the freedom of Facebook

In the ever-expanding network of Facebook, I'm a relative newcomer, having joined early last fall. I'll admit to being officially addicted to the place, and have managed to acquire 250 friends there......coworkers, relatives, former students, friends from college and high school, etc.

But you know what? This morning, I had a revelation about FB, and it makes me love the place even more. In real-life, true honest-to-God interactions with live, breathing people, you often have to deal with people that you don't particularly like. You may work with people that annoy the crap out of you, when you're in school you aren't going to be BFF with all of your classmates, etc.

In the amazing world of Facebook, however, you literally create what surrounds you, and you don't have to put up with anything that you don't want to have around. Don't know why it didn't occur to me sooner, but it's so liberating! This morning, I got online and began to check my sites, as usual. I do a quick glance at my FB homepage, reading over my friends' status updates, etc. One jumped out at me......from someone who I barely knew and didn't like in high school, and as I remember it she didn't like me either. She was the "in crowd", "cool kid", maybe even a cheerleader, and I, well......I wasn't. When she friended me, I was surprised but figured I'd accept---why not, right?

So this morning, her status update was something asinine about President Obama and the new law he just signed which allows women to sue for wage discrimination. I won't dignify her remark by repeating it here. ;) No WAY she could have come up with this rightie talking point all by her lonesome, and you could almost hear Rush's voice in every syllable. I read it, and reread it, and then it hit me....I don't have to read this crap! Not only do I not have to read it today, I can make sure I never have to hear from her ever again! And so I did. I went to my friends' list, clicked the little X beside her name, and that was that. Voila! She's gone, out of my life, out of my little FB world. Why? Because I can, that's why! I can't make the real world perfect, can't cut out every dissenting opinion or anything that I just plain don't like, but you'd better believe I can do it in Facebook, and I will.

Aaahh, the freedom......... :)