Archive: Around Town

Over the past year I've unfriended several people on Facebook for a variety of reasons. Some are too political, or at least hold views in the extreme opposite of mine. Others are too 'Christmas letter-y'. You know the type. Their spouse is wonderful and has a lucrative new job, kids are honor roll students, and they vacationed in fabulous, exotic destinations during the year. Others are just annoying. The problem is that I'm running into these people when I'm out and about. I'm feeling like they know I unfriended them because of the way they look at and avoid me. Shall I go through the process of re-friending them and make up an excuse (lie) about how it came about that I unfriended them in the first place?
Friends Unfriended

Dear Friends Unfriended: I'm observing your signature seems to be an oxymoron. You unfriended them because, I would assume, you want to enjoy your experience on social media. You had the option of not seeing their posts, but chose instead to delete them as a friend. In the heat of the moment when you unfriended these individuals, what were your thoughts? If you are interested in self-reflection, it might be interesting for you to consider. But the short answer is, no, don't lie. Own the fact that you would like your experience to be a social context in which people mimic your own values, and you don't want to look at lives of people that don't fit that criteria. You've simply unfriended someone. You haven't, committed an atrocious crime against them.

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