An Adult Tantrum

I feel like having a tantrum. So bear with me, or move on...no hard feelings. ;)

Every time I get on the internet there is always some group "setting the tone" of where we should stand, of what we should all think. If you disagree with their platform you are heckled and given cyber eye-rolls and asterisk sighs. You might even get one of my favorite responds "omg. I just can even right now."

...That is always a favorite in a mature debate.

While I know I am feeding into the fuss by playing devil's advocate, I also feel it is necessary. I refuse to acknowledge that the whiny participates of social media get to lay the ground work of what is right and what is wrong. And it is usually just that; their view: right, all other views: wrong. You can bet they will have more than just a few choice words for you, usually contradicting and boasting themselves at the same time.

There are a number of social issues to pick from at any time. Recently, race and gender top the list. I did my fair share of arguing with these when I should have probably just shut down the computer...but I never have done well with keeping my opinions to myself.

Right now I am most frustrated with the banning of the confederate flag. No, this does not mean I am racist. No, this does not mean I support racists. No, this does not mean I favor segregation or discrimination. All this means to me, is this: I believe that you have the right as an American to buy a flag, even a confederate flag. I could go into depth on how the flag we all know is far more complicated than "a symbol of slavery," but even if you want to view it that way...shouldn't you be able to do so? Sure, people might think negative thoughts about you, they might jump to unsavory conclusions, but it is your right to buy, fly, or wear a symbol of your choosing.

To ban this, is un-American, and that angers me. (Just for the record, you can still buy nazi symbols just fine.) The internet blows up with the flag issue, and everyone follows suit. The media has an uncanny way of swaying millions of people by mere suggestion.

I am not a fan of "open carry" which recently passed here in Texas, but I do respect the merits behind it. I think some take it too far, but the law on which it was built upon is solid, and again, I respect that. The America I felt I knew seems to be shrinking and shying away from the online petitions that people sign without understanding or knowledge of its content. You can reach the masses in an instant, changing the way the country perceives issues, big and small. You influence the way people receive facts for the drama, for the story, for the thrill of a fight...but we are missing the bigger issue.

We are not the land of the "always right", the land of "my way or the highway", the land of "everything revolves around me and my feelings", the land of "what ever I read on buzzfeed"; no, we are the land of the free...and that means you have the right to feel whatever you want to feel. Yes, your words and actions have consequences, but you have civil liberties...like buying or flying a flag of America's past. People might sneer, but that is their right, for we have freedom for all, not just for the loudest voices on facebook.


Ok...tantrum over. Thanks.


M.LEWIS