Politics.
Religion.
Perhaps the 2 most polarizing topics in the world.
Why?
Most people are heavily attached to their view points on each topic.
People feel strongly about their politics. Folks feel strongly about their religion.
This is true the majority of the time for both parties.
If you broach either topic on social media or your blog – without feeling 100% clear and detached from your viewpoint – you will find a fight waiting for you. Somebody comes along to prod you, to poke you and to begin a fight with you.
Good luck mentioning either topic and leaving the experience unscathed, guys. Hence the pig and good luck featured image above.
The problem: unless you are 100% clear, and respect polarized views, and can have a chill, civil debate, discussing politics or weakness brings up your fears – said fears manifesting as fighting, anger, judgment, sarcasm and all forms of fear-based judgment – which move you away from love, harmony and power, and toward weakness, you will damage your reputation and poop all over your brand.
Readers do not want a weak, fear-filled blogger as their leader.
Readers do not want a combative, petty, unclear blogger as their leader.
Readers want a harmonious, loving, compassionate blogger as their leader. Compassionate, loving, fun, chill bloggers rarely if ever mention politics and religion on their blogs because doing so stirs up fear-fight energies in almost all human beings save the enlightened and politically detached.
The most powerful people on earth are for, not against.
The reason why it’s dangerous to mention politics or religion on your blog or through social media – unless you run a political or religion blog – is that almost all people form a fear-based attachment to their view point on both topics. Such a fear-based attachment leads to fights, debates, judgment, and in many cases, nastiness.
The trouble is, even if you deeply respect someone as a blogger, seeing their political and religious views reflects how they truly feel on a deeper level. Someone may seem like a happy blogger then they share a political or religious view which tells a different story. Said story usually drips with anger, sarcasm, judgment and combativeness, but at the root, fear is the prime energy upon which these angry, sarcastic, fighting, combative viewpoints feed.
My Take
If you are 100% clear and detached from your political and religious viewpoints, and if it feels incredibly fun to chat about both topics, go ahead and talk politics or religion on your social media.
Few folks have this level of detachment and clarity, which is why I suggest you avoid mentioning each topic.
Keep it light. Keep it fun. If you feel incredibly passionate about politics, run for office. Holding office makes the ultimate difference. If you feel incredibly passionate about religion, you may be in the wrong calling. Teaching as a lay person, or even becoming a member of the cloth may be your ultimate purpose for now.
Stick to fun, not fighting, on social media.
You don’t want to make the critical mistake of taking a social media mis-step by starting a huge fight over some political or religious issue on your blog, inviting unclear folks looking for a good tumble onto your profile, which looks terrible for your blog and brand.
As my friend Alonzo Pichardo mentioned, if you mix these topics and your blog you will tend to regret it down the road, scrambling to repair a damaged brand, or to do a total rebrand.
I have noted a recent trend in internet marketing where established folks who have been online over a decade are conveying a kinder, gentler image with families being included in their brand, where this was never the case for the past 10 or 20 years.
It is tough to rebrand yourself and your online business in a genuine light and to do it with integrity when you have outright destroyed your rep with crappy, low energy, fear-based, combative, manipulative tactics over months, or years.
Do yourself a favor.
Blog with love.
Blog for fun.
Blog kindly, generously sharing of your time and talents.
Keep it light.
Avoid politics and religion on your social media and through your blog.
Position yourself as a clear, confident leader in your blogging niche.