Countdown To Elections

One year from now we will be having an important election. Sadly, that means the gloves are coming off like never before. Heated family discussions. Neighbors pitted against neighbors.  Hushed voices at the office. It’s happening already with a current election. I just read a discussion on our community Facebook page where a person posted that a candidate running for the Glendale City Council had mailed him literature in a language other than his own. The comments that followed were some of the nastiest I have seen; the back-and-forth attacks and name-calling were just awful. These were my community members, some with names I recognized, being hateful to each other. Why?

I don’t understand why people treat each other so rudely on social media, why that has become an acceptable thing. People act as though they are invisible online. I assure you; we see you. This bad behavior embarrasses our community and I know we are better than that. How did we get here?

People my age have earned the wisdom of institutional memory. We remember how things used to be and can effectively apply that knowledge to how things are now. I guess that makes us dinosaurs, but it also makes us smart. One of the lessons I like to point to in my four decades of experience as an administrator is how that position has changed dramatically over the years. My early jobs always involved face-to-face contact and my only tools were paper, pen and the telephone on the wall. At the flower shop, we also had a cash register for walk-in sales but it was the relationship with the customer that was key to the success of the business.

During the 10 years I worked as an insurance agent, technology changed quite a bit but it was a slow process. We went from paper files, Selectric typewriters and fax machines to IBM PCs on our desks and dialing up the World Wide Web to enter information there. We had strong relationships with our clients and the improving technology was helping us do our jobs better.

As a self-employed wedding planner and antique dealer, I was out there meeting people and providing for them. The new word processing, spreadsheet and database programs really helped me stay organized. Sending emails was quick and efficient.

By the time I worked for the LA Zoo, I became adept at designing all sorts of flyers and forms, even creating a database to register kids for classes. However, I made sure that I maintained that personal contact and interviewed all potential volunteers individually.

In my current position with Assistance League of Flintridge, I do it all. I oversee a database, create programs, post on social media and designed a whole website, which I manage. With each job, I was able to evolve with the ever-changing technologies but I never forgot that interacting with real people is important.

It seems today changes are happening so fast and dinosaurs like me are trying to keep up. I still don’t embrace smartphones and it makes me sad to see every person glued to them. I remember how it was to have a casual conversation in a waiting room or to just sit quietly in my thoughts. I also remember when people were able to talk to each other nicely without shouting down opinions. And I always remember when I interact online that I am talking to real people who are my neighbors.

I do believe that social media can be positive. People who find lost animals, report the weather or give us a heads-up about an event are helping the community. There are some who post amazing photos to inspire us or funny videos to make us laugh.

This year, let’s have more of that and kindness always.

Susan Bolan

susanbolan710@gmail.com

  Susan BOLAN