Are we REALLY this petty, or does Social Media cause us to be?

Whilst checking my Facebook this evening, I came across a "memory" on my Facebook feed of messages sent to and from a friend (at the time). Indeed, we had been friends for ten years, but that is no longer the case, and it got me thinking, what is happening to the world?

With Covid marching its way across the world, with terrorist attacks STILL occurring, how can it be that a "friendship" that had existed for ten years could be ended because of a different view on something as trivial as the cause of the 2019 bush fires in Australia.

I went back over the posts, and the basic upshot was I was saying how an increase in temperature (if it is even real) of a degree or two, was NOT the cause of the fires we experienced in Australia last year, the cause was too much fuel on the ground. regardless of the cries of global warming, climate change etc, if there was nothing to burn, then there would be no fires.

Is that REALLY so out there? Surely it can be FIFTY degrees, and still nothing would burn, if there was nothing TO burn!

The argument coming back to me was that everything was caused by our lack of care for the planet, the burning of fossil fuels etc.

I made arguments that surely wood is a fossil fuel, as is oil, and as this person lived in a cold rural climate, they burned both, so therefore were contributing to the situation they were blaming everyone else for, but it seems that it was not their fault, according to the messages to and fro.

They should not be PERMITTED to burn those things, and if that were the case, they would not, but the Governments allow it, so they do, therefore it is the Governments fault.

Of course, being what I like to think a reasonable person, I pointed out that if you are anti drugs, you do not take drugs, if you are anti smoking (even though legal) you do not smoke, anti alcohol? Do not drink. So basically, lead by example. That is all I suggested.

If you are so concerned about the environment, global warming, polar ice etc, then stop with the fossil fuel use, stop eating the cows who create methane (I don't know why the cows get all the blame) and stop doing anything that will damage the climate and therefore ruin the planet.

Walk everywhere, rather that drive a car (or worse still a massive 4WD), do not take overseas trips, practice what you preach.

I then, (and this was the final straw) asked if they paid the "carbon offset" on their air travel. WELL, apparently, this is the responsibility of the businesses, the airlines, and they cannot add this to their price either, because it should come from their profit!.

I tried (unsuccessfully) to convince them that the airlines only make a profit if they charge more than it costs, but that is apparently not the appropriate response, hence, I was to suffer my fate.....the dreaded Facebook "Unfriend"!

In a short space of time, we went from being long standing friends to being friends no longer. None of this actually bothers me, other than the mindset that brings it about.

Sounding like an old fart, which I guess I am now, back in my day, if you disagreed with someone over something like this, you would call each other dickheads, and get on with life. The days of telling someone "I'm not your friend anymore" were left behind in probably the first or second year of school, yet here we are, all floating in out 50's, and suddenly the kindergarten mentality is back, and in fact it is even worse now, because when I was a kid, you actually had to SAY "I am not your friend anymore", now, all you need do is click a button.

I guess the purpose of this narrative is to wonder out loud, "What has happened to our world, when we cannot have a conversation of differing views, without one side becoming so offended they must "not be your friend anymore"

I think it is a sad world we now live in, brought about by the ease of which communication can be delivered, the lack of context in the written word as opposed to hearing someone say something, and the petty mindedness created by social media that causes so many messages to be taken offense to, and perhaps, many friendships lost over the misunderstanding of the way the message was intended to be delivered.

Perhaps it's time to pick up a phone, and have a real conversation again, rather than expecting that everything we type, this included, has been a true reflection of the way it is received, rather than the way it was written.

Be Well