Roseanne Barr and the lessons we’ve learned

The day before I post my blog I look for pictures to match the story I’m about to tell. Last week was fun. I found some silly pictures of me and the girls and all was right in the world.

A picture in this post would be wrong. Roseanne Barr’s comments gave me an extremely bitter taste and because of that you’ll only see my words.

Most of you by now have heard Roseanne Barr’s comments. I’m not going to repeat it. I’m pretty sure there’s enough comments out there to fill a very deep well.

For those of you who are in the dark, I suggest you google ‘Roseanne Barr Twitter’. We’ll wait for your return.

Good, you’re back.

In no way would I imitate her comments or copy her views. In a nutshell I am not that kind of a person. Plus, I was raised in a good home. I never heard that kind of talk. But that doesn’t mean I am mistake free.

I am as guilty as anyone for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time or laughing at a joke that might have been out of line.

I have a dear friend who visits this blog every week. We met in the mid 80’s and I can see her now nodding her head. She knew me in my young and dumb days and knows full well what I’m talking about.

Because of recent events and the results that came from them it served to me as a reminder just how powerful social media has become.

At any given time you and I can post anything that is on our mind. Anybody can read it and comment on it. When you think about it that’s a scary thing. That’s a lot of power in a person’s hands.

As writers we need to be aware of our audience. But our audience is no longer limited to the books we write they have now expanded to the remarks we make and the photo’s we share.

That’s power and as we have seen, that kind of power can break us as quickly as it made us.

If our goal is to see our work in print not only do we need to create quality work but we need an audience and in more cases than not, that audience comes in the form of social media.

Rosanne Barr should be a wake-up call for many. What she did was extreme. I’ve never met anyone like her and I doubt I will, but still, we need to be careful with the words we choose.

In this path that we have chosen with our writing and our names attached to it we need to be the grownup in the room. We have to be the professionals.

At the same time that doesn’t mean we have to be boring. I like a good laugh as much as the next person but I need to be aware what I’m laughing at.

The other day I told someone that I believe our true selves come out in social media. We are safely behind our keyboards or nuzzled in our cozy corner with our smart phone. We become brave and honest and soon we reveal who we really are.

If I’m right on that, and I think I am, than I have met some of the best people in the world since I created this blog.

The comments from my posts, along with private messages, have convinced me that our world is full of smart and kind people. Not all the apples are rotten.

But still….always be aware of the power that social media possesses. It is a love/hate relationship and a relationship that you and I need.

I have fun with Twitter and Facebook and I do so because of the cool people I have surrounded myself with. They understand me and I understand them but most of all we keep each other in line.

Someday we’re going to be mad about something and we’ll feel the need to speak out. By all means do it. It’s our right. But before we do, let’s take a moment to calm down. Think it through before we cozy up to our keyboards.

Once it’s out there there’s no turning back and we all know the damage it can cause.

Thanks for stopping by.

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