This is how many people are “following” me on Twitter.
This number consists of friends, family, acquaintances, work colleagues, stalkers, members of common organizations, people I have followed throwing out an obligatory follow-back, that guy I met at the club that day, that girl I talked to at the leadership summit, the potential client I connected with at that networking happy hour, the person who liked a comment made two years ago, my friends kids, my dog, and possibly your dog too.
This number represents my total lack of effort at actually forming a Twitter “presence”.
Be engaging! Be witty! Be proactive! Be a force for change!
The focal point of our new world order is an all-encompassing Social Media ostensibly meant to connect us with the world and give our individual voices a platform upon which to share our “uniqueness” with others. Blah. We can harness this power to share ideologies and educate the world with our expert opinions. Blah blah. We too can effect change, by exchanging ideas for making the world a better/cleaner/happier/adjective place. Blah x 3.
Or maybe to share what we are for eating dinner. And where. And with whom. And here’s a picture of a plate covered with that dinner we are eating at that place with so-and-so don’t you wish you were here?
Enough already!
Personally, I find it exhausting. Deciding what to wear most mornings for work is hard enough (where I will physically plant my butt on my office chair in front of my office computer and deal with physically present co-workers). Deciding how to enthrall my virtual followers with stories of my day and my ideas is just too much responsibility.
During the course of yet another random bitch session on the stupidity of Social Media (a/k/a why don’t I have more friends/followers/hits), my friend bet me that I could not get 1000 followers on Twitter. Call it boredom. Call it curiosity. Call it whatever you want, but I took the bait.
So, now what? How do I go out and convince 574 people to follow me on Twitter, without bribing them or joining a follow group or anything else not quite on the up and up?
The services that are the building blocks of Social Media – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. – are deceptively easy to access. All you need do to take your place on your very own pulpit is to open an account and say something. (See? I’m doing it right now! Hi Mom!) You can say anything, really, a grunt will suffice, because content is key. Or was that context? It’s debatable, as it seems the terms are sadly interchangeable. Not only do these services provide us the opportunity to interact, in doing so they have, in turn, become multi-billion dollar industries in and of themselves. This means everyone is either actively using or actively not using their accounts. They have it, even if they don’t use it. Like me.
So ease of access is not an issue. I get that. I already have the accounts, I have a decent base, and I have a network of people to exchange content. So now that I have a goal, a number to work towards, I am stumped. How do I start?
I’m giving myself a homework assignment. I will look up 10 articles on how to increase my Twitter presence, and share my findings. Wish me luck!
I’ve been neglecting my blog for quite some time – “real life” can really interfere with my social media and internet addiction.
It’s definitely time for me to start expressing myself here once again. This tiny corner where I share my thoughts helps put a lot of issues into perspective, and it is simply a comfortable place to VENT sometimes.
There are so many interesting topics surrounding our daily lives. We are living history every day – AMAZING, SCARY, INFURIATING, FUN, CRAZY – you name it, it’s out there and we are all a part of the story.
Some of the topics that interest me are charities and causes, Anti-Bullying, the Arts, social change, mental health awareness, current events, and whatever else may catch my attention (IFLS, after all).
I WELCOME COMMENTS – keeps it interesting. I’m all for open discourse. By no means do I think everyone will share my opinion, but I do hope that people will engage and upgrade the conversation by commenting on a post, or even emailing me directly! We are always learning and growing 🙂
If you want my take on a specific subject, feel free to hit me up! Not sure whether I will have anything of value to say on the subject, but I will try my best.
Fair Warning – I’ve been collecting graphics and memes for as long as I can remember (psp tubes anyone?), and I plan to upload my favorites as often as possible. I also have the tendency to share random photos of my dogs (hey, everyone has their quirks – no apologies).
Recently, unless you have been living under a rock, or in the woods preparing for a Zombie Apocalypse, some NFL and college football players have ‘come out of the locker room’, and their teams have come under fire, after very serious allegations of hazing have surfaced.
Everyone seems to be weighing in on the topic, so I figured why the hell not?
Heck, Jeremy Shockey has been telling people about this issue for YEARS.
Definition time for those of you who don’t know but think you may have a good idea:
Hazing: humiliating and sometimes dangerous initiation rituals, esp. as imposed on college students seeking membership to a fraternity or sorority.
Bullying: to use superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants.
Based on these two definitions, the separation between hazing and bullying is that bullying has no purpose of initiation, but otherwise, hazing and bullying are the same abuse of power.
