Hi social friends,

I’m writing this anonymously because I know what’s going to happen if I don’t: lots of love, lots of hate. I don’t want to be responsible for stirring the pot. I just don’t. So here goes. Anonymously.

I absolutely loathe when men use equity-love to elevate their own status. I follow someone online who has found this post type to elicit positive reaction and support, and so he regularly share posts the likes of “I’m so proud of my wife” or “I’m so proud of my girls” or “I’m so proud of this woman” because “being a woman is tough”.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love my wife and kids. I love them a lot. But I don’t go posting about it. Geesh.

Meanwhile, after regularly sharing these, the boaster continues to post his own products and services on that same social media feed, clearly in order to leverage the attention he’s getting from his typically naive audience, many of whom are women that choose to ooh and ahh his praises and who clearly believe in his bullshit woman-praising.

This person has basically chosen to cleverly pepper in self-congratulatory posts that bring him attention, and then uses that attention to sell. It honestly grosses me out. He runs in my circles, so blocking him won’t help rid myself of what I consider more than just a little nuisance. Please help me figure out how to get over this and how to help us all identify folks who are simply blowing smoke up society’s ass to get noticed. There’s a lot of that going around.

I understand that folks can certainly be proud of the women in their lives, and want to shout it through the rooftops, accordingly. But please don’t use them as props, to help elevate your own shit.

Thanks,

A doctor who follows accounts on social media and rolls his eyes a majority of the time.