When Did We Go From “I Wouldn’t” To “You Can’t?”

When I was a kid growing up I was taught there were a few things you just don't talk about. These included religion, politics and medical stuff.

We have a problem in today's world, where everyone thinks everyone needs to know how they FEEL about everything all the time. On Twitter, on Tik Tok, on Facebook, on bumper stickers, on T-shirts, etc.

Not only that, people today feel like they need to tell YOU how to act.

My favorite analogy goes like this. Back in the day if you didn't like pepperoni pizza you just didn't eat it. Today if you don't like pepperoni pizza you need to start a hashtag telling everyone how awful it is, a petition will be started on Change.org and social media users will start pressuring your local pizza parlor to stop serving that flavor.

If someone is religious why do we feel the need to belittle them for their beliefs. If someone isn't religious, why do we feel like we need to convince them to change their mind?

What ever happened to just letting everyone believe whatever they want to believe?

It's not enough to be a Republican or a Democrat, we have to jump on social media and tell others that they are wrong for what they believe in, often whittling down their entire personality to media-driven political bullet points. No effort is made to find a middle ground, just a shouting down of people who disagree with you.

The health one is really coming into play right now with the vaccine battle lines being drawn in the sand. Apparently, if you DO get the vaccine you are a sheep and a living medical experiment and if you DON'T get the vaccine you are a selfish person who doesn't care if others catch COVID. Again, there is no middle ground, no nuanced discussion, just labels.

To me, this is all social media's fault. No one cares what you think other people should do. Watch your own bobber please.