I believe that most fair-minded Americans are sincerely trying to make sense of -- and carefully discuss -- race, protests, looting, police and the range of issues currently boiling over in our country.
Many of us are eager to listen. We may not agree with everything we hear, but we genuinely want to learn and then help forge a better, a stronger and a more perfect union.
But some of us are also deeply worried that free speech is slipping further and further away -- that even reasonable people who question proposals or perspectives risk being misunderstood, maligned and worse.
And that hurts everyone.
On the one hand, I have a growing awareness that I have a lot to learn about what it’s like to be black in America.
I’m grateful to be in relationship with black friends who have opened up to me about their experiences. It hurts to realize I’ve likely been naïve.
Those of us who didn’t grow up in racist homes and don’t spend time around bigoted people may relate to David French’s worthwhile article in The Dispatch describing the complications of living “… in a world where a white person can say of racism, ‘Where is it?’ and a black person can say, ‘How can you not see?’”
In this sense, social media has been a valuable teacher recently. I’m grateful for the many posts that have opened my eyes to some real problems and a lot of pain.
How could anyone feel callous when they read accounts of being suspected and mistreated? I want to know and I will keep listening.
But on the other hand, I’m troubled by other social media effects -- particularly the dismantling of free speech through the silencing and shaming of voices, and the phenomenon of ruining people’s reputations or demanding the loss of their livelihoods because something they posted, shared, “liked”, or said is judged by someone, somewhere, as unacceptable.
I recently read a heartbreaking public Facebook post written by the wife of an Alabama police officer. In it, she empathized with those who are protesting against police brutality, affirming that injustices should be confronted, but also sharing the sacrifices and pain experienced by her own family. She defended her husband as a good police officer, whose courage, honor, sacrifice and sense of duty are admirable in a profession that is demanding and dangerous.
It’s hard to imagine anyone with empathy not feeling moved by her post.
But when I went back to read it again a few days later, it was gone. And just like that, a valuable perspective within a difficult discussion disappeared.
I don’t know why she took it down, but based upon the widespread firing of people for their social media posts, I wouldn’t be surprised if she feared her family’s livelihood was at risk if someone decided her defense of police officers meant she was unfit for employment.
“With the racial unrest going on in our country, awareness is important in things that spark up tough conversations,” said Jasmine Faith Clisby, explaining why she called out Church of the Highlands Pastor Chris Hodges on Facebook after cataloging and questioning his “likes” of social media posts by the founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative organization many would say is relatively mainstream.
“He more than likely is a great man,” Clisby said of Hodges, according to Al.com’s Greg Garrison. “When we come from different backgrounds, it’s hard for those worlds to intertwine. We don’t talk about things that are hard to discuss.”
Having tough conversations is a worthy goal; however, the terrible irony of Clisby’s actions is that searching through people’s social media and publicly shaming them for reading, liking, or passing along thoughts from someone you disagree with – leads to the exact opposite.
How can tough conversations occur when people are afraid to engage?
How can we expect people to authentically contribute to the conversation if their livelihoods and reputations depend upon how well or badly they navigate the discussion, however sincerely?
None of this is new to 2020.
From Facebook to Twitter and all platforms in between, a blizzard of financial destruction and reputational annihilation has descended upon America during the past decade, chilling the once sacred concept of free speech and free thought that has always distinguished our society from all others.
I fear the result of this big chill hasn’t been the banishment of racism, sexism, bigotry or any other vile sentiment. Those who cling to such sentiments persist, often finding dark places to share their dark thoughts.
Rather, the result of this big chill has been growing fear and resulting silence among those who would otherwise value and contribute to rigorous debate, who might even change their minds in the process.
Reasonable people who hold reasonable opinions, and who may have once dared to ask reasonable questions, are learning that the world is now an unreasonable place, a place that’s inhospitable to the nuanced exploration of complex ideas and problems.
Social media gives us the unprecedented opportunity to learn from each other.
Will we use it to destroy each other instead?
Rachel Bryars is an opinion columnist for AL.com
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June 13, 2020 at 08:00PM
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Will social media educate or destroy us? - al.com
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