Around the Bluhmin’ Town

By

Judy Bluhm

Do you have a secret? If that secret includes having an affair with someone from work, it is probably best not to go to a concert. Because they have “Kiss Cams” and Jumbotrons which will broadcast exactly what you are up to. When the CEO of Astronomer and his Chief of Human Resources were caught in a loved-up pose, it ended up with over 80 million views! Yep, this is the age of the internet. And like any good train wreck, we cannot look away.

Affairs, cheating, bad manners, rants, boorish behavior, lying, stealing and worse are not new. Been happening since biblical times. What has changed is that now you can be posted on social media for the entire world to see. Don’t want to give up your pre-booked window seat on a plane so a family can sit together? Be prepared to be videoed and posted. One woman lost her job for not moving. She never raised her voice, just said, “no.” Seems like it showed her boss she wasn’t a “team player.”

So, you dislike the produce in the grocery store because it is overpriced and over-ripe? Do not have a tizzy fit in the aisle and berate a poor grocery worker. You too can become famous. And remember when every woman out there who acted badly was called a “Karen?” That’s because we have you on video yelling at someone for no good reason, you mean privileged, rude, lady.

Not so long ago, people could just do things and not be taped. Some of the folks who are exposed maybe should be, so their cheating or cruel ways can bring consequences. But some people are just having “bad moments” and now find themselves on Facebook. And they might just be misunderstood. Of course, we, the consumers of social media, might not always know who is bad or just having a “bad moment.”

Teenagers and college students need to be especially careful. That drunken party where you shout that you “hate this town” and “everyone here is an idiot” might show up in a video twenty years from now. Like when you are running for mayor. Yes, life is like that. Sometimes humans do and say stupid things which are best forgotten and not recorded for perpetuity.

Yet, we will not go backwards. We are a culture that wants to see everything. And laugh and judge. While not every moment is worth recording, there are plenty of “moments” that do appear to give us (the people of the world) some sort of pleasure and entertainment to watch how others mess up.

On a hot, summer day, a UPS driver had a meltdown when he tripped over something on a customer’s porch. He literally threw boxes, kicked a plant and shouted a few choice words that cannot be repeated in this fine publication. All caught on the Ring camera and posted on the internet. The guy got fired and was viewed on social media millions of times. That’s one heck of a “moment” to explain when you interview for a new job.

Doing something naughty? Reconsider. Or smile. The cameras are rolling.

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local realtor. Contact Judy at [email protected] or visit www.aroundthebluhmintown.com.