Yesterday morning I watched two physicians on Twitter carry on about mosque real estate in lower Manhattan.  Each took opposing sides and the dialog was just what you’d expect.  It wasn’t flattering.

The unfortunate thing is that both are pretty visible physician figures.  I’m guessing they’ll never relate to one another quite the same way again.  Such stark differences in ideology are hard to put aside.

You might argue that Twitter is a free platform and you should talk about whatever you want.  We’re told that transparency is a virtue.  Disclosure is all the rage.

Not always.

When it comes to politics and religion, transparency can be a liability.  Social spaces are public spaces.  If you are interested in growing relationships with those who hang here, you should probably keep some things to yourself.  The discussion of sensitive issues will invariably alienate followers.

As physicians there are very few of us in social media.  We’re visible ambassadors of a new medium that’s revolutionizing the way we relate to one another.  Leave the loaded dialogue to political pundits whose careers are built on polarity.