by Kenneth Frawley
Published on July 20, 2014
Not all love posts are equal. Mothers sharing photos of the new baby, grandparents boasting about their grandkids, pet lovers showcasing their favourite hound, or horse; even if those can be a bit much at times, they are forgivable. Yes, the photo of a shirtless male on a dating social site is rather disgustingly pathetic. Yet, believe it or not, that is not the worst SM etiquette faux pas being committed on a massive scale. That blunder, which cannot be forgiven, lies in the mush, a kind of teenaged puppy-love that all too often adults, even generally reasonable people, fall victim to. It’s known as the, ‘we’re so happy’ syndrome. Facebook, sadly, is littered with such exchanges: ‘A misses B’ ‘B misses A, back!’ ‘Can’t wait to see you, when I return.’ ‘Me, too!’ ‘I’m blowing you a kiss.’ ‘Me, too!’ Nothing turns the stomach quicker than such Facebook (FB) exchanges, which are made even more grotesque by a third party who has witnessed the puppy-love and felt compelled to salute the love-drunk pair. ‘Ah, you two are so cute. I’m so happy for you both.’
‘The first year with Myrna has been one of the best years of my life. Tragically, such vile gushing is always praised by FB friends, when, in actuality, an act of true friendship would be to ask the couple to ease up on the love shout-outs. However, that train is never late. For, right on time, a second after the post, out of obligation, because FB friends’ postings simply cannot be ignored, the cheering-on, whether sincere or not, pops up: ‘Oh, I just love seeing you two together!’ remarks one friend. ‘The sight of you two makes me smile,’ writes a second. ‘My heart is happy at the sight of you two,’ adds a third. Yes, love may be a grand thing, but not in front of the kids, please!
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