I spent the weekend attempting to avoid Facebook as much as possible.

The goal was to avoid the posts about politics, bickering, and overall those where people forgot it IS ok to agree to disagree.

It sounded simple enough. 

Until a friend sent me a private message concerning a screenshot floating around concerning a website where many post patterns for crocheting, knitting, and more. I only look at the crochet or knit patterns, so I am not really sure what other crafts are offered at the site.

Visiting there is a form of relaxation when I am unable to crochet, like last week. 

However, I don’t read posts, blogs or other rhetoric at the site, just the pattern requirements, hook size, type of yarn needed.

So, I was caught off guard about the site ‘banning support of Donald Trump and his administration on…’ 

I am not naming the website as at this point it is irrelevant. It is just one of many which have had to add what I refer to as the ‘no arguing policy’.

Seriously? Has the hate now crossed over into the areas of joy in our lives?

When I am crocheting, I do not want to talk about politics or religion (although I do pray a great deal when I near the end of the project and the skein of yarn at the same time). Come to think of it, I really don’t want to talk much at all while I am ‘creating magic’ as my husband refers to it. Hard to talk when you are counting stitches.

There was a time when people were willing to accept there was a time and a place to have these discussions and were willing to agree to disagree when they did not see eye to eye.

Nowadays, everyone considers themselves as the one in the right and whoever disagrees is just wrong. 

How was a topic of politics permitted on such a website to begin with?

Last time I checked, the yarn had nothing to do with racism, politics, science, or religion.

In further research to understand how this came to be, I stumbled across a gaming site with a similar ‘new policy’. 

At some point, the ones who want to start an argument for the purpose of arguing need to stop. 

I am not saying the world is perfect. But there is a way to make changes without offending every single person you speak with and forcing websites to create new policies to prevent the hateful rhetoric. 

Despite what one thinks about the current administration, are you doing any better by the way you are ‘standing up for others rights’? 

It is a sad day when I cannot even talk about yarn without someone attacking me for what they perceive to be my political stance.

It reminds me of the verse Galatians 5:15 ‘If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.’

 

Dawn Burleigh is editor of The Orange Leader. She can be reached at dawn.burleigh@orangeleader.com