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

[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.