Yesterday, 16th September, 2016, I found myself exhausted. It was just past seven in the evening and too early to go to bed. I have learned the hard way never to go to sleep before 10 and definitely no naps in the afternoon. If I do, I'll never sleep through the night.
I looked at what the idiot box had to offer and nothing interested me; no movies, no nothing. I am victim of my own watching habits. I decided to check my Twitter and Facebook account. I still struggle with Facebook but Twitter is starting to feel easy for me. I picked up the courage to tweet that I was tired. I clicked send. It was a weird feeling to tell people something as inane as that. So I followed it up with more inanity. Everything revolved around my exhaustion. Then, I came across one of the countless Trump/Clinton postings. I couldn't help myself when I read one of Clinton's. It was as though a robot wrote it. I wonder if she ever replies. Trump may not be the best potential president but he definitely dominates cyber-space. (I have now violated one of three rules I must learn to follow when travelling and, now, blogging. They are (1) never talk politics; (2) never talk politics; (3) never talk politics.) I'll violate it again: don't let Trump win! As I don't have a vote, I can jabber on but I am irrelevant. The Americans will get the president they deserve; the rest of us will have to lump it. I choose the robot over the madman. Unfortunately, they are probably both sociopaths. (But that's politics today...)
https://twitter.com/BaronDeschauer/status/776861989586993153 (Tweet re: Hillary as robot)
https://twitter.com/BaronDeschauer/status/776861751975567360 (Tweet re: The New Yorker cartoons)
I really don't want to talk politics and didn't plan on doing so when I started this blog today. It was all about my first positive experience in social media. Up until now, it has all been about learning the language of the logistics of social media. Now, I am able to partake of the movable feast (to borrow Hemmingway's language) that is the twitter-stream. Hopefully I don't find myself in chains or worse, depending on who wins the next election.
Up until now, I have stayed away from social media for the simple reason that we give up our right to privacy when we partake. It is the ultimate soap box with everyone and no one listening. As I use it, I am beginning to think that there should be a statute of limitations for any agency of the government (or prosecutor) in using what we say against us. I am especially conscious of things we may say today that may be taken out of context tomorrow. How many of the politicians of the pre-social media age would be able to survive the scrutiny that we are able to exact now? Kennedy? No way. Nixon? Most likely not. Reagan would not have been able to cover up his mental deterioration near the end. That being said, Putin is doing well as are the Chinese leaders. Hopefully the West doesn't follow suit.
OK, paranoia aside, I enjoyed my few tweets. I feel like the country bumpkin who has arrived in the big city in 1960. When someone tells me the round reflectors on the side of the road are spying cameras for the government, I believe them. In reality, they are just reflectors. Most of the hype is paranoia but it is hard to shake. While I enjoyed my tweets, I had the thought in the back of my mind at all times that anything I put out there may be used against me. How many of us dare to make a comment about the founder(s) of Islam without feeling for our neck? I am enjoying the social media now. As with anything, there are people who spew hate and ignorance. I don't want to be part of that. But, I do want to explore and put in my two cents' worth. Not sure if we are adequately protected in the real world to do that yet.
Social media has magnified our voices. But it has also magnified our fears and hates. I hope that when history writes this chapter it will not be as the harbinger of our loss of freedom of expression and speech.
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