Today, I begin a new series called Exposing My Friends. Basically, what this series does is I'll see something that my friends do, whether it be on social media websites, in real life, or through the grape vine, and I'll form an opinion on that. It is all a part of the grand scheme to call out most of my friends for the bull shit they pull regularly. If they were to ever find this, I'd probably lose them forever, but I really don't care.
The first installment in the series is based on a friend, we'll call him Jason (not his actual name). Jason is an Economics undergrad at Ohio State University. However, he has a passion for politics and is heavily involved in the Undergraduate Student Government (USG). He even ran for USG President when he was a Sophomore. From what I've heard from Jason, and the way he presents himself around campus, he wants to eventually go into politics and run for higher office.
As we all know, if you want to go into politics, you need to have a spotless track record. No arrests, no DUIs, no secret babies, no love affairs, nothing. This is also applied to a lesser scale to college students. If you are not 21, and you are caught drinking in a public location, you are breaking the law and potential employers (and voters) will think less of you. They will see you as someone who doesn't care for the rules. So if you don't care for the law, why should they follow it? This has gotten even worse with the advent of social media sites in the past few years. Now, anything you post on the Internet is there forever, even if you try and delete it.
Jason is a partier. He likes to go out and have a good time, and I know he did this before he was 21. I distinctly remember him showing up to an LGBT Prom one year, and offering me alcohol from a flask while no one was watching. Because of his excessive party habits, Jason knows that he needs to be careful about what gets on the Internet. But here is the contradiction: Jason is so worried, and so ashamed of himself, that he regularly takes down his Facebook, because of what will show up on his page.
I was reminded by my usually ignorant and socially awkward uncle, that if you don't have a Facebook account these days, it does more to hurt you. Employers (and again, in Jason's case, voters), will see that as you are trying to hide something even worse than the occasional drunk picture or sloppy make out. Could it be weed? Could it be hard drugs, like cocaine, ecstasy, LSD, or heroin? Could it be that you drink your feelings away every night and are constantly posting drunk pictures? Or you could just be a sheltered loser who thinks they are above Facebook and what it has to offer to people with even one friend. Never the less, not having a Facebook is doing more harm than good to Jason's political career. But it's not seeming to click in his mind.
But the main point of this article is the fact that when Jason does these things, it makes him look like the biggest hypocrite in the world. If you are that concerned about your political career, and what people who don't know you will think of you, you shouldn't be doing those bad things in the first place! Because it will catch up with you. It always does. I look back at this past Presidential election, and while Mitt Romney seemed like the perfect Mormon family man, people found things to criticize him about: strapping his dog to the roof of the family car, supporting gay rights while running for higher office in Massachusetts only to switch sides for this election, his "47%" comment slip up, etc. Just imagine if Mitt Romney, belonging to a faith that completely condemns alcohol and drugs, was caught having drank a lot in college. It would have caught up with him. And the same thing will happen to Jason.
My point is: if you want to run for Precinct Committee member of your suburb, fine. Nobody gives two shits about what you did in college. But if you want to be a Senator, Governor, or even the President, you need to commit NOW. You cannot be drinking underage, you cannot be drinking to excess every weekend when you are of age, you cannot be doing drugs, and you cannot be having sex willy-nilly. You can't expect that you'll be able to do these things now, and as long as it doesn't show up on the Internet, you'll get off scott free. And just because your Facebook privacy settings are locked tighter than Tim Tebow's pants (but they will open... soon), does not mean you can post whatever you want. So my advice for Jason, is that if you want to win in an election, you have to make serious changes in your lifestyle. I think we can all learn from Jason's mistakes, and become better people because of it. So, thank you for listening to my rant... and believe me, if I get around to it, more "Exposing My Friends" are to come.
