sundries

[rm]

It is snowing.

I am still in the whole don't know what day it is, sleeping weird hours, not really well place.

Patty is home in 8 days. 8! And India seems to be about to sort itself out. We also need to sort out Ohio (it's partially sorted, but I need to get a flight and all), and for me, Gally.

Too much work, and a writing meeting tonight, but hoping to take an hour out of my day to go to All Saints Spitalfields about a coat.

Have come through the "Sherlock's brain upsets me" and out the other side thing. Have also discovered the crap in the fandom. Oh, fandom.

Despite not wanting to and having no time, I did bang out a short screenplay for that competition. I like it less, but think it's probably better than the first one. I didn't try to write it as a shooting script and I didn't try to be artsy. Simple, simple, simple. Whatever, it was a matter of pride that I get it done, and so I did.

Wikileaks: as someone on Twitter said, "I'm not sure that I'm pro-Wikileaks, but I know I'm anti anti-Wikileaks." As far as I can tell: much of this information deserves to be made public, but much of it is unnecessary, boring, or creating absurd problems without solving any; Assange's an asshole who likes the power of this whole thing; the rape allegations are creepy whichever way that plays out; the US government is ridiculous for telling students interested in working in the foreign service not to post about or link to Wikileaks (because now that it's out there, we probably shouldn't acknowledge that it's actually happening? More on that, that also clarifies some misinformation going around is in a helpful link in comments); and the media is pissed that someone else is doing their job. What a car crash. As a character in a narrative, Assange's riveting and makes a good visual story. And he knows it. I can't tear myself away from the whole mess, although if I hear one more USian say that we should try Assange for treason, I'm going to scream. He's not a US national; he can't be tried for treason. Other stuff, sure, but do people even know what treason means anymore?

Hey, I went off on slacktivism on Facebook yesterday, and now I'm going to do it here, because I have more room to do it here.

Changing your Facebook or Twitter icon or participating in a meme is not activism. It can, however, a way to draw attention to an issue. But if you do nothing with that attention, it's wasted. Changing your icon and then posting a status message saying "I changed my icon to support children who are abused" doesn't tell me anything. Include a link to an organization that I can give me time or dollars to. Don't know one? That's okay! Ask people for one in that status message update. All it takes is an extra three seconds to make a potentially meaningless gesture into a potentially meaningful one, just by asking for people who may be more up on the issue to tell you about resources they know about.

Also "repost this if you support gay rights" stuff? Especially stuff that's sort of bullying and implies if you don't repost it you don't support gay rights or whatever the issue is? Fucking obnoxious. My journal, my words, my life. Those memes are honestly upsetting.

And then there are the innuendo-y memes (there's been a few of these to raise breast cancer lately) about "where do you like it," are also annoying. Because they don't connect to the issue, and if the only way we care about women's health is by making innuendos about fucking, we have a problem.

I am not saying don't do memes. Sometimes I change my Twitter icon for stuff too! I am not saying symbolism isn't important -- see: the AIDS ribbon. I am not saying my issues have to be your issues -- we all have different priorities and that's okay too. But I am saying that these gestures without context are the waste of a good opportunity; that only clicking the "like" button doesn't doesn't save lives; that the Internet is a powerful tool for high-impact activism through the accumulation of relatively low-impact gestures in you add a little bit of strategy to the mix.

$$, time, personal testimony, outreach to those in need, political contact are how change happens. Visibility is a tool that makes those things happen. But people aren't mind readers, and if they aren't already energized about your issue, they aren't going to go seeking shit out on their own. They need to be activated, and your innuendo, your snazzy new icon, your "say this or you suck" isn't going to do the job without just a little bit more.

Today is the 21st anniversary of the École Polytechnique massacre in which to "fight feminism" a gunman killed 14 women, wounded 10 others, and also wounded four men before turning the gun on himself.

In the US, queer teens are more likely to be punished harshly by schools, cops, and courts than their straight peers. In fact, a study shows that while teens who self-identify as queer are less likely to be involved in violent crime, they are more likely to be expelled, stopped by the police, arrested, or convicted of a crime. Those at the highest risk for punishment? Girls who label themselves as lesbian or bisexual.

Courtroom makeover: "We mostly do weddings."

I think most New Yorker's know this, but before St. Patrick's, there was another St. Patrick's, which still stands in the edge of Soho in what was once Five Points. Among other things, it is the burial place of Pierre Toussaint, and it has just been made a basilica. It's also one of my favorite things in New York.

Peep-o-rama reopens, sort of. Safe for work.