Some disagree, based on the premise that hazing is something that eventually STOPS once you are considered part of the team/group/fraternity/club, and its intended goal is to promote solidarity and shared experience between members based on a sense of belonging since everyone has been through the SAME initiation.
In that vein, Hazing is TECHNICALLY a more socially accepted term considering the negative connotations that are attached to the word ‘bullying’.
So where is the line drawn? Do you feel that hazing is simply bullying that society deems as acceptable?
The high-profile parties to the current controversy have brought this distinction to the forefront of our current life debates.
The Miami Dolphins suspended Richie Incognito over alleged bullying and harassment, after, over a prolonged period, he is said to have repeatedly abused tackle Jonathan Martin, leaving voicemail messages on his phone which included such abuse as, “Hey, wassup, you half n—– piece of (expletive)…” and “(I’m going to) slap your (expletive) mouth. (I’m going to) slap your real mother across the face (laughter).” Incognito had even intimidated Martin into paying $15,000 for a meal in Las Vegas that he didn’t even attend.
According to one op-ed piece in the New York Times they are one and the same: “Hazing is simply another name for bullying, and it is unacceptable in all its forms. Bullies will do only what bystanders allow; it is a group process and a social dynamic that grips a victim’s entire world.”
I URGE you to read this quick post on Hazing and the top Myths surrounding such practices.
Hazing is not limited to certain areas or disciplines – the military, athletic teams, marching bands, professional schools and so on all have a history of hazing members.
Hazing is not authorized by universities or the NFL, most of whom have strict no-hazing policies. However, group sports and fraternal organizations, traditionally, have their own internal guidelines, their own “initiations” to supposedly strength their bond.
Even NFL players have stated that they EXPECTED to be hazed, whether same did or did not actually happen.
EXAMPLE: When Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith reported to his first training camp two years ago, he anticipated being hazed by veteran teammates. He “had heard the stories and watched shows like HBO’s “Hard Knocks” that glorified the behavior and was prepared to be rudely welcomed to the NFL”. To his surprise, since of course the Ravens are AWESOME anyway, the rookies were welcomed by leaders like Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs, who made it clear that the team had more important things to worry about. STORY HERE.
My sorority, Tri Delta, has a no-tolerance policy for hazing – unlike some others whose pledges would have to do embarrassing, yet not harmful, activities. However, I witnessed a lot of hazing in the other Greek organizations. Usually, this was light-hearted, such as making new pledges clean the house, or sing in a public place; however, there is a MUCH darker side.
There are times when hazing goes so over the line to amount to assault, battery, and even permanent physical and mental injury.
Take the case of Cameron Fagen, 19-year-old Grand View college student who was a member of the BOWLING team.
First thought? Seriously, hazing in BOWLING? What do they do, roll you down the lane? Put itching powder in your bowling shoes?
NOPE. THEY KICK THE SHIT OUT OF YOU AND BREAK YOUR JAW!!
Fagen has sued the university (GOOD!) after he was severely beaten by a group of fellow athletes AND IT WAS CAPTURED ON VIDEO!. Apparently, the incident “started after some rough housing among friends. It ended with duct-taped Fagen punched, kicked, beaten with a broom handle and rolled up in a carpet before being left bleeding and injured in a dorm common room. The diminutive Fagen suffered a broken jaw.” (Des Moines Register)
HE IS DAMN RIGHT TO BE SUING – it’s freaking criminal! The video is DISGUSTING and shows a total lack of humanity in every damn person in that room. It is assault. It is battery. I think the students who did this act were definitely not HAZING – they went way too far to call their actions something less than repulsive, inhuman and sickening (actually more like, they went insane).
The Huffington Post refers to this incident as BULLYING. Other outlets claim HAZING.
I’D LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL THIS LETTER FROM THE FAMILY OF A MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA TEACHER:
[WITH MY OWN THOUGHTS IN BRACKETS, OF COURSE LOL]
Hello all,
I hope my intrusion into your interspace is not too much of a burden.
I am writing to inform those of you who may or may not keep up with local politics about the situation with our local libraries.
The Miami-Dade Commissioners and Mayor have decided that approximately the price of a bottle of water per month for Miami tax payers is too much to ask for the county’s library services.
[WHY SHOULD WE CARE, AND WHY AND I POSTING THIS?]
