My paternal grandmother meant a lot of different things when she said that.
Such as:
1. Don’t do or say anything in public that will embarrass you or the rest of your family.
2. Don’t do or say anything that will start a feud with the neighbors.
3. Don’t do or say anything that will make people gossip about you.
4. Don’t fail to wear clean underwear in case you get hit by a car while you’re out.
5. Don’t do anything that’s against the law (and ignorance of the law is no excuse).
6. Don’t wash your dirty linens in public.
7. If you have a skeleton in the closet, lock the closet door!
And more.
It was hard not to mess up once in a while in the old days, but when you did, hardly anyone ever heard about it if they lived more than five miles away. And family and kindly neighbors tended to have short memories.
If a person messes up now, the whole freakin’ world will hear about it. And a huge percentage will enjoy his misery so much they’ll pound away at his mistakes, his flaws, and his reputation until he’s forced into hiding. The world is full of ruthless assassins who use words as weapons of brutal destruction.
If folks haven’t learned this lesson yet, they’re taking a risk to join venues like Facebook. There are lots of people on there who behave badly under the guise of free speech. Disagree with them….and you may wish you’d never been born. Post a relatively benign opinion on pending legislation or a presidential candidate only if prepared to get shot down in flames.
So I wonder, if a person is not interested in making friends, why would she join a “social” media site?
I have a feeling a lot of folks are out there because they absolutely, positively know they know everything; are absolutely, positively sure they’re always right; and know they’ve absolutely, positively been awarded a mission to convert everyone else to their way of thinking, even if they have to use insults, degrading generalities, and vicious put-downs to win the battle, whatever the battle of the moment is. They are the “anti-socials.” They don’t know how to mind their Ps and Qs and make no effort to keep their noses clean. I believe they need their own “anti-social” site.
Now that we’re getting into the presidential election campaign cycle, it will probably get worse. And my “follows” and “friends” list will probably shrink as I dump a few more “anti-socials.” So be it.