Thinking out Loud
Recently, I have seen various posts that list life lessons of one
kind or another as the right choice towards long, happy, healthy and productive
lives. You have heard them all before and it makes no sense to add them as a
part of this piece, because in general I agree. They remind us of what is
important in a list format LOL. The one lesson that caught my attention was “What
other people think is none of your business”. This statement and its
message, at first glance, seem simple and straightforward, right! However, life
can be complicated and over simplification can lead to misinterpretation or
miscommunication. Martin Luther King, Jr. said it best – “Shallow
understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute
misunderstanding from people of ill will”.
Well, I have thought about the implications in this statement
and want to quantify my position. Strictly based on personal opinion, this
statement is not only generalized and preachy, it also has “legs with hair”. So let’s
explore the potential ramifications and I will use myself as the Ginny pig.
Think:
The statement uses the word “Think”. Which can be defined as a
process of using one’s mind to produce ideas, decisions, judgment, memories
ect. (1). You knew this! I would also presume that
“Thinking Out Loud” would fall into this category as a subcategory of some sort
but there is an “intent” issue that is brought in as suspect. Now put “Thinking
Out Loud” in context with the internet “posts”, comments, circles and extended
circles. Example: My thinking that the neighbor is a thief is completely
different from thinking out loud in front of a group of people, on the
internet, in public, in a comment, “He is a thief”; the former having no
personal or professional ramifications, to the neighbor, whereas with the
latter there can potentially be a detrimental outcome and all done without
evidence or facts to support the allegation. Depending on the damage done as a
result of these incendiary remarks, I could be sued by the neighbor for libel.
Thinking out Loud:
While there are many articles supporting the idea that thinking
is really “nobody’s business”, I am going to reference an article written
by Eric Eden titled “Libel & Defamation in the
Information Age” (2), that backs my argument about possible
ramifications to “thinking out loud”. He talks about current internet behavior
and various listed cases in which facts were not properly supported “It's not
uncommon for users to ridicule, harass or insult those who disagree with them.
But if you damage someone's reputation by trying to embarrass them in a public
forum, you could be sued for libel or defamation.” He states that “Every
person you write something negative about won't sue you for defamation or
libel, they might flame you or just try to set the record straight by replying
to the message. But if you post false information about another user and
disgrace them in public, they have the right to take you to court -- and they
could win a big settlement if they can prove you were negligent.” This
especially rings true when accusing individuals of some sort of artistic or business misrepresentation and/or misadventure, in essence distroying their "Brand".
Even though the internet is still a casual forum to socialize,
connect and do business; increasingly there are cases where people have lost their
jobs because of what was said casually, in comments and posts, irrespective of
how tight and controlled the commentator thought his or her audience may or may
not be. You are in the Public sector. Reynolds Holding with Time
U.S. wrote an article, titled “Can You Be Fired for Bad-Mouthing
Your Boss on Facebook?” (2); he investigated various cases where
people lost their jobs after making incendiary comments on Facebook. In the piece, Holding states that "The Federal National Labor Relations Act
prohibits employers from punishing employees, whether or not they are members
of a union, for talking about wages or workplace conditions or forming a union.
The idea is to ease communication among workers so they can decide whether a
union is necessary"; however this law didn't help
the individual (s) profiled in this case study. It is my opinion that there is
a kind of a naiveté about the internet and social media certainly I can claim guilty
as charged. People need to consider the source, audience and commentary made in
a public forum.
I believe these types of documented events and their outcome affirm
that “Thinking Out Loud” on the internet (i.e. in a public forum) is pretty
much everybody’s business and can be a risky endeavor at best. So for obvious
reasons, I don’t agree with this statement “What other people think is none of your business” in it's totality unless what you are
thinking about is kept to yourself.
References:
1. Definition: Thinking. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thinking
2. Eric Eden, “Libel & Defamation in the Information Age”. http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/defamation-in-cyberspace.html
2. Eric Eden, “Libel & Defamation in the Information Age”. http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/defamation-in-cyberspace.html
3. Reynolds Holding, Friday, Mar. 04,
2011, Can You Be Fired for Bad-Mouthing Your Boss on Facebook?. Time
U.S.: Facebook and Labor
Laws: Can Internet Posts Get You Fired? - TIME http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2055927,00.html#ixzz2vapSHkBw
Laws: Can Internet Posts Get You Fired? - TIME http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2055927,00.html#ixzz2vapSHkBw
4. photograph: Howard Woodley Bailey-Post Mar 2, 2014 (1). https://plus.google.com/u/0/+HowardWoodleyBailey/posts