The library has been penalized for being the only fiscally responsible department. Because the libraries were able to maintain their budget and put away reserves for “rainy days” the commission a few years back decided the fate of the libraries would largely go hand in hand with how long they could maintain off of a minimal budget and these remaining reserves. Despite many layoffs, salary and benefit cuts members of the library system kept up the quality of service people had been used to and that had been nationally recognized just three years ago.
We now face a dire situation in which the commissioners think it a prudent decision to lay off half of the remaining library workers as well as close more than a third of all county branches. The remaining branches will be understaffed and in result only be open a modicum of their present hours.
[SERIOUSLY FLORIDA, NO WONDER WE’RE A NATIONAL JOKE – CAN’T COUNT, NOW CAN’T READ!]
Libraries offer more services to our public than free books.
[I FOR ONE SPENT MANY HOURS IN THE LIBRARY, FOR SCHOOL AND ENJOYMENT.]
But even if the library to you is only this, then the cost in taxes is less than the cost of purchasing either a few books at Barnes & Noble or e-books from Amazon- saving you money.
[WHY SHOULD WE CARE, AND WHY AND I POSTING THIS?]
Libraries offer many programs designed to assist the public in a myriad of ways.
They are community centers that promote art, culture and education.
They provide tutoring, reading programs, and volunteer opportunities for our youth. They provide internet services, and ways for the under-privileged and elderly to access social services and receive assistance.
They provide education for new parents, and assist in building the future literacy and civility of our community.
If you feel as strongly as I do, or even just the smallest of love for community please support our local libraries and let the mayor and the commissioners hear your voice.
Thank you for your Time,
William Noble
[SIGN THE PETITION! TELL YOUR GOVERNMENT THAT YOUR VOICE COUNTS, AND THAT OUR LIBRARIES SHOULD REMAIN OPEN AND FULLY STAFFED.]
Forwarded Message from a Friend, edited by me with links and quotes. Please share if you agree and support this boycott/awareness campaign.
BOYCOTT!
Why is this post necessary?
To promote TOLERANCE and STOP the HATE.
Mel Gibson has a new movie coming out named The Edge Of Darkness.
I am asking you to not only BOYCOTT the movie but to forward this post
to every group affected by bigotry and hate, and every support group that you know.
SEE QUOTES AT END OF EACH SECTION.
_________________________
In recent years, Gibson has become better known for his public tirades — which have included racist, misogynistic, and anti-immigrant slurs.
(Detailed account of his “long, hateful history” available here).
However, there is little RECENT discourse, to utter silence, from women’s groups, the Anti-Defamation League, even the White House!
President Obama had a few succinct words to say about Tiger Woods, why not about a national celebrity who’s insulted African Americans, Latinos, Jews and WOMEN? (not an Obama rant, just a serious question)
PLEASE NOTE: His hateful public remarks are NOT representative of the Christian community, but he actively encourages such beliefs. He has also purportedly stated that he “called Pope John Paul II “the anti-Christ” and “the devil”. Source.
_________________________
LGBT DISCRIMINATION:
Before Mel Gibson made headlines for spewing anti-Semitic, racist, misogynistic, and anti-immigrant slurs at his ex-girlfriend, he was known for his highly publicized homophobic rants.
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) accused Gibson of homophobia after a December 1991 interview in the Spanish newspaper El País in which he made derogatory comments about homosexuals. Gibson later defended his comments and rejected calls to apologize. However, Gibson joined GLAAD in hosting 10 lesbian and gay filmmakers for an on-location seminar on the set of the movie Conspiracy Theory in January 1997. In 1999 when asked about the comments to El País, Gibson said, “I shouldn’t have said it, but I was tickling a bit of vodka during that interview, and the quote came back to bite me on the ass.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Gibson.
Are drunken quotes not indicative of honest and uncensored thought? You decide.
Quotes:
“Homosexuals take it up the ass. This is only for taking a s**t.”
Discussing homosexuals in an interview with El Pais magazine, December 1991.
“I became an actor despite that. But with this look, who’s going to think I’m gay? It would be hard to take me for someone like that. Do I sound like a homosexual? Do I talk like them? Do I move like them?”
Discussing homosexuals in an interview with El Pais magazine, December 1991.
“I don’t think there’s an apology necessary, and I’m certainly not giving one. [Those remarks were a response] to a direct question. If someone wants my opinion, I’ll give it. What, am I supposed to lie to them?”
Good Morning America
“I’ll apologize when hell freezes over. They can fuck off.”
Playboy in 1995, about whether he’d issue an apology to gays and lesbians, as GLAAD recommended.
