A Good Place To Start

Freedom to express oneself in speech or through other non violent methods is a fundamental part of being an American. It is one of the base things that set us apart from other nations and I believe in the right to non violent expression. But, isn’t there a place where reasonable adults draw the line. Not a legal line but a line of good taste and respect of our fellow man or woman. This week there have been some really disturbing pictures of our First Lady that depict her as a puppet or with her mouth sewn shut or eyes sewn shut. I found them really disturbing and out of line. I don’t care what your politics are or who you vote for, defacing any person ( including the First Lady) in this fashion is beyond the line of good taste. I have been surprised at who is sharing these awful pictures on social media and who thinks they are appropriate or funny. Some of the same folks that jumped on the “ME TOO” movement seem to be perpetuating the idea that the woman in those photos is unworthy of basic human respect. Frankly, the alterations to the photos disturb me as they appear to be almost insinuating that this woman is less than a person. I don’t care if we are talking about the First Lady or just some random person on the street, respect is the most basic thing you can and should give to another person.

What is really disturbing is that if another woman were defaced in that manner, many of those “liking” the photos would be up in arms about women’s rights and encouraging a harmful viewpoint of women. As it is, apparently, political dissatisfaction outweighs respect and good taste. It is fine to deface photos of this woman in one of the most vulgar manners as long as no one steps on your ideas of social justice? Have we really slipped this far?

If you just can’t be on social media and keep it between the lines of good taste and respect then please just deactivate your account. We certainly don’t need to put any more ideas of violence and horror in the minds of the mentally ill and confused. Either set some boundaries or get off the social media train. A good place to start would be to consider how you would react if the mean memes were of your daughter. After all everyone is someone’s daughter.