On Wednesday, I shared a list of requirements for being my parent friend. The list is split between humorous parenting stuff and deadly serious political/social/cultural stuff. Guess which ones people got mad about? (It’s usually both, tbh.)
Obviously, I knew it would rile people up, and I knew some would even unfollow my Instagram. I want to tell those ex-followers, especially the ones who like to loudly announce their departure: I do not give a shit!
I truly do not care if something I write—either jokes people don’t get/like or serious posts people disagree with—drives people away. I wouldn’t have written Wednesday’s list—or the many other potentially divisive bits of content I’ve shared over the years—if I did.
I try not to take anything too seriously, least of all Instagram, but I do feel I have a responsibility to use whatever meager platform my followers have given me to speak up about issues that impact my family and my kids and their futures (not every issue, of course; I am too dumb to tackle them all, so forgive me if I sit one or two out).
Not everyone agrees with that approach. Whenever I post anything even remotely “political,” I stoke controversy. Gun stuff, vaccine stuff, LGBTQ stuff, even ADHD stuff; it all has a tendency to provoke. These days, right now, in another crucial election year, Trump stuff is the most incendiary topic of all. And I knew that when I made “#NeverTrump” the first item on my list.
Much of the helpful feedback I got from those deserting my page (e.g., being called “gay,” “cuck,” “libtard,” and more!, real food for thought!) focused on the idea that by rejecting Trump supporters, I’m perpetuating division. That I’m a hypocrite, and just as close-minded and intolerant as the very people I’m railing against.
Well, allow me to retort!