_________________________
THE JEWISH COMMUNITY and ANTI-SEMITISM:
HOLOCAUST DENIAL:
If you recall Mel’s father is a fervent denier of the fact that the Holocaust ever happened, referring to the tragedy as a “hoax”.
“The annihilation of six million Jews must be a hoax, since it would have taken too long for the Germans to cremate that many bodies” “Germans did not have enough gas to murder that many people.”
Mel supports his father’s beliefs.
Gibson had this to say about his father: “My dad taught me my faith and I believe what he taught me. The man never lied to me in his life” –a curious remark, considering his father’s many lies about the Holocaust. Reader’s Digest.
Mel purports to believe in the Holocaust, but only in public, and in very coached terms:
During an interview “Do you believe the Holocaust had happened?” he replied:
“Yes, of course. Atrocities happen. War is horrible. World War Two killed tens of millions of people. Some of them were Jews in concentration camps.”
Mel Gibson may not have been denying the Holocaust, but he was certainly distorting and minimizing it. Instead of acknowledging that the Nazis carried out a deliberate strategy of genocide, he reduced the Jewish victims to the same kind of accidental and random casualties that take place in every war.
THE ARREST and ANTI-SEMITIC RANT:
In July of 2006, Mel Gibson was stopped and arrested for drunk driving near his house in Malibu by Deputy James Mee.
The police report detailed repeated threats against Mee made by Gibson, who said that he” owned Malibu” and “would get even” with the deputy.
The report also detailed Gibson’s “barrage of anti-Semitic remarks” in which he said, “The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world” before asking the deputy, who is Jewish: “Are you a Jew?”
He has to date never apologized to the deputy or to the Jewish people.
Audio tapes have also emerged that captured Gibson spewing violent, racist, anti-Semitic tirades.
Quotes:
“Fucking Jews… Jews are responsible for all wars in the world.”
July 28, 2006 on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California after pulled over for speeding and drunk driving.
Mel Gibson ‘hates Jews’, says screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, screenwriter for the now sidelined Maccabees film.
According to Joe, Mel has said:
“What I really want to do with this movie is to convert the Jews to Christianity.”
“Most ‘gatekeepers’ of American companies were ‘Hebes’ who ‘controlled their bosses.’”
“The Holocaust was ‘mostly a lot of horsesh*t,’
Gibson “regularly used the terms “Hebes,” “oven-dodgers,” and “Jew-boys”.
He added that Gibson made various false accusations, including that the Torah refers to sacrificing Christian babies.
_________________________
RACIAL DISCRIMINATION:
To his then-girlfriend (whom he physically and verbally abused):
“You’re an embarrassment to me. You look like a f***ing pig in heat, and if you get raped by a pack of n***ers, it will be your fault.” – ON TAPE.
The L.A. Chapter of the NAACP reacted to Mel Gibson using the “N” word … calling Mel “an out of date and out of control racist.” Source.
_________________________
ANTI-IMMIGRANT SENTIMENTS:
Mel Gibson has spewed hatred about blacks and Jews, and has been caught on tape making a bigoted remark about Hispanics.
Mel referred to one of his staffers as a “wetback,” Radaronline.com reports.
“I will report her to the f**king people that take f**king money from the wetbacks,” he said.
‘Wetbacks’ is a slur originally used to disparage Mexicans who swam across the Rio Grande to enter Texas illegally. It seems Mel was threatening to turn his staffer over to immigration authorities.
__________________________
So again – why is this post necessary?
To educate on the personal prejudices shown by a public figure – and to STOP the HATE!
The public DOES CARE, and we need to show, in solidarity:
THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE!
WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY REMINDING THE PUBLIC OF THESE COMMENTS AND ACTIONS.
WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE THEY CAN FEEL – IN THEIR WALLETS!
Authorities have confirmed the tragic suicide death of a 12-year-old in New York was due to the relentless bullying she was subjected to for several months beforehand from classmates.
According to Gabrielle Molina’s suicide note and accounts from her sister, 15-year-old Georgia, the seventh-grader took her own life because of persistent cyber-bullying, slut-shaming, and name calling from her middle school peers. It had just become too much.
HERE IS THE FULL TEXT OF THE ARTICLE, and I’ve highlighted the parts that really hit me, and ranted on a few.
Her SISTER Georgia found Gabrielle after she’d hanged herselfinside her bedroom.
