I am genuinely stunned by the number of people who after saying something critical about my opinions dive into my Twitter DMs to apologize and hope we’re still friends or friendly enough to communicate. We almost always are. But here are some points-of-view about political polarization and social media’s contribution to it that I have come to acknowledge.

1- In my opinion, constructive criticism is almost always good thing. One of my criticisms of American society today is how sensitive people are. Many interpret any disagreement as something personal. I don’t. Ever. You can call me anything, even a dumb monkey or stupid imbecile: as long as you’re open to dialogue so am I. No one has an exclusive patent on the truth. But a problem is how easily offended by criticism of a political figure or position people get.

We all have different opinions, forged by different perspectives and personal experiences. I wish more people understood that. Everyone has a right to contribute an opinion…unless they are paid to do so by a candidate or interest group and that should be absolutely called out and shamed.

2- I very RARELY use block or mute though those that frequently use those functions I don’t want to really be in a dialogue with due to the frequency by which these people actually act as “cyber bullies.” making a point or diving into DM’s before disengaging. Free speech and open minds means that. It’s ironic because some of the biggest advocates of “free speech” that I see on social media are the very same people who have muted me or blocked me after lecturing me on some issue or the other or just simply disagreeing and taking it personally. I find that hilarious but also deeply hypocritical. If you want to live in a vacuum so be it but don’t lecture the rest of us. But unfortunately since Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter this has become more and more common.

3- if you’re overly sensitive and can’t take criticism or a give-and-take maybe you shouldn’t be on social media. And if you’re a media member and can’t take criticism, maybe you should find something else to do for a living. This sounds harsh but I think it’s time something like this was said.

That’s my two cents take it for what it’s worth. I always encourage open conversations and dialogue not on my terms but universally acceptable ones.