It’s only been a hot minute since the Super Bowl aired, and, if you missed the game, you may have been surprised the next day when you opened your social media accounts to see there was some MAJOR debate happening over the half time show.
{Pass the popcorn!}
While we each have our own opinions on the halftime show, I don’t want to talk about that.
What I do want to talk about, is our ability to agree or disagree on a subject.
Wow.
Moms, can we talk?
I think we can do better. I think we can do WAY better than what I saw following the Sunday night game.
According to Sports Illustrated and Screen Rant, over 100 MILLION people were tuned in to the game/half time show that night. Let’s let that sink in a little: over 100 MILLION people.
With that many people tuned in, it doesn’t surprise me that there were so many different opinions about what happened on the field.
What did surprise me, was what happened within my peer groups: other moms!
It is possible to disagree on something and still coexist.
If you took a poll within the “moms of Facebook” regarding the half time show, I think it would be pretty evenly split. There were many who loved it and many who did not. And guess what: it is okay!
It is okay that not everyone felt the same way about the show!
What is not okay, is the hatred and ugliness that happened online between those who disagreed with each other.
It is really easy for any of us, myself included, to type or text out our opinions on a topic – knowing that, more than likely, we will not ever have to defend our position to anyone face to face. It is also really easy to comment on a post knowing that you will probably not have to ever see that person face to face. With that said, why does this mean that when we disagree we openly ridicule and insult each other online?
Isn’t this is the exact thing that we are trying to teach our children not to do?
The world is diverse and so are the people.
The world would be a pretty boring place if we all were the same, and shared the same opinions.
You don’t have to look further than music to see that people have different tastes, styles, and preferences – you guys: there are thousands of different genres of music! We come from different backgrounds and cultures, not everyone is going to have the same outlook as you. You could show a room full of people the same thing and each one is going to have a different take on it because we ALL lead different lives with different experiences.
This means there are going to be many subjects that many of us may agree or disagree on. Which again, I’ll say, IT IS OKAY NOT TO AGREE!
It is okay to disagree, and it is even okay to have a conversation about disagreeing. What is not okay is attacking people personally for not sharing the same opinion as you.
Having a conversation about things we disagree on can be fruitful. You can come out on the other side, and, maybe begin to understand the point of view of the other individual.
These things can not happen in an environment where we are attacking people for not sharing our views. These types of conversations will not do anything but further divide you and cause conflict that is unnecessary.
This is not the first, nor will it be the last conflict.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time something has sparked major online conflict, {I’m looking at you white and gold dress} and this will not be the last.
What I hope that we can take from this situation, is that we need to do better. We need to model the type of behavior we expect from our children.
If you saw or heard your children saying the things that you said to others online, would that make you proud or upset? If your teen expresses themselves or their opinions, how would you want them to be received or spoken to?
If anything, this whole debate has made me aware that I am grateful I still have young children that are not a part of this particular argument. It has also made me aware that I need to take an active {age appropriate} approach to teach them how to respond when others do not agree with them, and that it is OKAY for others to not agree with them.
I think debates are good and healthy. So much of what we are seeing right now online is NOT debating, it is arguing, it is division, and it is ugly! The next time you see a dissenting opinion, instead of fueling the conflict in the comments section, maybe invite a few of them out for coffee, or, at the very least, respond as you would if that person were sitting directly in front of you, with your children watching.
