How does an effort to shed light on, or resolve an issue culminate in making it worse?
When clearing the air goes wrong, more smog accumulates and lingers.
Ruthless, nosy, messy people live for strife. They don’t want resolution. There’s no drama in that. They will masquerade as caring, interested, supportive, and even professional as they offer their platforms— not for healing, reconciliation, or clarity— but for humiliation, embarrassment, ridicule, and the right to say they got the story first— and in these social media days, those stories last forever.
Gullible, unsuspecting people who are eager to talk or be seen, will take the bait and climb aboard, not realizing that the spotlight in which they stand may as well be a gallows.
Neither your physical nor mental health, well-being, humanity, feelings, reputation, nor point of view, mean anything to an clever opportunist. They will eagerly facilitate your egg-in-the-face-pants-down humiliation for views, clicks, and likes. Some people are busybodies and talebearers first, and friendly, conflict-resolving acquaintances last.
There are opportunities that may look good—great even. It may seem that you’re in safe spaces populated by adoring, objective, neutral, concerned, or sympathetic faces, but you have to consider the motive behind every offer and invitation.
You can’t make the rules on someone else’s playground. If you choose to enter (and talk), they are under no obligation to protect or defend you. Say the wrong thing, and they just might check you. Perhaps speech is free, but the consequences of speaking unwisely is not cheap.
Sometimes it’s best to be quiet, slow down, be still, honestly assess your role in a matter, and definitely differentiate who’s sincerely in your corner, from who’s merely seeking to get the scoop, sound bite, or embarrassing shot.
In the quest to control a narrative, quash rumors, correct an error, prove a point, redeem yourself, or tell your side, if you’re not careful, you’ll back yourself into a corner— and people with less than pure motives, and even less empathy for you, will happily help you do just that.
In the spotlight, is the wrong place to suddenly realize you’ve made a mistake by airing information about which you should have given more private thought. Being defensive, evasive, arrogant, or combative is never a good look.
No platform, no matter how seemingly important or glamorous, is worth you making a fool of yourself, and giving new life to stuff that most people have forgotten.
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