Everyone Knows You Can't Win a Land War in Asia

Vizinni's Blunders

Photo by Reba Spike on Unsplash

My brother, Paul, can do a mean impersonation of the priest from the wedding scene in Princess Bride. “Mawiage is what bwings us togever today.” He talked of doing this when his oldest got married, but I don’t recall that he did.

Vizinni, the mastermind behind a trio of assassins, faced down Dread Pirate Roberts in a Battle of Wits. Thinking he had Westley snookered, he claims that he did not fall into one of the classic blunders. The first, he noted, “Never get into a land war in Asia.” His second, “Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.” He then slumps over dead, having drunk the wine with iocane powder in it.

Whenever I think about posting or sharing a post on Social Media other than travel photos, I usually delete it—the same with most replies. When I do, I cannot decide if I am entering a land war in Asia or am facing down a Sicilian. Regardless, I usually slump over, thinking I broke one of my rules.

Social Media is not really social, nor is it media.

We’ve all felt like flies trapped in a spider’s web when a comment thread veers far from the intended point. Other times, we realize that we have been feeding the trolls and cannot sing our way out.

I did it. I broke my established rule—don’t express an opinion on social media.

It is a long story that led to that decision. I enjoyed connecting with old high school friends, family I did not see often enough, and making friends with friends of friends. Meeting people in real life with whom you’ve only engaged online is pretty fun. Then you discover that a conversation is not really about the subject at hand, but instead someone’s personal axe to grind, or a relentless gaslighting episode where you don’t realize you have been torched. The result: Don’t post anything that is not considered innocuous.

I did it.

Two issues came up, and I threw caution to the wind.