Stuff to sell for the holiday gift-giving season? Need to go shopping? Check this post. Thanks.

Comments

[liminalia.livejournal.com]

YES. You have neatly summed up my feelings on Facebook slacktivist memes. Especially the ones that go, "Only 3% of people will post this" (because everyone else supports kicking puppies!)

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

I hate that. Because if you can't be guilted into reposting a form letter every day you just don't CARE!

That said, I'm glad my clueless relatives got facebook so they're not sending me this stuff in email anymore.

[j-v-lynch.livejournal.com]

mind if I quote you?
if you don't mind, do you prefer that to be done with a link back to the original?

[rm.livejournal.com]

Quoting is fine, with a link-back preferred. Thanks.

[arielstarshadow.livejournal.com]

Wonderful! Because you said everything I've been wanting to say as far as Wikileaks and Facebook memes are concerned. So much easier to just point to this entry and say "This!"

[arielstarshadow.livejournal.com]

What really bothers me about the latest FB meme? I saw the same "change your profile pic to a cartoon" meme sometime in November... only it was sans the "to raise awareness of child abuse" add-on.

Which makes me believe that the originators of this "cartoon meme" were disappointed in the lack of response the first time around when it was just for fun, so they decided to tack on the child abuse as a way to get more people to post cartoons.

That just makes my teeth itch.

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

Unless there's been further news, those students were told not to post about WikiLeaks or link to them, but weren't told not to read them. Unqulified Observer got it wrong, and then I was so outraged at the idea that signal-boosted the mistake.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Ah! That makes a modicum of more sense, will amend.

[mercurybard.livejournal.com]

the media is pissed that someone else is doing their job
I had the unique experience of seeing someone I associated with in high school end up on CNN (for getting kicked out of a private law school) and remembered standing there, watching the coverage, and being shocked that nobody seemed to have spent 5 seconds researching the guy on Google. The media just isn't using the resources available at hand.

[juniperus.livejournal.com]

I went off on FB yesterday, too. *cheers you*

[idiomagic.livejournal.com]

I absolutely agree with your stance on the FB icon meme. I've been commenting on those posts with links to Protect.org.

Protect is a privately funded lobbying group that is doing fantastic work in Washington introducing legislation for the protection of children and raising awareness of the different types of abuse and how to spot them. They are 100% transparent on what they are aiming to accomplish and how donations are used.

http://www.protect.org

[5251962.livejournal.com]

"cartoons are fun!"
Was the reason I did it- I knew people were doing it and saying it was for child abuse awareness, but the first time I saw the meme- it was, "Let's just change our profile pics to cartoons! Memory lane!". Then I watched it teeter totter back and forth. First it was this thing for child abuse awareness, then the pedophiles did it, then it was child abuse awareness again. THAT was really weird to watch.

[rm.livejournal.com]

And this is another reason why those doing it for the "Activism" have a problem -- controlling a message is hard. But it's a shitload easier with a clear message. But if we don't know how cartoons help abused kids, then the message gets muddied in exactly the ways you describe.

[5251962.livejournal.com]

Saw that OVER and over with those stupid "on the counter" "blue" etc memes you mentioned. I remember getting the first email in regards to that- and, this was before I'd had my ass chewed for "taking things TOO seriously! C'mon! It's for breast cancer awareness!" (I'd posted Barb Ehrenreich's essay in response) but back when that meme started? I think I must have gotten at least twenty facebook messages about how we were all going to "drive the guys nuts wondering!" and NOTHING about breast cancer awareness.

Then when you point the slacktivism thing out- you get "wah wah wah, this gets attention for the cause! You're just a big meaniehead."

[rm.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I got some really defensive responses on Facebook yesterday that annoyed the crap out of me.

[5251962.livejournal.com]

Oh yeeeeah.
I was sort of hopeful that this would perhaps quiet the guilt trippy Christ in Christmas posts this year, but sadly, it hasn't done that either.

[elusis.livejournal.com]

The dumb "make the guys wonder/for breast cancer!" memes were just enraging to me. Because they read to me like "Hey everybody, I like sex! I have sexy thoughts that are about sexing! It's all sexytimes up in here! EXCEPT SEX IS DIRTY, HAHAHA, MADE YOU THINK IT WAS ABOUT SEX YOU PERV, WHY CAN'T YOU JUST SUPPORT WOMEN? Because they have breasts, which are for the sex."

Which made me want to barf.

