"Just because you can doesn't mean you should." I do not know who first said this to me many years ago but it has served as one of those little helpful guiding voices at times when I am making a decision.
I think that guideline is a good thing to keep in mind when posting on the internet, facebook, twitter, and all the social media opportunities we have to share. There is a common attitude that if it is out there on the internet or posted somewhere that it is fair game to respond to it any way you want, to share it with whomever you want and in some cases misquote entirely or to not give credit or acknowledge the correct source. Of course if you don't really know the source - and this post is a perfect example - then you cannot give credit. Or you can wait and be corrected by someone who does. But even then, there is a way to publicly, or not publicly, correct someone. I guess that old "need to be right" takes over for some of us at some times.
What has happened to courtesy, giving the benefit of the doubt and gracious words? Everything is not black-and-white. If we know someone does not have their facts quite right, we ought to make sure we have our's correct before chastising them or needing to point out their mistake. I do believe in the political arena this is almost impossible. The right versus the left, and all the propaganda from both makes it impossible to discover what is fact if all we ever do is watch mainstream media. Yet, we see or read something and assume we are being told the truth by the people who do not want us to know the truth. We take sides based on lies or half-truths or someone else's opinion. It is a lot of work to track down and find the truth and the facts. Most of us just don't have the time or want to take the time to do that. Yet in our more personal interactions with one another, it is even more important to do a fact check. We don't need to disrespect boundaries or toss all discretion aside to make things right.
