friend or foe

My husband is new to facebook. He has stayed away from it, but now sees that it might be useful as a marketing tool. I'm thinking maybe not.

He calls me into the office (which also doubles as the bathroom).

How do I get rid of this long string of stupid-ass comments coming down below a person's name? he asks in all seriousness.

Um, you don't? That's the whole point of facebook, Dear.

A few minutes later he summons me again.

'I'm deleting friend's.' he says. 'Is that cool? I just don't want to see their face or hear their shit.'

Let's not mince words.

I look at his 'friend' requests, lined up and waiting for the confirm or ignore designation.

What about those folks, I ask.

"It grosses me out to think that they're still alive." he says

So ya'll weren't that close.....

Which brings me round to the obvious question. Is facebook a harmless amusement or a suck hole of wasted time and misplaced energies? Or something in between. Or both. As with everything, I think prudence is key. Don't you just love that good, old fashioned word? Prudence. Let's look it up.

pru·dence  (prdns) n. 1. The state, quality, or fact of being prudent. 2. Careful management; economy. Synonyms: prudence, discretion, foresight, forethought, circumspection These nouns refer to the exercise of good judgment, common sense, and even caution, especially in the conduct of practical matters. Prudence is the most comprehensive: "She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older" (Jane Austen). Discretion suggests wise self-restraint, as in resisting a rash impulse: "The better part of valor is discretion" (Shakespeare). Foresight implies the ability to foresee and make provision for what may happen: She had the foresight to make backups of her computer files. Forethought suggests advance consideration of future eventualities: The empty refrigerator indicated a lack of forethought. Circumspection implies discretion, as out of concern for moral or social repercussions: "The necessity of the times, more than ever, calls for our utmost circumspection" (Samuel Adams).

You may not know it, but I just did you a HUGE favor. That is an AWESOME definition with some world class quotes thrown in to boot. If my mother told me once, she told me a million times, 'discretion is the better part of valor'. I was like, 'yeah sure Mom, I'll get right on that', but Jesus, Mary and Joseph was she onto something.

I have some friends who should consider tattooing it on their bikini line. But I digress.

So sorry. Back to Facebook.

Matt says it's akin to a casual get-together that goes awry. The idea was to get some folks together, no harm in that, maybe some old friends will drop by. At first, all is well. But the word is out, and people start showing up.

Friends of friends.

Virtual strangers.

Things get out of control. Someone throws up on the oriental rug. "Hey Matt, Kerry Noth just drove up; he wants you to hear the sub-woofer he just put in his Camry."

Fast forward 20 years.

Now it's all in your inbox and needing your attention. Kerry Noth is 'on the lake with great friends and Zeus, his huskie/lab mix.'

As if.

Remember, prudence is the word of the day.

Let's use a form of it in a sentence.

It would not be prudent to 'friend' Matt.