If you want to post "Hey Facebook: Sometimes I like sex!" then just fucking post it. If you want to engage men in the fight against breast cancer [rant about how privileged breast cancer is compared to other cancers deleted for de-rail/length], post something like "Hey gentlemen friends: Ask a woman in your life if you can support her in learning more about how to monitor her health. Promise her you'll do a monthly testicular exam if she'll do a breast exam. Then tell her you'll love and support her no matter what may or may not happen with the health of her breasts." Or whatever the fuck. But don't be all "Sexytimes.... PSYCHE!" Because what are we, twelve?

*cough* Sorry.

[5251962.livejournal.com]

I ranted about it for a bit. I did. I would post links- as I said, to BE's essay on it, to the various rants about the 'cutie-fication of breast cancer', to the Komen site. I think I just came to a point where I'd HAD it, because that went full tilt for like a few weeks, went away and then it came back!
Then, one day I made a really crass, really inappropriate post. It was...ah...sort of along the lines of your "If you want to post "Hey Facebook: Sometimes I like sex!" Only, I'm pretty sure it was the sort of thing you'd see on Failbook as an incredible overshare, followed by, "Wait, weren't we talking about where we like to fuck?!" Because seriously- had it. (I also totally feel your unspoken rant, cervical cancer survivor.)

The tee hee hee cutie poo feel your fucking boobies shit is sickening to me. There, I said it. I hate pink ribbons, I hate the word titties, tatas, I hate suggestive bullshit about such an important issue- mainly because for the love of fucking god the reason we do self exams, the reason we raise awareness is not a matter of sex or aesthetics. Cancer is not cute. It is not an excuse for some idiot to feel me up, or for some other idiot to wear a shirt implying I should be felt up. Cancer doesn't just happen to the nice to look at, nice to touch parts and it sure as hell didn't get discussed nearly as much as people's underpants and sexual activities did as a result of those memes. /rant

[p-zeitgeist.livejournal.com]

I was reasonably impressed with Assange's own manifesto/essay/statement of purpose. While there is no reason at all that a man can't be an attention-seeking asshole and a serious radical/reformer targeting the conspiratorial features that enable authoritarianism, I'm provisionally inclined to credit him with being the latter. (And the former, in this day and age of celebrity-driven media, is useful to his cause. I was taken aback to see him in yesterday's Times T section, as a weird parallel to his presence in what passes for straight news.)

Anyway, if you haven't seen his own statement, or any serious discussions of it, I can look for the link. Or, in the spirit of instant gratification, I'm pretty sure Digby has it, and has talked about it within the past 48 hours. Not that you likely have time, but there is better and more substantive discussion of the issues available than the mass media is providing.

[rm.livejournal.com]

My own take is that the dude is probably both, and media savvy as hell (and perhaps irrationally bold in his manipulation of it), which is why I can't look away.

I've seen his statement, but I haven't seen any serious media (because there isn't really any serious mainstream media left in the US, is there?) discussion of it (or of how the disappearing and reappearing rape charges intersect with this whole mess).

[p-zeitgeist.livejournal.com]

I assume there's no real discussion of the rape charges because nobody knows the facts, and therefore we have no way of knowing whether this is a legitimate charge that the Swedish government is handling appropriately, and that blew up at this point by stranger-than-fiction coincidence, or whether it's something that the Swedish government has exaggerated out of any resemblance to underlying facts and is using to try to take Assange out of circulation. It seems likely that it's one or the other, but until we know more, there's not much to be said about it. (Besides the fact that if he is taken into custody, it'll be interesting to see whether the encryption keys for the insurance download go out. I'm not sure that's enough to trigger them, but if the charges really are completely false, who knows?)

I haven't seen any substantive mainstream-media (ha, ha) coverage of Assange's own essays either -- well, except to the extent that Josh Marshall at TPM is rapidly becoming accepted as Real Media, and not Just Some Blogger. He did link to the 3quarksdaily column, which in turn links to a lot of the other serious coverage.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I feel like no one is even trying to sort through the rape charges thing. Of course, we can't, since it hasn't made court yet, but I suppose what I find most boggling about that part of the mess was the way the charges were there and then weren't there and then were back again. That makes me go, WTF? but I don't know who I'm WTFing at or why.

I bet a whole shitload of people are salivating to write a screenplay about all this, and all of them are just waiting for _something_ to happen, since we're clearly nowhere near the end of how this is going to play out.

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

Assange's an asshole who likes the power of this whole thing

My wife pointed out that Assange is our very own white-haired villain (which is more significant if you're an anime fan, but still... it does make me wonder where he keeps his giant katana/observatory with white leather couches/giant robot).

