by Addison Cooper, LCSW
Red Carpet
For the second year in a row, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the Academy Awards. In a lighthearted skit, Kimmel interacted with a child portraying Jimmy’s 9-year-old self. It has me thinking about myself at nine. Social work wasn’t on my radar then. I hope my 9-year-old self would like who I’ve become, and honestly, 9-year-old me would probably be more interested in the personality and character that I have—and whether I’m nice—than in what I do for a living. Thankfully, one of the blessings of social work is that it has the potential to let us spend our work hours being the kind of people we want to be and pursuing goals that we believe are important. I think 9-year-old me would be okay with that.
As with each year’s Academy Awards, each winner was given a brief moment to speak. Some expressed gratitude, some celebrated their heritage, and some spoke on pressing topics that they felt were important. As an example of the latter, Frances McDormand called for the creation and use of inclusion riders. As I’m writing this, one actor (Michael B. Jordan) has already committed to use inclusion riders in his future projects.
The presenters and nominees were perhaps a more diverse group than in past years, and some made reference to the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag from 2015, suggesting that the Academy has made some effort to respond to the social media outcry from three years ago.
What would you say to the world if you had a large audience for a brief moment of time? I started thinking about this as I listened to each winner’s speech, and initially it was a fanciful but hypothetical question. Reflecting on the power of social media—and the unpredictability of tweets and memes going viral—makes me think that the question might not be hypothetical after all. Everything we say—and perhaps especially, everything we write online—has the potential to reach a worldwide audience. Unlike the Oscar winners, we’re not usually quite sure which of our words will carry the farthest, but everything we write travels at least some distance and has at least some impact. What would you say if you knew your words would carry far? What tone would you use?
The Academy Awards ceremony usually features some amount of social commentary by the winners and presenters. That’s no different from the social media we consume and perhaps contribute to every day. And social commentary is important. It has the potential to fuel change. It has the potential to identify things that are wrong or unfair or poorly thought out, and to bring about rightness, fairness, and reframing of thoughts. As social workers, perhaps more than most other callings, we have an interest and perhaps a responsibility to use our words to influence the shape of our culture.
So often, fueled by their passion, people write angry, divisive posts that are unlikely to advance conversation. They may be cathartic, but I think they do more harm than good. As social workers, we don’t just have the interest and responsibility to speak and write on social issues—we also have the training and skill to communicate effectively.
We never know which words we write will carry the farthest. This article I’m writing could reach a few readers, or many. I don’t know. The next thing I post on my Adoption at the Movies site could reach a dozen readers or thousands. Same for my personal Facebook page. As social workers, I believe we have the potential to generate some very important content. Our tone can help it be effectively received.
As we write about social issues from a place of informed passion, may we choose to use words that build bridges and not walls, even in relation to those with whom we disagree. May we build up and not build down. May we encourage and exhort, but never shame. Let’s not let the passion with which we feel the rightness of our cause become an excuse for tactless and harmful catharsis. Instead, with measured, thoughtful, and respectful words, let’s make logically sound arguments for the causes we believe in that will stand out online in a sea of noise. I think those are the words that will carry the farthest.
So, what would you say to a worldwide audience, and what tone would you use to make it the most effective and edifying? The next thing you write online might be read by your biggest audience.
Addison Cooper, LCSW, is the founder of Adoption at the Movies (http://www.AdoptionAtTheMovies.com). His book, Adoption at the Movies, is available at Amazon. Find Addison at: http://facebook.com/AdoptionAtTheMovies