Allen West (and other public figures): Do you know what your social media team is posting?
I'm a conservative and I follow a lot of well-known conservatives (and a few liberals, too) on social media. I know that most of their posts are actually made by staffers, not by the public figures themselves.
I also understand that the public figures aren't going to check every single post, but they do have a responsibility to set the standards and guidelines for what is posted and how their social media accounts in general are handled.
The Allen West Republic Facebook page usually publishes solid news and information pieces with an occasional political cartoon. But when I was checking my newsfeed recently, I saw this:
Full disclosure: I don't agree with Oprah Winfrey's politics but I have a tremendous amount of respect for what she has accomplished in her professional life. So the post got my attention.
Clicking on the unflattering image of Oprah Winfrey in Allen West's Facebook feed takes you to a page with an image of an extremely obese woman wearing a burka.
I thought it was petty, mean and without any informational value, and I decided to leave a comment expressing my feelings. I wrote: “This was beneath you — leave this kind of petty, ugly ‘humor' to the other side.”
I received plenty of engagement from other followers (in less than 24 hours, 68 likes and 26 replies to my comment — most agreeing with me but a few telling me I needed to get a sense of humor, get a life, and grow up) but no response at all from the Allen West Republic social media team. Others left their own comments, such as:
What does this situation tell us?
We are never going to be able to solve the serious problems facing our country today if we clutter up the conversation with ugly, false attacks disguised as humor or false information designed simply to inflame.
Public figures need to set the example with strict policies about what their teams share on social media.
Public figures should also follow social media best practices, which include monitoring comments and responding when appropriate. And in this case, an apology from Allen West Republic along with the removal of this offensive and pointless post would have been appropriate.
Join the conversation! Share your polite thoughts below.
Jacquelyn's latest book is Christian Business Almanac: The Ultimate Daily Guide for Kingdom-Driven Entrepreneurs and Leaders.
She is the author of the nonfiction books Simple Facts About Self-Publishing (Second Edition), Words to Work By: 31 devotions for the workplace based on the Book of Proverbs and Finding Joy in the Morning: You can make it through the night as well as the novel Choices (A Joyful Cup Story). With her husband, she is the co-creator of several coloring books for adults and the novelty My Book About series.
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