[rm.livejournal.com]

While not in anime fandom, I absolutely have taken note of how his appearance helps this story run, and what you cite is absolutely positively part of it, I agree.

[p-zeitgeist.livejournal.com]

And this is where I absolutely have to thread-jump to make sure you've seen the TPM piece about the site where Wikileaks' hosting is now. Which is carved into a mountainside, in classic haut villain style.

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

ahahahahahahahahaha

The only way it could be better would be carved into a mountainside of a volcano.

[elusis.livejournal.com]

Guarded by attack bees.

[p-zeitgeist.livejournal.com]

And sharks. Sharks with lasers, is that too friggin' much to ask?

[elusis.livejournal.com]

Sorry; I choked. I shoulda thought big.

[akycha.livejournal.com]

Carved into a mountainside. I think we can safely assume that appearances and links to primal ideas are counting for a lot, here.

Also, I have to say that it's kind of freaking me out that you're commenting on this thread with a Muraki icon (that is Muraki, right?) because I do hope that whatever he is, Assange is not a psychopathic magic-wielding serial killer.

[p-zeitgeist.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear. Sorry.

You're quite right, that is Muraki. But for reasons that aren't worth going into, it's my 'Anything is fixable/don't tell me what's realistic' icon. I often forget that people who recognize Muraki but don't know me at all are going to see psycho killer guy. So no, if it helps, I didn't intend to associate Assange with Dr. Fine, if Surgery Doesn't Work I'll Try Magic. And Murder. And Drinking Your Life Force.

Even if Assange's project is hosted on servers in a place any white-haired supervillain would be proud of.

[akycha.livejournal.com]

So no, if it helps, I didn't intend to associate Assange with Dr. Fine, if Surgery Doesn't Work I'll Try Magic. And Murder. And Drinking Your Life Force. And gaslighting!

It was oddly appropriate, yet over the top. :)

To tell you the truth, I wouldn't say no to the mountaintop lair if someone offered it to me, and I have no current plans to take over the world, and utterly no use for servers like that. Those were some impressive photos in the article.

[p-zeitgeist.livejournal.com]

Would anyone say no to it? Anyone with taste??

I'm actually still sort of stunned by the sheer beauty of the place. The way the levels work, and the glass, and the interior gardens -- I wish to God I could think of some skill I have that the company might need and be unable to find in the European workforce. I'd apply in a heartbeat, just to be able to go to work in those spaces every day.

It was oddly appropriate, yet over the top. :)

Well, but wrong in at least one strangely prominent detail. Muraki never gets charged with rape, no matter what he actually does.

[akycha.livejournal.com]

Well, Muraki rapes people and then kills them so that they can't accuse him (documented/shown case) or rapes dead people (er, that came out wrong -- "people with no access to the living justice system," or perhaps we should just borrow Pratchett's "differently alive" and leave it at that, in the implied case) so perhaps being a sociopath works for a while, for some definitions of "work" which include "not being accused of rape because one is not afraid to murder every which way as well."

Sadly, this method is often tried by non-fictional sociopaths, and seems to work pretty well, as long as it targets "disposable" people.

I admit that I wondered where Assange/Wikileaks & Co. got the money to furnish such a lovely place.

[p-zeitgeist.livejournal.com]

Hey, given that memory-suppression thing he could be raping live people too, with no interference at all from the living justice system. If you don't remember anything, you're unlikely to bring it to the attention of law enforcement, right? It's tidier than relying on fear, and it would work better than murder -- after all, with murder there's likely to be a corpse, and no way of stopping an investigation before any physical evidence is found.

Although I suppose it's also possible that somewhere in the files of the law enforcement authorities in the YnM universe, there's a note attached to an eyes-only file that reads, "Do Not Investigate Further. We Mean It. Don't Go There." And where if you have sufficient authorization, you can follow the records to one or two incident reports that involve arrest attempts and/or other criminal justice proceedings that were abruptly and showily terminated when the defendant summoned up a giant winged dragon and incinerated everyone in the vicinity. Somewhere in the annotations to these files you may find one from a very senior official, handwritten in the margins, that reads, 'Demonstrated ability to vanish from one spot and reappear in another. Even if we can convict him we can't hold him, so let's not waste any more resources.'

-- Right. Sorry, it's the worldbuilding instinct leading me astray. What I meant to say was, the mountainside lair doesn't belong to Assange or Wikileaks, but rather to the company that provides their hosting. In a way it's a shame -- it would be so much more colorful if the place were actually entirely theirs -- but at least we don't have to wonder whether they really are a giant profit-making Evil Conspiracy.

