Yes. Facebook. I'm on it, because a lot of the rescues I'm involved with have active fundraising pages, etc., there, and yeah, it is a good way to kill time and see how messed up other people are. ha.
But sometimes it comes back to bite you in the ass.
Today, a rescue acquaintance I am "friends" with was posting about the heartbreaking decision to put her beloved cat, who had been ailing for the past year, to sleep today. And while this is a woman with whom I never interacted on facebook, mainly because her political views are diametrically opposed to my own, I did post a couple of condolence comments on her posts. Because I've been there, and I know how hard it is.
And THEN, I got home from work, and I was SO EXCITED because my little hibiscus tree, which I had almost given up on this past fall thanks to a dramatic full-leaf-drop, was blooming. And I posted a pic of it on facebook, with a little backstory about how it almost didn't make it and I almost threw it out back in the fall, and the woman mentioned above, who NEVER comments on any of my posts, jumped in with "See? U never gave up, and u kept it alive".
OH FUCK.
Maybe this is all in my head, and I SURE HOPE SO, but I'm afraid that she may have somehow (incorrectly) connected the decision to put her cat down with my (totally lighthearted) post about keeping an apparently-dying tree alive.
FUCK.
Here's the thing. I am "friends" with a TON of people on facebook. I get a mega-million posts in my feed every day. If I started trying to tailor my own posts to avoid possibly saying something that might inadvertently upset someone reading MY stuff, I wouldn't be able to post ANYthing, which, frankly, would be just fine, but still.
what to do what to do
I replied to her comment, saying that I probably SHOULD have thrown the tree out except I'm kind of a hoarder, haha. And then I said that I was sorry for her loss, and that the last, best thing we can do for the cats in our care is help them when it's time for them to go, and that I hoped she'd take care of herself.
GOD.
So, yeah, massive facebook clunker, now I feel AWFUL.
but then! BUT THEN! It gets better. Or, you know, WORSE.
Because right after THAT whole disaster, a post of a SISTER of mine (no, not Texas) shows up in my feed. She'd posted a picture of the Bush family in evening attire, with the caption, "Remember when our presidents were classy?"
WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUCK
I commented. I HAD TO. "What the hell does that even mean?," I said. "That the Obamas aren't "classy" because they're black? Jesus Christ."
Oh my GOD. Social media. I gotta get offa there. CHRIST.
But wait! Look! My hibiscus:
At least I can post it here.
6 comments:
Unless that woman is supremely egocentric, I cannot believe that she would be able to take your post as some sort of commentary on her trauma. I mean, I guess, maybe she could, because people can be really self-centered, but if she did, that's TOTALLY on her, really.
My guess? Because you posted a comment with condolences on her post, either a) she clicked on your name, thinking, hey, Rocky, I haven't seen her posts in a while, wonder what's going on in her life...or even, "who is Rocky?" or b) Facebook did their magic secret calculation, and because you posted a comment on HER post, your posts got bumped up to the top of her feed, and she saw it. Because god knows if I can figure out what magical arithmetic FB does to decide whose posts I *get* to see, of my friends...
Also, your hibiscus is awesome :)
spiff, I am sincerely hoping that she didn't take my post the wrong way.
Maybe I'm reading too much into it. I hope so.
And I'm glad you like the hibiscus! Right after I posted that on facebook, one of my "friends" piped up to let me know that hibiscus plants are poisonous to cats. (Insert sad-trombone music here.) FACEBOOK I HATE YOU. :)
Oh, the drive-by "helpful" comment. yay facebook! it's not like you are pulling leaves off the plant and adding them to the meow mix!
Hi, Hibiscus!
My guess about the "keep it alive" comment is that you woman feels you understand exactly how she felt about efforts to keep something alive. Don't think she was being ugly. LOTS of dense folks on FB......like having to sit through reading group in first grade all over again while the slow kids bumble through Dick and Jane (yes...dating myself).
Nice hibiscus :)
I also think the whole toxic thing is overrated - like it is with poinsettia. yes, it is not good, but the chances of your cat chewing and eating enough of it to be an issue is minimal..
unlike lilies, which can kill your cat basically by looking at them.
Ginny, yep, I'm amazed that people who are unable to craft a coherent sentence spend so much time on Facebook. Then again, they probably don't have anything ELSE to do ...
(not that I'm accusing the woman in question of being ignorant.)
and Tails, you had to mention lilies, didn't ya? My gardens are FULL of daylilies, because they're one of the few things the deer won't eat. OH NO! Thankfully, the cats have never shown any interest whatsoever. They're surrounded by vegetation, and they don't eat any of it. whew.
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