This story is quite old, in internet terms, but some time ago there was a big hub-bub about a guy who was on a sales call out of town and made some kind of remark on Twitter like, "If I had to live here I'd die". As it turns out, the guy's client was following his Twitter account (more on that stupidity later), saw his remark and reported it to the guy's employer. I think the guy got fired as a result.
Honestly, there are so many stupidity vectors here, it's hard to concentrate on just one. First, did the guy share his Twitter account with the client, or was the client just stalking the guy through his Twitter account? If the guy KNEW co-workers or clients might be looking at his Twitter stream, why make a comment that could be misinterpreted in the first place? Twitter is an environment that is just ripe with pitfalls. Because of it's inherent immediacy, people forget to censor themselves sometimes.
But this post isn't about the correct way to conduct yourself on social media sites, it is to highlight what I see as a growing tendency of people to get worked up over "nothing". I'm sure this guy's client gave no thought to the context of this guys tweet, and simple decided to view it as an insult to their region and then bitch to the guy's employer over their insecurities. There are many places in the world where I would almost literally "die" if I had to live there. I lived in El Paso, Texas for a year and the heat almost did me in...and it was a MILD year, barely breaking 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I simply cannot deal with high heat or high humidity. Does that mean I think all people and businesses who choose to live in El Paso, or in hot or humid climates suck? Common sense says "no".
The problem is that most people are ruled by factors other than common sense, and that is what scares me about society today. People would rather respond to the worst context of a statement or situation and fly off the handle, and with more people sharing more information by way of services like Twitter, blogs, and Facebook, it seems we are creating more opportunities for people with thin skin to lash out at their "enemies". How much time and money is wasted on court cases where someone is lashing out at somebody because the world is not perfect. How many products now carry warnings such as "don't use your microwave to warm up your baby or dry your pet" to prevent people with no sense from destroying the world. Am I defending the corporate world from neglecting their responsibility to provide safe products, no. I'm attacking the mental laziness of people who think that others need to be responsible for their lack of sense. The world has become all about pointing fingers at someone else for their mistakes.
Can we, as a society, please get a grip??!!