[akycha.livejournal.com]

The company that provides their hosting is POSH. Someday in the Land of Infinite Money, I will get them to furnish a nice little castle in Spain for me.

RE: Muraki. You just made my brain do a Yami no Matsuei and X-Files crossover, which was Not a Good Thing.

[browneyedgirl65.livejournal.com]

That's *exactly* it about Wikileaks... oi, what a cluster.

[ludimagist.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on the slackivism.

I don't know if you saw this, but there was a pretty good New Yorker article on the subject:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_gladwell

[elusis.livejournal.com]

My journal, my words, my life. Those memes are honestly upsetting.

I have been trying to understand why I find them so upsetting, and this statement resonates with me. I was mildly upset by feeling bullied when the cartoon meme was still about "we want to see no human faces on Facebook!" because, um, why not? You know what I like about user icons? They tell me who is posting when I'm scanning through posts and comments. I like seeing my friends' faces. What do people have against faces? Screw you for telling me my face is harshing your squee. Etc. etc.

Then the ones that turn into "do this for [cause]" just send me through the roof. These two posts got at reasons why very effectively:
http://skepchick.org/blog/2010/12/its-never-been-easier-to-make-a-difference/
http://techyum.com/2010/12/making-child-abuse-facebook-famous/ (good stuff is at the end)

But my own reaction to being told "do this" is really disproportionate. My whole first week of training for my new online teaching gig was consumed with rage over being told stuff like "Introduce yourself." "Respond to two other students' posts." "Describe how _____ University's training will help you to address _____ in your teaching." "Write a journal entry about what you are learning from this process." Something about being forced to fake being a "joiner" is really hard going for me in the last few years - I was actually glad I had a pinched nerve in my back during the last "faculty retreat" I attended at my previous job, because it got me out of doing group yoga.

[nicoli-dominn.livejournal.com]

I love how in the second article, they provide little imaginary dialogues with child abusers - if nothing else, THAT should show people how ridiculous is the notion of changing a picture icon to tell the world about child abuse.

[chaos-by-design.livejournal.com]

What's the cartoon meme supposed to be for, anyway? I totally missed the memo on that one.

[nicoli-dominn.livejournal.com]

On your slacktivism rant, those words just cannot be said enough. Thank you for putting your voice out there and being someone who's not merely a couch activist. :-)

[citrinesunset.livejournal.com]

I hear you on the memes and slacktivism, especially when it comes with the implication that not doing it means you don't care. These things can be good unifying gestures of support when done right, but you have to keep them in perspective. I'm not on Facebook enough to get too annoyed, though.

Though, I also feel it can depend on the cause a bit, too. I doubt many people would say they think breast cancer is a good thing, for example. I think if you want to make a difference with a cause like that, you really do need to either refer people to ways they can help, or give them information or a perspective they may not have seen before. Otherwise, you're preaching to the choir or at least to people who see themselves as the choir.

I do feel like just vocalizing support for a cause can make a difference sometimes, though, when it's a cause that might be considered "controversial," for example. It's not really activism, but I thing it can have a positive impact.

[chaos-by-design.livejournal.com]

And then there are the innuendo-y memes (there's been a few of these to raise breast cancer lately) about "where do you like it," are also annoying. Because they don't connect to the issue, and if the only way we care about women's health is by making innuendos about fucking, we have a problem.

I hated that meme for so many reasons. Not the least of which is that what's the point of being 'aware' of breast cancer? Everyone's aware of breast cancer. I can see giving to a charity or posting a link to a charity but just 'raising awareness' of an issue everyone's already aware of is just silly.

I think in a weird sort of way what bugs me about it too is the "women's issue" ghetto: it's like people think breast cancer and pink ribbons and Lifetime movie of the weeks types of dramas are all there is to being a woman, and it tees me off.

[akatonbo.livejournal.com]

your innuendo, your snazzy new icon, your "say this or you suck" isn't going to do the job

Word, Amen, etc.

[goseaward.livejournal.com]

Also "repost this if you support gay rights" stuff?

Ugh, I hate those. It stops being about "stop X" and starts being about "show you are one of the Cool Kids by thinking X is bad." (That leaves aside the wording of most of those memes, which I think reduces the issue to meaningless platitudes that miss the point of why this is an issue at all, but anyway...)

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty disappointed that my government (which is also Assange's government!) is saying he's broken the law and acted illegally. Not according to our laws, as far as highly qualified lawyers can tell. We should be providing appropriate consular assistance, not joining in the mob.