Why My Friend Left Facebook

Apparently my recent posting about social media bullying really resonated with a lot of people. Several have commented about how they’ve been victimized. Including a friend who is a medical professional.

My friend, who I will call Warren, happens to be an ardent Trump supporter. But he can’t believe the way other people who also voted for Trump are treating him because of what he’s shared on Facebook.

Throughout the pandemic, Warren has been generous with sharing his knowledge of the virus and how it works. He works in a hospital that was - at the peak of the pandemic - overwhelmed with patients. And the number of hospitalizations is growing again, thanks, he says, to the advent of two new variants that are taking hold in a number of states.

There are those, including his fellow conservatives, who have made a political issue out of the virus. Who argue that the social distancing and mask mandates are political in nature. They argue the COVID pandemic’s was overblown last year to drive Donald Trump from office. And believe restrictions remain in place as an excuse to wrench away our freedoms.

Warren has been patiently explaining to several Facebook groups the science behind the restrictions. He’s been pointing out that social distancing, wearing masks and washing hands are prudent preventative measures. He notes that he has been giving direct treatment to COVID patients for more than a year now. And that the precautions that we are told to follow, “are the same precautions we use in the hospital.”

But unfortunately for Warren, many people who read him feel his comments are politically - not scientifically - based. And he’s come under attack on Facebook. He’s been called vile names. Has been labeled a liberal. He must be, he’s been told, (heaven forbid!) a Democrat!

Some of the comments have been so vitriolic to be viewed by Warren as threatening.

He’s worried about his safety and that of his family. And I, his longtime friend, am appalled by what’s being said about him.

I’ve known Warren for decades. We privately discuss our political beliefs and I know that not only did he vote for Trump but he’s very much a conservative. Perhaps if he voted Democratic he’d shrug the attacks off. But its upsetting to him because they are coming from people who supposedly support his political views.

“It’s like people have set their intellect aside,” he says. “They’re on the internet making claims that can easily be checked out in just seconds but they don’t.”

With that I told him about a debate I had just been involved in on social media that illustrates his point.

Some folks were raising the alarm that in Oregon, they plan to make temporary mask mandates permanent.

“What are they going to make people do, wear masks after the pandemic ends?” one participant in the discussion remarked.

It took me just a few seconds to check out the veracity of the claim. Factually it’s correct. The legislature is poised to make the temporary mask mandate permanent. But the conclusion the folks engaged in the conversation so alarmingly made is wrong.

The state website explains, “Although the rule must be adopted as a permanent rule because the law does not allow a temporary rule to be extended, Oregon OSHA expects to repeal the permanent rule once it is no longer needed to address the coronavirus pandemic.”

Of course the many changing pandemic regulations lead to confusion and raise questions. And perhaps some of that can be the fault of public officials who don’t always adequately explain their thinking and why it is modified as the pandemic progresses.

But blame also rests on those of us who don’t take the time to research before sounding the alarm. And on those who attack others with whom they disagree.

Warren’s voice is important because he is willing to share with us the current thinking in the medical community so the rest of us can make informed decisions. I’m saddened that he’s been so pressured that his voice has been silenced by online bullies.