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Monday question: Facebook trash-talking
It's been a while since we've had a good juicy Facebook question, hasn't it? What do you all think of this?
Also, apologies for any formatting oddities. This new software is VERY different and I wasn't informed of the changes in time to take the training. I'll try to keep things as reader-friendly as possible, but I appreciate your patience in the meantime.
My 15 year-old nephew and I have always enjoyed a very close bond. Since he's moved away, we've kept in touch through Facebook. This has been both a blessing and a curse: A blessing because I am able to keep in touch with him on a daily basis no matter where we are; a curse because, as a 15 year-old, he doesn't understand that everything you post on Facebook can be read by anyone in your contact list. Recently, one of his friends responded to one of his postings in a trashy manner, calling his grandmother (and my very own mother!) a "whore."
Offended, I sent my nephew a private e-mail, demanding that he delete the entire conversation thread from his Facebook page before anyone else saw it, and taking him to task for not standing up for his grandmother's reputation. I also told him that in no uncertain terms was he EVER to let anyone speak ill of any female member of his family and sealed the deal by stating that his lack of action demonstrated a lack of character in my eyes on his part. He responded by "un-friending" me on Facebook.
Although this was all done in private, was I wrong to call him on the carpet? I realize I was responding to the slur against my mother, but is it too much to ask a boy of 15 to defend his grandmother's honor?
He'll be coming home for Christmas, and I would dearly love to settle this matter before we sit down to Christmas dinner. HELP!What do you all think? As usual, I'll post my response to your comments next week (the regular schedule is new questions here on Monday and Thursday; responses/summary on the following Tuesday/Wednesday and Friday. If you want more to read in the meantime, check out my other blog!)
Also, apologies for any formatting oddities. This new software is VERY different and I wasn't informed of the changes in time to take the training. I'll try to keep things as reader-friendly as possible, but I appreciate your patience in the meantime.
The author is solely responsible for the content.
About Miss Conduct
Welcome to Miss Conduct’s blog, a place where the popular Boston Globe Magazine columnist Robin Abrahams and her readers share etiquette tips, unravel social conundrums, and gossip about social behavior in pop culture and the news. Have a question of your own? Ask Robin using this form or by emailing her at missconduct@globe.com.
Welcome to Miss Conduct’s blog, a place where the popular Boston Globe Magazine columnist Robin Abrahams and her readers share etiquette tips, unravel social conundrums, and gossip about social behavior in pop culture and the news. Have a question of your own? Ask Robin using this form or by emailing her at missconduct@globe.com.
contributor
Robin Abrahamswrites the weekly "Miss Conduct" column for The Boston Globe Magazine and is the author of Miss Conduct's Mind over Manners. Robin has a PhD in psychology from Boston University and also works as a research associate at Harvard Business School. Her column is informed by her experience as a theater publicist, organizational-change communications manager, editor, stand-up comedian, and professor of psychology and English. She lives in Cambridge with her husband Marc Abrahams, the founder of the Ig Nobel Prizes, and their socially challenged but charismatic dog, Milo.
Who is Miss Conduct?
Robin Abrahamswrites the weekly "Miss Conduct" column for The Boston Globe Magazine and is the author of Miss Conduct's Mind over Manners. Robin has a PhD in psychology from Boston University and also works as a research associate at Harvard Business School. Her column is informed by her experience as a theater publicist, organizational-change communications manager, editor, stand-up comedian, and professor of psychology and English. She lives in Cambridge with her husband Marc Abrahams, the founder of the Ig Nobel Prizes, and their socially challenged but charismatic dog, Milo.
