I get it. Some of you feel some type of way about this young lady who was canned by Brookfield Zoo after referencing the “rude ass White people” she was compelled to deal with.
Yes, there are some hysterical folk trying to act like she’s the Black answer to George Zimmerman by calling her racist.
The truth is: No, her post didn’t contain a racial slur, but it did include a racial insult. Had she just said “rude ass people” she wouldn’t be perking up the ears of FOX news blowhards, but the truth remains:
If her employers found out she was snapping about their clientele, White or nah, she might still have gotten the pink slip.
Why?
Because…well…you can’t serve the public and write sideways crazy things about your customers on social media.
And if you don’t understand that, you might end up in trouble on your own profile pages because despite what you think about all your sub-tweets, passive aggressive posts and careful social media grouping, anything you put up there could very well get found. (Just ask Edward Snowden, y’all.)
So here are 5 dumb things you need to stop doing on social media unless you want to be like Miss Brookfield.
1. Talking Trash About Employers or Job
You hate your boss. That’s fine. Maybe he or she is a mix of Gordon Gekko from “Wall Street” spliced with Pinky from “Friday” and a touch of Maleficent. Perhaps your job is too far afield from your college major or your duties are not as described to you during your interview. I don’t know, but maybe you can talk about this tyrant or your dissatisfaction with the gig after work at drinks with your friends or rant over dinner with your boo. What you don’t want to do is put this manifesto online, no matter how many solidarity “likes” you get. And even those of you who think you’re subtle…all it takes is one messy co-worker, friend of a co-worker or other espionage and your next social media focus will be LinkedIn where you’d better look for a new job.
2. Threatening People
Didn’t Lil Wayne tell you? Real “g’s” move in silence like lasagna, man. Why the heck are you publicly telling your enemies what you’re going to do, when you’ll do it and why? Would you yell threats in a public park, restaurant or out in front of your house? Probably not….but yet you’re silly enough to do it via electrons. Stop playing. You’re one screenshot away from ending up on the local news.
3. Showing Off the Goods
You may not be in danger of going to jail like these dimwitted criminals who decided to catalog their ill-gotten gains on platforms including Instagram. But you could attract the attention of your boss (this, after you asked for a raise), people you owe money to, relatives who want to borrow some quick cash and who knows….a student loan employee who is processing your default request. First off, humble bragging and straight-up bragging is annoying, even if none of your virtual buddies are direct enough to check you. Second, it could be hazardous to your wallet. So. Just. Stawp.
4. Shaming People
As these dingbats learned the hard way, sometimes your effort to shame others online could backfire. (Right, looking at you Mr. I-See-You-Breastfeeding-Man and you too, Madame Faux Pedophile Catcher.) But even so-called harmless things like taking pictures of people on trains, planes and automobiles can make you look like a bigger jerk than whomever you are trying to uphold as #teambaddecisions. Here’s an idea: Instead of capturing weird hairstyles, behavior or clothing at the mall, on public buses or (shudder) at your family reunion, read a dang book or something.
5. Horrible, Lazy Crowdfunding
I feel you. It’s so easy to set up a crowdfunding account. A platform that was once seemingly reserved for entrepreneurs, people seeking help with serious medical bills, indie music projects and out-of-the-box inventions is now a free-for-all for folk seeking assistance with anything from making potato salad to seeing a Mayweather fight. But just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD do it. Please don’t alienate friends and family with foolish desires, such as wanting to eat at a fancy restaurant, go on a vacation you didn’t save up for, or getting out of credit card debt you’re still running up. You’re coming across like Loomis Simmons from “In Living Color.” What happens when you have a worthwhile project and you wasted all your crowdsource karma on foolery?
YOUR TURN: What did I miss? What is a popular, dumb thing you are seeing people do online?
