [Name omitted], in her comment above, made what I believe to be excellent points, and I essentially share her views. I think it is important, indeed necessary, to understand that there is a distinction between not posting on Facebook and not caring; between not posting on Facebook and sitting idly by; between not posting on Facebook and remaining silent.
Some people have a knack, a gift, a proclivity for public rhetoric, and when they are on the right (and by "right," I mean "left") side of an issue, they absolutely should be heard. In the current political climate, the proportion of people on either side who are likely to be swayed by argument (on Facebook or elsewhere) seems quite small, but I will grant that it is probably worth it, if one is so inclined, to continue to address those few. I do read, appreciate, and enjoy your posts on Facebook. Also, I listen eagerly (and cheer inwardly) when good liberal politicians, journalists, and media hosts and their well-informed guests speak out on television for what is right.
That said, some of us do not have such an inclination. Perhaps we have found verbal arguments to be less than effective, even counterproductive. Speaking for myself, I have lost longtime, once treasured friendships and have been called "ignorant" (and much worse) as a result of making small, unemotional factual remarks on Facebook—but I don't believe I have changed one person's mind one iota on a contentious topic. So I sit idly by. . . .
No, I don't!! There's a saying: "Don't get mad—get even!" That's my M.O.
I VOTE. Pretty much always. Every Presidential and Congressional election and primary, of course, but smaller ones, too. City Council. Local propositions. And April and I study the Voter's Guide, every time. I think one's vote is the most powerful form of rhetoric there is. But a close second is. . .
MONEY. For starters, April and I have invested our fairly substantial life savings in socially-responsible funds. None of our investment dollars support guns or big pharma or tobacco or alcohol—and none of our consumer dollars do, either, except for fossil fuels, which we spend considerably less on because we both drive Priuses (Prii?). [Update, 2023: I now drive an all-electric vehicle.] We have solar panels. We're vegetarians, almost vegan (virtually no money to corporate factory farms). We shop and bank with locally-based businesses. We belong to and monetarily support organizations with liberal, progressive, inclusive aims. . . . April and I are convinced that the fuel for the right-wing machine is dirty corporate money, and in our small way, we're doing the best we can to deprive those interests. . . .
And the most important, I think, even if its effects are less immediate:
SETTING AN EXAMPLE. I just try to be a good citizen by staying informed, by being educated (both formally and about the world on a day-to-day basis), and by prizing, above all, sound, logical, critical thinking. Even if I am not particularly vocal when it comes to touting these attributes, I try to practice and embody them consistently, and if they rub off on others (especially younger people), I'll feel that I've made a positive and lasting impact in the best way I can.