Social media tips to avoid being crushed like Hank Jr.

By John McGory

“We have met the enemy and he is us.” 

Walt Kelly’s famous quote from Pogo sums up today’s world of social media.  Almost every day someone is made into an enemy with their complete lack of understanding of the power of today’s media.  The only thing more amazing is how quickly the world crushes the new-found enemy.

This week’s poor sucker is Hank Williams, Jr.  Good old boy Hank conjured up in his head the idea to create a metaphor sticking Adolph Hitler and President Barack Obama in the same sentence.  He should have stuck to singing. 

This was an act of career suicide.  Hank compared the most hated person of the 20^th century with a sitting president.  The comment defies logic no matter your political views.

There was a time in the not so distant past where a slip of the tongue could slide by without a person committing professional hara-kiri.  Those days are now simply quaint memories.  It took ESPN less than 24 hours to pull Hank’s theme song from Monday Night Football.

So another person is turned into an enemy of the state by ill-conceived comments, videos or tweets.  How can people learn from this never-ending cycle of personal destruction?  A couple of columns ago we discussed the importance of combining ideas and how that leads to genius. 

Here are some ideas that will prevent you from social media suicide.  We will combine some educational disciplines to teach basic social media lessons.

1.      Not-so-free speech: Speech is no longer free.  If you combine lessons in math, English and government, it becomes clear that you can calculate what it costs in income to carelessly exercise your right to freedom of speech.

2.      No pictures please: Do what you can to stay off camera.  Studying visual arts, career counseling and math can teach anyone how a mobile device has the ability to make your $100,000 college education worthless.

3.      Personal decorum:  Combine concepts from law, history, sign language and sociology and you will soon learn that any derogatory language, reference or gesture on film or in the written word can and will be used against you.

4.      Caught in the act:  Blend concepts from visual arts, health, sex education, computer technology and law and you will soon see how videos of drinking alcohol, taking drugs, sexual activity or criminal acts shown on the Internet are never easily explained and often lead to criminal prosecution.

5.      New ideas:  Understand basic education to see how topics like outrageous metaphors, revisionist history, new math and creationism should be vetted by at least three people who aren’t close friends before you verbalize it on camera or in public.

New media is a challenge. It may be too late for Hank Williams, Jr. and many others, but you still have a chance.  Just remember we are our own worst enemies and we have to learn to protect ourselves from ourselves.

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