Social Media Musings

Wow. I've been absent a while - my apologies! 

Landon is doing well and we had a great Christmas. Brian and I made the conscious decision NOT to spoil him this year, so we only got him a few select toys. Other than that, he got sweatshirts, jeans, sneakers and things he needed. 

Let me tell you, it was hard not to spoil him. Everywhere I turned there was another awesome toy that I was dying to get him. But I held on, I perserved, and we succeed. 

Well, at least until we made it to Ohio. Mom and Mamaw went CRAZY buying for the little man, and we left with toys coming out the wazzuu! But he loved it...and more about that later. 

First, I need to vent about social media. I just don't understand people's tendency to overshare. Newsflash: there are some things that the world doesn't need to know. 

And it go beyond the annoying statuses, like the perennial updates on food someone's consumed or the quasi-philosophical posts meant to make someone look deep, although in reality they result in that person being laughed at hysterically by his or her 400 or so "friends."

Lately, I've noticed a stark increase in the number of status related to guns. I'm not referring to the ones that preach the pros or cons to gun control. I mean the "Look, I just bought an assault rifle! Time for some target practice!" or "Thinking of adding another gun to our collection. Already have 6, do we need another?" statuses.

While I am by no means ashamed of the fact that I support the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms and am proud of how well I can shoot, I don't understand the people that need to advertise on Facebook when they buy new guns of their own, or go to the shooting range, or anything like that. 

Number one, I don't want a public record of what guns are in my house. Once something's online, the record is there forever. So if we ever devolve into an Orwellian society and the government cares to do so, they can look back and see that Joe Schmo posted that he bought a new .38 or AR14 in 2012. And if in that Orwellian Society guns are outlawed and Joe can't produce that gun to turn into the government, Joe finds himself up a creek without a paddle.

"Let's see, Joe. Back in 2012, you boasted on social media that you bought a Ruger, even posted a picture so we'd know exactly what one. We sure appreciate that, son, because now we've decided Ruger's are dangerous and can't be trusted in the hands of common citizens and we need to confiscate your weapon before it kills someone."

Plus, if I posted online that we just bought whatever gun, I don't know who all can see that. All it would take is ONE person to like that status before it's out beyond my network. And it might be paranoid, but it's not a stretch to think that someone in my network is connected to a bad person, whether a thief, someone into drugs, etc. I don't want to make a target of my home or my family. It happened to a family member - someone close to him broke into his gun safe and stole his guns. And people don't think that there's the distinct possibility that by posting something like, "Hey, check out my new .38! Who wants to head to the range?" that they are putting their family in the path of someone desperate for a gun? Even if they broke in while my family wasn't there, I'm still out the emotional cost of a robbery - not to mention the gun itself, if the thief found it, and any collateral damage or items taken.

I guess I just don't see the point in taking the chance. Will I say I'm pro gun? Absolutely, I believe and endorse the Second Amendment and am not ashamed of that. Will I post if it Bri and I get an AR? Not a chance in hell.