My dad once told me when I was 18, "Anyone can use swear words; that's what makes it so common and crass. But a person who can veil their critique as a casual observation or compliment, well, that's the kind of person I can tip my hat to, because they have truly mastered the art of subtlety and eloquence."

A good example of this was when many years ago in Mumbai, my friend took me to his flat and his aunts from Lucknow were visiting. Now people from Lucknow are known for holding tehzeeb and tameez (good manners and behavior) in high regard. His aunts believe in staying in good shape and dressing neatly. Well, on seeing me overweight and dressed scruffily, they showed a flicker of distaste but that's it. After an hour, I came away praising them to high heaven for speaking to me so kindly and saying such nice things to me. My friend laughed at me and said, "You idiot. They were insulting you all that time. They said you are as fat as a hippo and elephant seal and said you dress like a vagabond." Though I was stunned, I was still impressed in the way they conveyed it.

Now people who I am very close to will tell you I am known for my filthy potty mouth and acidic tongue. But yet you will notice my posts are always so positive, so supportive and Disney level PG rated. Well, I learned the hard way about being polite, courteous, humble and empathetic. In fact, I do something I learned from an episode of Seinfeld; I say the seventh thing that comes to mind.

Now you are all wondering where I am going with this? And why is this article even in the Animals and Enviroments? Well, I will get to that in a moment. If you read the newspapers recently, Bahrain has approved a law on Defamation in social media.

Let me put it into perspective for you. If you met Mrs. Smith and her family at a food festival and insulted her face-to-face in front of them; she may be offended but there's a chance of clearing the air and walking away unscathed. Now, imagine getting on stage at that festival and insulting her through the mike in front of thousands attending, including her family. It ain't a pretty picture, is it? It really is mortifying if it happens to you.
That's how it is on social media. When you say something negative to someone in person, you may bother them a bit, but to do so on social media for the whole world to see, well, it more than just hurts. Especially since what you say can be screenshot, shared or even brought back many years later when you are wiser, to bite you back. It is just that it easier to do it hidden behind a phone or computer monitor.

The same goes for blatantly insulting a country, nationalities, races, creed and so on. Freedom of speech is all well and good. But it's one thing to exercise it responsibly and another to abuse that right. There's always room for improvement for animal rights in some countries, but that change can only come through with civilized dialogue and awareness. Cursing a country and its people into the nine circles of Dante's Inferno isn't going to help our sweet pooches and kitties.

I know some of you may have read articles about the correct social media etiquette in regards to communication, but in this day and age, there is never a time when it is stressed on too much. It’s good to be reminded of it from time to time.

If you are a lover of animals and/or are in a social media group dedicated solely towards their welfare and care, then you know that the one thing we all have in common is that we love our furry friends to death and want to do anything in our power to bring them joy and happiness. So this makes most of rather impassioned in our mission to help them. This means emotions are involved. Emotions are not something that can be controlled by logic and fur can fly when we differ in our views as to how to go about alleviating the darlings from their suffering.

So I am not saying that we should sit around the campfire and sing Kumbaya or We Are Family. Having a difference in opinion is ok. In fact, a respectful debate on opposing views is healthy and we all come away learning something new about each other, even though we can all agree to disagree and still stand united in our support for our friends without a human voice.

Like my mum says, "If you can't say something nice, say nothing or in a way that gets your point across without offending them."

So the next time you post or comment on something online, imagine that person said something you heard about and you are finally meeting them later. Most of us would do our homework, research and think twice and even thrice before we give an appropriate response or retort. Think of the repercussions of what your words can do. What you say matters, whether it be positive or negative. It resonates with whoever is reading what you wrote.

So give constructive feedback or speak to them on a private message. Nothing is achieved in speaking spitefully. No battles are won or world peace obtained.

Remember guys, we are all part of the same family, irrespective of which animal rights and welfare groups we are in, and we gotta stick together to help our furry buds...

P.S. If you are interested in joining the BSPCA Facebook group, then have a read through the attached BSPCA rules and guidelines. For those of you who don't live in Bahrain, you may say, "Ha! I don't live there. None of this applies to me. I can say whatever I want." Weeelll, sure you can. But as Pinocchio's Jiminy Cricket said: "And always let your conscience be your guide."