Comments | sosoclever: Bugs*

sosoclever

Bugs*

Oct 04, 2010 21:33

You've likely seen the re-postings of neo_prodigy's re-posting of a call to wear purple for a so-called Spirit Day. You may have wondered why I haven't re-posted it.

I was going to write something about it, but I've been swamped with stuff. Luckily for me, xanath had already summed up most of my thoughts. (I found it because neo_prodigy had re-posted it.) (Yes, I'm ( Read more... )

bigotry, internet, psa, there is life outside livejournal, advertising, moose

Comments 22

quiet_dignitea October 5 2010, 03:22:47 UTC

You used a purple icon. =<^_^>=

sosoclever October 5 2010, 15:48:30 UTC

I had noticed that already.:-P

Awareness secretrebel October 5 2010, 09:12:29 UTC

Wearing purple for visibility is already done for domestic violence awareness in October and for bisexuality visibility in September. We also wore purple for proportional representation in the UK. I see no problem with wearing a colour to promote awareness. (Aside from the limited colour palette which means purple is coming up again ( ... )

Re: Awareness sosoclever October 5 2010, 15:32:37 UTC

I think perhaps the yellow ribbons here and your yellow ribbon campaign are not quite the same thing. Yellow ribbons in the US are currently most likely to say, "Support Our Troops." A lot of people buy the "ribbons" (bumper sticker like things), which don't necessarily send any money to any charitable concern having to do with the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and figure they've done their part. It is not a "powerful symbol" of anything here anymore, really, because it is ubiquitous, and seems about as meaningful as a smiley face or a peace symbol (both of which used to be much more powerful, but have lost meaning, through ubiquitousness and . . . crap, I can't think of the word I want . . . they get used in meaningless ways, or in ways that seem diametrically opposed to what they are supposed to be ( ... )

Re: Awareness sosoclever October 5 2010, 15:33:11 UTC

This is the definition of slacktivism from Snopes.com (emphasis mine):
We can't claim credit for having coined this term, nor do we know its actual origin, but we love it nonetheless. Slacktivism is the search for the ultimate feel-good that derives from having come to society's rescue without actually getting one's hands dirty, volunteering any of one's time, or opening one's wallet. It's slacktivism that prompts us to forward appeals for business cards on behalf of a dying child intent upon having his name recorded in the Guinness World Book of Records or exhortations to others to continue circulating a particular e-mail because some big company has supposedly promised that every forward will generate monies for the care of a languishing tot. Likewise, it's slacktivism that prompts us to want to join a boycott of designated gas companies or eschew buying gasoline on a particular day rather than reduce our personal consumption of fossil fuels by driving less and taking the bus more often. Slacktivism comes in many forms, but its ( ... )

stacye13 October 5 2010, 13:03:35 UTC

Meh, I didn't re-post it because I don't re-post anything like that. I did have an inappropriate though upon skimming the text about "tops" and "bottoms" though.

And then I started singing "Teenage Suicide, Don't Do It" (from Heathers, in case there are any youngsters here). And then I started having deep thoughts about is all this publicity just encouraging suicide. And then I decided I was having too many thoughts, so I stopped and went back to my knitting.

edited to add a knitting reference, because, you know, I always find a way to do that. ;)

sosoclever October 5 2010, 15:35:19 UTC

There are PSAs I've been hearing on the radio about how common suicide is among teenagers, and how you should be watching your friends and family for the signs so that you can do something if you see them. It really does worry me that there are going to be people who will be pushed into suicide, or who will get labelled as suicidal when they really aren't.

I know of a pattern for ribbon socks, so you can knit socks in support of whatever your personal cause is, just change the color of the yarn!

nonabloch October 5 2010, 13:13:54 UTC

I agree with you. But I also agree with secretrebel. Of course we should be actively doing things to support the various causes we believe in. Giving a phone number to that girl is outstanding. And exactly the kinds of things that people should be doing.

But participating in Spirit Day does not automatically make someone a "slactivist." (in your words) If they do nothing else than wear purple on October 20, perhaps they are not doing all that they can. When I was at OSU there were fraternity boys who had a million different colored rubber bands up their arms - did they know and care and feel passionately about each of those causes those bands stood for? Of course not. And most of those guys were idiots who wore a Livestrong band and smoked outside their classes.

Please do not make assumptions about the people who are re-posting that information about Spirit Day. If you know anything about me, you would know that I am a huge supporter of gay rights. And its more than just talk with me.

OT secretrebel October 5 2010, 14:32:54 UTC

:: blink :: Hey, for a second there I thought you were my friend sesquipedality who also has a Daria icon and is also known as the Queen of Snark. Weird coincidence. :)

Re: OT nonabloch October 5 2010, 14:54:07 UTC

I am not that friend. But it seems we probably have some things in common. Perhaps we are long lost twins. :)

sosoclever October 5 2010, 15:38:49 UTC

I did not say that it automatically makes someone a slacktivist. I said, "[J]ust re-posting (and you thought I was done with that) neo_prodigy's Spirit Day post and wearing purple on October 20th is slactivism." That doing nothing more is. I am not making assumptions about you. Please extend me the same courtesy.

Thread 8

You are wrong, wrong, wrongity wrong! triskellian October 5 2010, 17:47:41 UTC

While the film has its merits, the TV show is clearly way better. So there :-P

Re: You are wrong, wrong, wrongity wrong! stacye13 October 5 2010, 19:57:24 UTC

IAWTC

Re: You are wrong, wrong, wrongity wrong! sosoclever October 6 2010, 02:39:25 UTC

No. I've never seen the TV show, and I still know that I'm right.

1. It is, from the things people say about it, entirely too serious to have a title like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

2. Again from what I've heard, the eponymous vampire slayer of the TV show has a boyfriend who is a . . . vampire. This is, plain and simply, stupid.

3. The movie has Donald Sutherland, who is a god. It also has PeeWee Herman and Rutger Hauer. Not to mention that it proves that what's-his-name from that other stupid TV show can actually act.

4. "You threw a knife. At my head."

5. "Wow. I didn't even break a nail!"

6. I know someone whose first name is Buffy, and the Sarah Michelle Gellar (is that her name?) character is not a Buffy. She doesn't look like a Buffy.

7. "Kill him a lot."

8. "Oh yeah? Clap."

9. "Let me in, Pike. I'm hungry!"

"You're floating!"

10. The television version of Buffy has probably done at least as much as Laurel K. Hamilton's books to completely ruin the vampire (and other supernatural creature)