Are you tempted to poke the bear on social media, sometimes?

The need–the right, even–to comment on everything that goes on, regardless of how much (or how little) we know about it, has embedded itself in the zeitgeist.

We simply can not resist the urge to get in our two cents, especially when someone has a contrary opinion. To poke the bear.

It’s not pretty.

Look, I’m not immune to wanting to weigh in on every stupidity I see posted. Like anyone else, sometimes my fingers move quickly to poke the bear.

Thanks to both the internet and social media, everyone now has the opportunity to wax eloquent (ha!) on every subject. There are Facebook experts on Covid, on diplomacy, on politics. Oh, and on transgender matters. The Second Amendment. Don’t forget criminal law.

There are even people with ailments who ask their Facebook friends for diagnoses. This boggles my mind. Back in the day, the old saying was “a doctor who treats herself has a fool for patient” but today, it’s more like “a patient who asks Facebook for a diagnosis is a complete fool.”

But I digress. This is really about how we let our buttons get pushed on social media and then feel inclined to push out our own views, educated or not, on every subject. Why can’t we just give it a rest? Or actually, let me start with myself: why don’t I just give it a rest?

Here are a few topics I’m seeing too much uninformed input on:

Why Griner got released but the other guy didn’t. Usually without acknowledging the President’s public statements that Russia would not include the other guy in the deal.

Lionizing the other guy’s military service, even though he was actually a do-badder with a dishonorable discharge.

Asking the Facebook diplomacy team for ideas on how we get Griner released. (Yes, Facebook diplomats…SMH)

Harry and Meghan. We do not know the real story but we act like we do. Ridiculously.

Transgender issues. I can’t even believe the idiocy on this topic. Fact is, transgender people exist. Not every kid who is a tomboy wants to actually be a boy. Not every kid who plays with dolls is actually a girl. It’s a complicated medical/psychological situation and we don’t need to make it more complicated with our uninformed opinions.

Did I mention I don’t care about Hunter’s laptop? We didn’t elect him.

I could go on. But my point is this:

If we are not an expert at something there is no need to weigh in just because we can. Why poke the bear? What does it really accomplish?

Why not just relax and worry about our own lives?