Your Stream of Consciousness Needs a Dam

J0443661 This should probably be obvious to most of us, but in case it isn't, I give you the following advice:  If your public persona directly conflicts with your private one (e.g., you're a hypocrite), perhaps you aren't best suited for social media.  Examples?

1 – A technology-savvy priest who was carrying on an affair – with his second cousin, no less – should probably not host a TV show with 200,000 viewers where he espouses the vow of celibacy (yes, TV is an ancient form of social media…).  By the way; he reportedly ended the affair two years ago, but unfortunately, the evidence never goes away.

Irony of the day?  He also penned the books, "On Camera and Off" and "Life Full of Surprises."

Indeed.  Another reputation stained.

2 – Say you're a cop, you know, that whole, "To Protect and To Serve" mantra?  Best not to describe your occupation on Facebook as "Human Waste Disposal".  Just sayin'.

See, with our 1st example, it's more about embarrassment, but with our 2nd, it's about scuttling criminal trials.  How?

Bias, among other things.  A comment like that suggests a pre-disposition toward the public at large – and might even suggest a little instability.  Notice I used the word, 'suggest'.  I'm not saying it's true, because that doesn't matter.  Never underestimate the power of suggestion.

Unless you think about it very carefully – or experience it yourself – many people simply can't understand how off-hand comments like this can become a very big deal.  But they can – especially in a criminal proceeding where reasonable doubt is the standard.  Oh, and as a bonus, you might even receive a reprimand and/or get fired.

Contemplate it…count to ten…do whatever is necessary to check yourself.  Otherwise, you'll be saying "Dam", alright, but it'll be a homonym.