Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/900775
12 November 16 • 2017 jn continued from page 10 jews d in the checked and some were outright myths already debunked by Snopes, the fact-checking website. In the past year, tempers have flared even more with friends attacking friends on Facebook over everything from the NFL's national anthem con- troversy, gun control, the Russian interference in the election and Donald Trump's policies. No topic is off limits when it comes to firing shots in the comment section of Facebook and real friendships become the col- lateral damage. OPEN DISCUSSION? I was recently tutoring a young woman for her bat mitzvah and we were studying the Tower of Babel story within her Torah portion. I explained that God was so angered that humans would try to build a tower to the sky that God punished them by confound- ing their languages so they couldn't communicate with one another. Immediately, this wise 13-year-old girl said, "In my bat mitzvah speech, I want to talk about how we com- municate with each other." And she immediately hit the nail on the head by explaining the negative effects that occur from the way teens talk to each other in the 21st century. Rather than speaking face-to- face, today's teens send coded text messages, Snapchat messages that disappear after several seconds and comments under the photos they post on Instagram. The language they use is different from what any prior generation would recognize. One mis- interpreted emoji or abbreviation can mean the end of a friendship. On Facebook, it's not only the teens who resort to insults and abusive lan- guage when someone offends them with a strongly held opinion. Earlier generations wouldn't understand how your crazy liberal uncle can get into a heated debate with some girl you went to summer camp with a few decades ago. When adults begin threatening to "unfollow" or "unfriend," we quickly find ourselves feeling trapped and annoyed in a fourth-grade-esque insult circus. Cutting off contact with someone with opposing ideology will never further discussion, debate and democracy. Sadly, a lot of people on Facebook are close-minded, unwilling to listen to opposing opinions. "As a former elected nonpartisan who saw the necessity and advantage of working with both sides, I've been disappointed by how many friends haven't been interested in having an open discussion," said Gerald Naftaly, former Oak Park mayor. "Rather than agree on a point or two, some just don't want to consider that there's another point of view. Many have gone on the attack or defense, depending on the tone of the posts." Two years ago, the Pew Research Center surveyed 10,000 Americans and found that "Republicans and Democrats are more divided along ideological lines — and partisan antipathy is deeper and more exten- sive — than at any point in the last two decades." That report confirms that "ideological silos" are now com- mon on both the political left and right. People with down-the-line ideo- logical positions are more likely than others to say that most of their close friends share their political views. Facebook has become an echo chamber and when we see a view- point that is diametrically at odds with our own political views, we go on the offensive. Lisa Bernstein of Ann Arbor shared how political debate on Facebook has changed her relationships. "There was a meme after the election about peo- ple dreading being with their families on Thanksgiving. I didn't share the meme [on my Facebook account], but I liked it, and I guess it showed up on my mom's Facebook page. I got a call the next day asking if I was dreading going there for Thanksgiving." Missy Kirshner of Commerce said, "It seems that people are becoming bolder about spout- ing their beliefs on social media, particularly after the election. People are jumping on any report and bending the facts to assert their political opin- ion. It's too much. And not only have I had to 'unfriend' certain individuals, it has colored my feelings toward them when I see them in person." When we leave our manners and civility behind and engage in politi- cal grenade-launching on Facebook, nothing good will ever come from it. I don't know anyone who had their mind changed because someone told them they were crazy, unintelligent Missy Kirshner Gerald Naftaly Lisa Bernstein continued on page 14 J 25th Annual Celebration Jewish Senior Life's Eight Over Eighty recognizes eight distinguished leaders in our community, all over the age of 80, who have demonstrated a lifetime of dedication to the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam - Repairing the World. CALL FOR NOMINATIONS SAVE THE DATE 25th Annual Eight Over Eighty Event Sunday, April 29, 2018 11:30am at Adat Shalom Synagogue FOR SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT www.jslmi.org/events/eight-over-eighty FOR NOMINATION FORMS www.jslmi.org/events/eight-over-eighty or contact Beth Tryon at 248-592-5026 TTY #711 Btryon@jslmi.org Nominations will be accepted through January 7, 2018