On a Gorilla, Social Media, and Bad Parents

The Intentional Mom Planning System is where you need to start with our incredible collection of product options. It will help you establish the basics for your life & home so you’ll finally have a plan, save yourself time, and go to bed feeling like you accomplished something every day (because you did). Save up to 60% HERE!

I wasn’t going to write about this whole gorilla situation. I really wasn’t. And then I received several emails from readers asking my thoughts about the whole thing. And then the woman who actually taped the footage that we’ve all seen on her cell phone was featured on my local news since she is from these parts, and her perspective is very enlightening.

If I were asked to give a one sentence reaction to this whole ordeal about a gorilla, social media, and bad parenting it would be this:

(this post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you)

Why is this a situation that needs to have blame placed? Why can’t this just be an unfortunate sequence of events that leaves us all with something to celebrate and something to mourn? A life was saved, a life was taken. The end.

I am really not sure what life was like as an adult when I was a kid, but I really don’t remember things being this way. I just don’t remember there being so much finger pointing, crucifying, and demeaning of one another. Maybe there was and I just didn’t know it, but I really don’t think that’s the case.

Again, I blame social media and technology for this in a major way.

I love social media and technology…these things help feed my family, after all. However, social media, the ability to record everything at the drop of a hat gives way to the public seeing little snippets into things. We all get 10 second clips into any and every situation that makes its way onto the social media scene, and then the court of public opinion weighs in. And boy, does it weigh in.

I have thoughts about this whole situation, but I’m not going to share them.

Do you know why?

Because I was not there. Therefore, I have no business weighing in unless I were in a jury type situation where I have been presented all of the evidence on both sides and asked to weigh in as part of my civic duty.

And in all reality, no one else should be weighing in either for the very same reasons.

I don’t know this mother. Most of the people who are weighing in…they don’t know her either.

I do know that I don’t like being judged by someone who doesn’t know me or anything about the situation they are judging me about. Actually I wrote about that in a hugely popular post called An Open Letter to the Woman Walking Past My Driveway.

I am guessing that most other people don’t like being judged by strangers who don’t know them or anything about the situation they are being judged about, which means they shouldn’t be passing judgment on others either.

My opinion, since I’ve been repeatedly asked, is that sometimes, oftentimes, it’s best just not to have an opinion about matters that don’t involve us personally. Words are thrown around like they are nothing to be concerned with when really, they are.

I so wish we could all be more mindful of our words, our finger pointing, and our self-righteous spirits because most times we don’t need to place blame.

Most times, tragedy happens as result of a series of unfortunate events. And, for those of us who are human, we have ALL experienced an unfortunate sequence of events that have unfolded in a way that NONE of us would have ever chosen.

When it comes to a gorilla, social media, and bad parenting, I think that we should just all leave it alone and let those who are personally involved handle things.

That’s my opinion…since you asked and all 🙂