#1. Local journalist writes a column several years ago entitled ‘Stop posting about your ailments, hospital visits to social media‘ in which she complains about how some people post about their injuries and illnesses. A few choice quotes from her column:
These posts and photos don’t generate conversation. They don’t entertain or amuse or even educate or inform others. No, they’re simply a sign of desperation, a need for attention, a craving for people to comment with “OMG, get better!!!” and “what happened?” or “thinking of you!!!!”
None of my family or friends have ever shared an image, or status update, related to their ailments, either. Why? Because we have each other. We have real friends – AKA those “IRL friends”, we have family and we have colleagues who care. People we can reach out to in a group text or email, if need be, but we don’t need to post images or tales of medical woes online in a sad and desperate plea to get attention and to feel “loved.”
#2. A few years later this same journalist posts a photograph on social media of herself with a black-eye and accompanying cuts, with a caption of three possible ways she got the injury.
#3. This week someone called out that journalist on writing the original column, to which she doubled down, saying she still stands behind it and then reposting it on FaceBook. When I wrote my own question on how she reconciles what she wrote with the black-eye picture she posted, she ignored the question and immediately limited comments on the post, while also making her Twitter profile private. (Did I mention that she has repeatedly claimed she is always open to discussion and differing viewpoints?)
That’s a lot of hypocrisy for one post, but such are the times we live in. It’s difficult to call politicians, or anyone, to task for being hypocrites if members of the media are going to be just as hypocritical. It destroys any shred of credibility that certain journalists once had.
“The only thing worse than a liar is a liar that’s also a hypocrite.” ~ Tennessee Williams
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