Facebook stuff

[Rageaholic]

I just don't see why people have to be asses about it. The Cartoon picture thing came with a status message that informed people of the purpose (whether it was the original purpose or not is irrelevant), and really the whole bra colour thing did get people curious as to what it was, and now when it is mentioned so is breast cancer awareness for the most part. I don't see how being counter productive by bitching at people who are posting these things as statuses while not actually doing anything yourself is helping matters.

It gives them a sense of superiority. I fail to see how putting a cartoon picture up does much to help, but it's not like it's hurting anyone. I'd feel the same way if someone were to give me hell for not having the picture up. For those who think it's not helping and doesn't matter, why get so mad at those who have the cartoon up?

[muses_nightmare]

Exactly, I'm just sick of the pretentious BS that comes up in regards to this stuff. I don't expect everyone to participate, so why should they be such an ass to me and others about it.

[HYHYBT]

Found this Snopes article on the topic interesting, as usual.

[Eisa]

The whole "THIS IS BECAUSE OF PEDOPHILES!!!" thing made me No, it's not. Whether or not it helps the fight against child abuse is debatable, although at least it made people think about it.

Everything is about pedophiles these days. Mysterious cartoon-faced strangers on the Internet, enticing your children.

When in all likelihood, the person most likely to abuse your children is probably in your home or neighborhood or kid's school. Not some random person on the Internet who is stupid enough to believe that making their profile pic a cartoon will mean children will be lining up to befriend them.

[muses_nightmare]

You know, I hate the term slacktivism, especially since the writer of the snopes article seems to think that just because one participates in the status/picture changes you are automatically not doing anything else. If it's brought attention to a cause it's a good thing, and it isn't doing nothing. Doing nothing is whining about facebook pictures and statuses and decrying any forms of internet activism.

What I think really needs to be addressed was referred to by a friend of mine:

If I could start a new cause, it would be to stop souvenirism. If I give money to breast cancer, I don't need a sticker, or a pin, or a pen, or a skillet that is pink, or a magazine subscription. If I give money to a starving child in Africa, I don't feel like that kid owes me anything- that's the point of "donating", or did that get lost on you? I don't need crap to throw out that cost money to produce. Want to do me a favor to say thanks for donating? Match my donation and give it to the starving kid, or the dying cancer patient. That's enough for me. But I realize that not many people are like that. And if they want a return on their money, like a keychain with a ribbon on it so that they can show off their philanthropy, so be it. At least it's better than nothing. And who knows? Maybe all of the materials used to make the souvenir were donated. I would rather those donators just gave the money it cost to make the stuff to the starving children. But talk is not cheap. This is proof that talk, any publicity in any form in any amount in any way is a valuable commodity. So next time I participate for a cause, even if all it does is start conversation, maybe you could refrain from telling me what a moron I am.

[blas87]

I saw that entire thing last week/weekend as just stupid.

[Andara Bledin]

I've been mostly ignoring Facebook of late.

And this bs slacktivism (and for most of the participants, that's all it is) is annoying as hell and most of the reason.

You want to know what's wrong with this stuff? It turns people off. I'm actually involved in a few efforts, as resources and interest allow, but I don't play the stupid games on Facebook because at this point, it's not much different than crying wolf.

Sure, you might snare a couple of one-time donors with your silly antics, but the people on the fence, looking for an effort to join, are just as likely to be pushed away as anything else by these juvenile, in-your-face, throw-away campaigns.

If you want to do something, then do something, don't just talk about doing it on Facebook, talk about having done it.

^-.-^

[muses_nightmare]

You know what? Those of you bitching that those of us who have changed our pictures and such, do you actually do the things you're telling us to do? Just curious. You're also assuming that that is the only thing that people are doing, which in a lot of cases it's not. Slactivism isn't even a goddamn word. Most people I know didn't get the warm tinglies from just changing their picture, it was just something to do that said a little something about the issue, no one is saying that it's something that makes a huge difference, but people saying that it's harmful are just being assholes. Any talk about an issue that brings it forward in people's minds is a good thing, and it's not always at the front of people's minds so anything that brings it to the surface even a little is doing more good than harm.

[Eisa]

^All I have to say, is AMEN!

Does it count when I'm planning my entire profession around helping end child abuse? I want to be a therapist who works primarily with children and adolescents and particularly with childhood trauma. Like abuse. Mainly abuse. And within the broader category of abuse, mainly sexual abuse.

[Andara Bledin]

The more you talk about something, the more it becomes the elephant in the living room.

This stuff has gotten so pervasive that I've stopped reading any Facebook status updates. Considering how many sarcastic response updates I saw before I stopped caring entirely, I'm positive I'm not the only one.

There are better ways to get messages out than annoying the hell out of the people on your friends lists.

^-.-^

[muses_nightmare]

Well it's over now anyway. But frankly, if you don't want to read it don't.