Employed conservatives and the pitfalls of social media
Regarding the use of social media, I think it’s safe to say that, in our current culture, if you’re an employed liberal, you can “get away with” more than if you’re an employed conservative.
Case in point (from Catholic World News):
A Catholic school teacher in New Jersey has been suspended from her position after she came under fire for a Facebook post on homosexuality.
Patricia Jannuzzi became the target of criticism after she charged that gay-rights activists ‘want to reengineer western civ into a slow extinction.’ She added: ‘We need healthy families with a mother and a father for the sake of children and humanity!’
But get this: once this teacher’s pro-family conservatism was “outed,” all hell broke loose. Even so-called celebrities entered the fray, as evidenced by a story in mycentraljersey.com (notice the obvious liberal bias in just the first paragraph of the article):
An anti-gay rant by a religion teacher at Immaculata High School is drawing the ire of alumni across the country, including a former ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ cast member, and even grabbing the attention of New Jersey-raised Susan Sarandon.
On her now-deleted Facebook profile earlier this week, the veteran private Catholic school teacher said gays or gay activists ‘want to reengineer western civ (sic) into a slow extinction’ as part of their ‘agenda’….
[Principal Jean] Kline said the school is reviewing its social media policy for employees. ‘It is the policy of the school that all faculty and staff demonstrate respect and sensitivity to all people at all times and to avoid offending any individuals or groups,’ Kline said.
Ms. Jannuzzi could have been a bit more thoughtful in her choice of words (maybe), but there was nothing vulgar about her Facebook post. It was certainly pro-Catholic – unless, of course, you support Nancy Pelosi’s version of Catholicism.
When you consider the filth and venom that emanates from the left on a frequent basis via social media, what Ms. Jannuzzi wrote is tame in comparison.
And yet, the pro-family conservative incurs the wrath of her bosses, who almost always cave in to pressure from left-wing activists and misguided proponents of political correctness. This doesn’t seem to happen nearly as much to liberals in the workplace.
If there’s a lesson to be learned here, I think it’s this: if you’re an employed conservative and use social media, be extremely – and I mean extremely – careful about what you post, lest you wind up in the unemployment line.
For Catholics in the secular workplace, make sure you praise Pope Francis. That way, your job will be safe – for the time being, at least.
And if you’re openly gay, have no fear; that’s a résumé-enhancer in most workplaces.