Patricia Stoltey

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Staying Silent about Violence on Social Media is Not the Same as Condoning Violence

July 9, 2016 By: Patricia

In my humble opinion, rants on social media stir up anger and provoke violence.

Just like the media and its audience-seeking coverage of horrific crimes and incendiary rhetoric.

Folks just need to calm down and take a deep breath.

Silence is golden.

Chances are, the person who’s making the least noise is the one who’s grieving in private while spreading smiles and goodwill, extending the hand of friendship, doing kind things for people who need help, donating cash to crime victims and survivors, working with groups and local government to find solutions, sending letters of support to people who’ve been physically or emotionally attacked or abused, and just plain staying out of trouble.

The folks I know who are doing the most good don’t post rants on Facebook or Twitter. Most of them don’t have blogs. They’re too busy solving problems.

The noisy ones are all blather and bluster. Those who can’t restrain themselves, no matter how much I love them, are destined to meet my unfollow, unfriend, or unsubscribe. I don’t care who they are.

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Category: The Writing Life

Comments

  1. L. Diane Wolfe says

    July 10, 2016 at 11:09 am

    So true! The vocal minority. And it does no good.

  2. Patricia says

    July 10, 2016 at 10:40 am

    Thanks for dropping by, my friends. Sometimes I wonder about the really fine folks who can’t restrain themselves when they get on their social media accounts, especially Facebook. I love that FB now has the option to unfollow without unfriending.

  3. Margot Kinberg says

    July 10, 2016 at 9:29 am

    You really hit the nail on the head with this one, Pat. I couldn’t possibly agree more about the wisdom of restraint.

  4. Alex J. Cavanaugh says

    July 9, 2016 at 3:37 pm

    Well said!
    The media already spreads enough fear. Do something instead.

  5. Yolanda Renee says

    July 9, 2016 at 1:35 pm

    Ditto!
    Well said!

Meet Patricia

I read, I write, I blog, and sometimes I do the laundry and cook. My 2014 novel, Dead Wrong, was a finalist in the thriller category of the 2015 Colorado Book Awards. Wishing Caswell Dead (Five Star/Cengage, December 20, 2017) is a historical mystery set in 1830s Illinois in the fictitious Village of Sangamon. The novel was a finalist for the 2018 Colorado Book Awards for General Fiction. My most recent release, In Defense of Delia (Five Star/Cengage, November 2022), is available in hardcover and will soon be available in ebook and trade paperback. Read More…

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