If you hate facebook and/or half the people you’re friends with on it: either delete the people you “hate” and “abhor” and “can’t stand” from your friend list rather than taking the time to post their statuses so you can mock and rip them apart, or if that’s not enough, simply delete your facebook. it’s something that’s within your control, it’s easy. no one’s holding a gun to your head making you login everyday and read what people you don’t care about post and comment. if you don’t want to know what john did last night, or where kim is going over spring break, or how nice kerry and her boyfriend looked at that party on saturday night and how they broke up ten times during it and then made up, no one is forcing you to do so. so why don’t you stop complaining about it, deal with it, and proceed with your life.

If you are passionate about an issue: no matter what it is, raising awareness for a cause, your religion, world peace, whatever the cause is, take positive steps towards helping that cause. maybe try organizing a benefit, a bake sale, go to your local paper and ask if an article to bring attention to the issue can be published, donate to that cause, see what ways you can help people who may be dealing with an issue you have gone through, start a group or club. There’s a million ways you can bring about a positive change, posting on tumblr about it and stating that anyone who doesn’t reblog it is “heartless,” “stupid,” “selfish,” etc. is NOT one of them. ever. If you do that, you are essentially taking a good endeavor and turning it bad by using means such as belittling others who may not be as passionate about it. also, reblogging a post about an issue does nothing to solve that issue. reblogging a post that says “i hate such-and-such a disease” is not going to cure that disease. it may raise awareness, but it does not give you a right to belittle those who don’t feel as passionately about it as you do. guilting people into something is no way to promote your cause. 

If you see a post you don’t agree with: before responding to it negatively, or taking immediate and personal offense to it. re-read it and think it over. think about how it affects you directly, and if it is worth being upset over, or fighting over. yes, sometimes undoubtedly people post things that are outright insulting and cruel, it’s understandable to be offended or disgusted by those things. it’s also alright to respond and state your opinion as well, as long as you do so respectfully, which can be difficult sometimes considering that sometimes the person who posted the original opinion is not being respectful. a better idea would probably be to post your own original post, supporting whatever it is you feel the other post is mocking or belittling. There’s no need to mention the other person or even the fact that you saw the other post, it’s a way to support what you believe in, and getting your point across without tearing down someone else. However, if it is something that truthfully isn’t insulting or directly targeting you or a group you belong to, if it’s just a harmless opinion, there’s really no need to respond negatively if you don’t agree. for instance if it’s someone posting that they like a band, tv show, or store, something that is positive or complimentary regarding a non-serious matter, commenting on the post to state rudely how much that thing sucks and how stupid they are for feeling that way is really uncalled for. Again, you can always post your opinion on your personal blog without necessarily referencing the other person’s post at all, and you can absolutely do so in a respectful manner. for example, if someone posts that they agree with or support one side of something, and you agree with the other, that is fine. you can post your own opinion without tearing down that side. you can get your point across without starting a war or belittling everyone that disagrees. we do have freedom of speech, but i honestly don’t believe our ancestors who fought for that freedom would like to see it put to use in the sense that people can go online to write about how fat orlando bloom looks at an awards show, or how much they hate the fact that you like nickleback. i doubt that’s how they intended that freedom to be put to work. 

And my last bit of general advice is: just use your brain. it sounds simple, but often you’d be surprised how many situations are made worse because people act before they can rationalize things or take time to put it into perspective. use your common sense, think about how things might affect you in the long run. will you be mad about this tomorrow? is it worth fighting over it today? have respect for others. try to put yourself in their shoes once and awhile. no, you may not want to hear about how much fun Jessica had at the beach today, but you know what, she probably doesn’t care about how much you love doctor who either, but that doesn’t mean either of you should have to refrain from talking about how much joy it brings you. so maybe next time, try to keep that in mind before taking a screen shot of what you think is a “stupid” status by one of the people you have willingly accepted to be friends with online, and post it just to rip them apart. just a thought.