WHOA. Harsh.

A quick rant... a Frant if you will.  WHY are people SO harsh on social media?  Is it because it's so easy to be brave behind a screen and the offender doesn't have to face the consequence of the receiver's reaction?   I will sometimes imagine my closest friend saying to me some of the things that people write to others on Facebook and, gosh, my feelings would be SO hurt.  It's easy to forget that those are real people on the other side of that profile.

Every now and then I find myself going down a rabbit hole of comments when there is a controversial topic posted on FB.  Obviously, I am a glutton for punishment because it only ever gets me fired up.  Maybe I like the drama, but no good comes from it.  But still... I read and read and read.  Let's look at an example:  The Target saga that allows people to use the restroom of the gender of which they associate.  I am friends with people on both sides of the argument, and guess what...  Both sides have valid points!  Why can't people have an honest, objective discussion without damning the other person to hell just because they disagree on this one topic?  

I'll be honest, I have a 7 year old niece and I would be uncomfortable sending her into the restroom by herself if I saw a transgender woman walk in beforehand.  This does not make me intolerant.  There are perverts in this country that will take advantage of this public announcement that Target allows them in whichever restroom they choose.  It's not the transgenders that the naysayers are scared of, it's the opportunistic perverts, the ones we should ALL be against.  They're the ones who messed everything up for everyone.

On the other side of the argument, I empathize with the transgender woman that needs to use the restroom while shopping.  She should be able to.  If we were using the same theory that perverts have free reign over all the bathrooms, then she may be in danger going into the men's restroom.  This does not make me an accomplice to sexual molestation.  Even if you do not believe in the lifestyle choices of transgenders, stopping them from going to the restroom is just human cruelty.

I emphasized above the two strongest arguments that are being spewed on social media.  No matter where you stand on the topic, there is a way to present your argument without belittling the other side.  I would imagine a majority of people will stop listening to your case if you resort to belittling/namecalling/extreme exaggerations.  There is not a simple answer, otherwise this would not be such a controversy.  This can be said for most arguments.  In short, I say we empathize more, attack less. 

Until next time, 
Fran

Introduction

Hi, I'm Fran.  I'm new to this blogging world and have ZERO idea what I am doing, but I was told this was therapeutic, and who couldn't use some free therapy???  

Just so you know the context of the person whose blog you are anxiously awaiting to read may read... a little about myself:  I had a great childhood, with a very loving, Christian family.  I was born in Alexandria, LA, grew up in Brandon, MS, and now live in Starkville, MS.  I have a dad, a mom, two sisters, two brothers-in law, 4 nieces, 2 nephews, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, good friends, AND a son and a dog.  My son, Ethan, is 11 and is AH-MAZING. My shelter dog, Annie, is pretty awesome, too.  See pic below.  Aren't they perfect??  They MAY come up in some of my posts.  Ethan, Annie, and I live in a small apartment in Starkville, MS and I am currently working as an intern architect.  I am in the middle of taking my licensing tests (I have passed 3 of 7 and should really be studying for my 4th right now, but I'd rather play with you guys). 

The main reason I want to start a blog is because there are times I feel I have something to say about current events or a controversial topic and am dying to say it, not because I think I have a one-up on anyone else, but really because I need a way to organize my own thoughts to figure out how I, personally, feel about something.  Making my opinion public adds the extra accountability to objectively think through topics. (It would be really easy to say "I think XYZ is stupid so I'm against it," but I want to be able to explain the why.)  Another reason is that I want to document my experiences as a single mom just trying to make it.  I've read accounts of other single parents that have inspired me and simply let me know that I was not alone.  If I can do that for even one person, then this was all worth it.  Life is all about connections.

That's it in a nutshell!  If you stick with me, you'll learn more as we go obviously.  And I won't be all serious all the time.  My sisters make fun of me for getting into the deep topics and talking too much and trying to use a lot of big words... so I'll try to keep it light until I get really passionate about something. :) 

(Please note: I do not have the best track record of doing a task consistently no matter how well my intentions, so I will not go into this whole writing-a-blog-thing with any expectations if you won't. Deal?)

Until next time,
Fran