I am currently addicted to Instagram. It’s a photography application for your mobile where you can be an amateur photographer, taking and editing photos. It’s a great way to share your photos. As well as friends, I am also following a few celebs on Instagram and think it is great they connect with their fans that way and share snippets of their lives. It makes them seem like real people!
This week however, a certain celebrity, who I will call Mrs Celeb, posted a funny photo of her husband with the caption “Yep, I married this guy.”
One “fan”, who I will call “Fan Girl”, made the following comment: “Sorry Mrs Celeb, but I think you went backwards in life with him, #ewwww, #ugly as f@#&”
“…….. looks like an old man ready to die.”
Wow, seriously? I couldn’t believe this “fan” could be so rude.
Now each to their own, I know everyone’s tastes are different, especially in men. Everyone is also entitled to an opinion and different opinions at that, it’s what makes life diverse.
I don’t have a problem with people voicing their opinions, but I believe you need to be respectful when doing so.
So I couldn’t help myself, I replied to Fan Girls comment. My reply “Normally I am not the type to say anything, but Fan Girl I don’t think it’s fair that you leave those types of comments on a photo of Mrs Celeb’s husband! If you are a fan of hers, respect the fact it is her husband, the man she loves and keep those negative comments or yourself”
Good on “Fan girl” for having an opinion and voicing it. I wasn’t challenging her on her opinion because I disagreed with it; I challenged it because it was disrespectful. In today’s modern age, places like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are all about sharing information, your comments, likes and dislikes. They are public places. If you are going to put a comment out there, you need to be prepared that other people might not agree with you or they might have something to say about it.
Fan Girl later replied to me saying “Omg people, get off my d%&k, don’t forget that I live in USA, its called freedom of speech……... I don’t care what you say, I’m still going to give my opinion at the end of the day.”
What has happened to the world when freedom of speech means being disrespectful? I am not saying that “Fan Girl” isn’t entitled to an opinion. She totally has the right to express herself and her opinion, but where do we draw the line between having an opinion and being disrespectful?
Just because we do have right to freedom of speech doesn’t give us a free pass to ignore common courtesies or manners. Yes we have the right, but there are responsibilities that go with it. Respect being one of them.
My reply: “Fan Girl, I never said you are not entitled to an opinion. I’m a believer in everyone is entitled to an opinion and different opinions at that. I was just saying that it is a personal photo of Mrs Celeb’s and a photo of her husband, so she may not appreciate the type of comments you are leaving about him. That was all I was saying. So settle, I wasn’t hating on you.”
Please don’t get me wrong, or take this post the wrong way. I’m not saying you can’t or shouldn’t voice your opinion, or even disagree with another person’s opinion. All I am saying is express your opinions respectfully and thoughtfully.
I don’t agree with all of my friends and family opinions, and I am sure they don’t agree with all of mine. But I respect their opinions and they respect mine. I thrive on other people’s opinions and perspectives; it’s often when I learn things. Just because someone has a different opinion to me doesn’t mean I will not have anything to do with them, or and take them off my Christmas card list.
We all have the right to freedom of speech, and no one should be excluded from voicing their opinions, but please try and be respectful to one another when doing so. If everyone tried, the world would be a better place.
Till next time,
Sarah xox
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