Why I don't discuss politics on social media:

Short answer...because I am an elitist.

I can explain, but you probably won't like it.

Buckle up, Buttercup.

I have no problem discussing politics under certain circumstances, like, if you're smart and open-minded. If you're not, you are either a waste of my time, or a waste of yours. From my perspective, there are certain logistical considerations, also. Allow me to walk through them with you.

Who reads my posts? My friends. Collectively, my friends are well above average in intelligence, so, if I were to write my political opinion about a topic, the readers are likely to be above average. Unfortunately, my friends also tend to be kind; kind to others, including stupid people. Without my draconian elitism, my friends might inadvertently share my opinion with stupid people. That is exactly where the problem comes in: when, precisely, do we add the first idiot to the discussion? If you can pinpoint that very moment, exactly, and magically delete my post 5 seconds earlier, oh what a joy social media would be!

(I pause for a chuckle at the almost-smart person catching a glimpse of my text disappearing before their very eyes! Bwahahaha!).

You may ask: why are stupid people a problem? Don't they deserve to be heard and educated? In short, no and no. Deserve to be heard? No, smart people endeavor to engage their brains BEFORE they engage their mouths, (or keyboards). I want intelligent conversation with people that have something to offer. I want to learn, I want to welcome new perspectives and consider things I have not considered before. The same old nattering from CNN or Fox News interests me not at all. I know the party line, an idiot's reinforcement is not appreciated. Deserve to be educated? Perhaps, but not by me. My pay comes in terms of your unique perspective. Without that, if you learn from me, you owe me $5. One never improves his chess game by constantly battling halfwits.

I guess I really didn't answer the question. More to the point, stupid people cheapen the conversation, dragging it down to their level. Yuck. If you waste my time with remedial discussion, we'll never get to truly challenging topics--the kind of thing that would actually keep me from slipping into an intellectual torpor (that leads to decline and Alzheimer's, [personal opinion]). There is an old adage: "Children should be seen, not heard." Have you ever wondered why that was? Buttercup, I'll tell you: it's because kids are stupid. When adults are talking, kids, like stupid people have nothing to offer and their lot in life would be greatly improved by them closing their mouths and opening their ears.

You know, one of the most insidious aspects of social media: it makes you think you are smarter than you are. The proof is everywhere. You know this to be true, and I will readily admit, I am not impervious to it. (I hate myself for it; I must remain vigilant!). I think that is why social media is so addictive--there's this huge dopamine rush that comes from people proving their intellectual inferiority to you. Sadly, I think this effect is more pronounced in stupid people. Have you ever noticed how quickly the comments section deteriorates? At most, you will see one or two useful comments before that first idiot cracks his knuckles and unleashes the demon, Stoopid, all over the screen. Me, reading my FB feed: "That's interesting! Oh wait, comments got stupid." "Hey...oh, nevermind." "Awww..." There are times I wish computers costed $20K each--it might cut down on the riffraff.

The bottom line: I would greatly prefer to see pictures of the fabulous meal you just prepared, or that hysterical selfie of you with your sweet, little Mittens, or even that Garfield rerun about coffee on Mondays or lasagna on the weekend. Just anything except the Red Plate Special or the Blue Plate Special...leave those to the dolts.

I am a handshake person.

This was pointed out to me by several business colleagues. The comment caught me by surprise, as shaking hands is almost instinctive, and I never stopped to observe that other people were not doing it as often. Come to think of it, I initiate the handshake most of the time. 

I can think of no clearer way to communicate, “I respect you,” than to shake hands. When I shake hands at the outset of a meeting, it is, “Welcome, I respect you.” At the end of the meeting, it is, “Thank you for meeting with me, I respect you.” Congratulations, I respect you. When a deal is struck or a bet accepted, Agreed! I respect you and I respect our bargain.

In business, women are sometimes surprised when I offer a handshake. That catches me a bit off guard--again it is mostly instinctive for me, but a little nod of encouragement and a smile has smoothed things over. (I work in an industry where women are often managers, but rarely engineers and almost never the “graybeards.” There are notable exceptions, and I do so enjoy watching the young guns learning about the female graybeards; but I digress). I have never had the opportunity to mentor a young woman in business, but this would be an early lesson.

 If I met a celebrity I respected, I would appreciate a handshake more than an autograph or even a selfie. (The selfie would really be for FaceBook, I suppose, but the handshake would be for me). 

As the Time of Covid progresses, I had my first face-to-face meetings with the new wisdom. It is going to be a problem for me, I’m afraid. Not shaking hands feels a lot like a slight. I tried to mitigate this by pointing out, “I would shake your hand, but we live in a time of plague.” We all understood, but it was vaguely disappointing, and the meeting progressed slower than I expected. I am an old dog and this will be a difficult new trick.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handshake