The New York Times reports that the Boston Public Health Commission recently held a day-long conference with 200 teenagers from Boston schools on how to have a healthy breakup. To give you an idea of the main concerns being addressed, organizers wore pins that read “face it / don’t facebook it.”
Facebook status changes and text messages are common breakup crutches nowadays, it’s true, but are people really any more or less cowardly about it than they’ve always been? Dear John letters have been around forever. Sex in the City’s Carrie Bradshaw was dumped via Post-It. And even phone breakups are still less messy than a face-to-face.
I’m certainly not against workshops like these, but I do think it’s interesting that they’re just now being held, as the problems are clearly more than Facebook-deep. And I also have to wonder if the courage to confront someone in person can really be taught.
Thumbs down image courtesy of comedy_nose via Flickr