Georgia had been sworn to secrecy, told not to reveal the abuse to their parents, though they knew Gabrielle was having some trouble at school.
RANT INSERT: REALLY???? Sworn to secrecy?? How many other siblings are out there keeping such “secrets” from the people who can help most – parents, friends, teachers, even anonymous tip lines, and groups like NVEEE.org.
The girl was often taunted by classmates over her appearance – victimized both face-to-face and online. Fellow students who sent the upsetting messages are currently under investigation as officers removed computers from the Molina home in order to have them analyzed. Several students have been questioned since the incident, but no charges have been imposed.
Associates of Gabrielle said she’d got into a fistfight with another girl that was videotaped and posted on YouTube; she had a history of cutting herself and had recently broken up with a boyfriend – providing the bullies with fodder.
RANT INSERT: TWO WORDS – CYBER BULLYING.
Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott said that a preliminary investigation did not show any serious bullying problems at the school.
RANT INSERT: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! EVERY school has bullying problems – stop burying your head in the sand. Are teachers so afraid of being blamed or coming to false conclusions that they just pretend this doesn’t happen? That these kids are ok?
How do you define a serious bullying problem? Any bullying should not be tolerated and should be considered serious as it can stem from its own environment of abuse or mental illness.
Bullying has always been a problem, especially in middle school when socialization seems to be the most difficult. Physical, emotional, and psychological threats make it difficult for an individual to get through the day and focus on their academic work. With technology pusillanimous bullies can post hate-speak and degrading taunts about a person with some anonymity. Often times there is little schools can do to protect the victim as many school officials will say unless the acts occur while on school grounds, there isn’t much they can do to deter it.
Parents have addressed a call for action, demanding something more be done to protect their children from this type of victimization as daily threats and assaults can lead to depression, lessened self-esteem, eating disorders, anxiety, sleeplessness, drug and alcohol abuse, effect academic performance and overall well-being, and, in extreme cases, suicidal tendencies.
RANT INSERT: OK, what exactly does a “call to action” mean? Hey Guys! Stop bullying! Seriously.
Parents need to be PROACTIVE, and actions speak louder than words.
A choice that seems trivial may not be all that trivial! This could shape quite a bit for you in the coming days and weeks, so make sure that you are thinking things through with care. If you really ponder the issue, you will begin to see where things are going for the future.
Using faith as a shield and a sword when their hospital needs funding (see article), yet when their doctors are responsible for the death of a woman and the 7 month old twins she was carrying that could have been saved, the hospital IMMEDIATELY throws their faith out the window and argues in court that fetuses are not people. Regardless of your stance on the status of life beginning at conception v. birth, the actions of this hospital show ME that money is more important than their own beliefs and their patients lives!
This is not a religious or political post. My views on both are private.
What this IS about is hypocrisy, and this should be called out if this was ANY hospital claiming to follow certain ideals – and then when they mess up they throw away those beliefs all to avoid the Monetary Damages from a wrongful death malpractice suit.
Relevant Sections of Article:
“The lead defendant in the case is Catholic Health Initiatives, the Englewood-based nonprofit that runs St. Thomas More Hospital as well as roughly 170 other health facilities in 17 states. Last year, the hospital chain reported national assets of $15 billion. The organization’s mission, according to its promotional literature, is to “nurture the healing ministry of the Church” and to be guided by “fidelity to the Gospel.” Toward those ends, Catholic Health facilities seek to follow the Ethical and Religious Directives of the Catholic Church authored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Those rules have stirred controversy for decades, mainly for forbidding non-natural birth control and abortions. “Catholic health care ministry witnesses to the sanctity of life ‘from the moment of conception until death,’” the directives state. “The Church’s defense of life encompasses the unborn.””
BUT
“when it came to mounting a defense in the Stodghill case, Catholic Health’s lawyers effectively turned the Church directives on their head. Catholic organizations have for decades fought to change federal and state laws that fail to protect “unborn persons,” and Catholic Health’s lawyers in this case had the chance to set precedent bolstering anti-abortion legal arguments. Instead, they are arguing state law protects doctors from liability concerning unborn fetuses on grounds that those fetuses are not persons with legal rights.”
“As Jason Langley, an attorney with Denver-based Kennedy Childs, argued in one of the briefs he filed for the defense, the court “should not overturn the long-standing rule in Colorado that the term ‘person,’ as is used in the Wrongful Death Act, encompasses only individuals born alive. Colorado state courts define ‘person’ under the Act to include only those born alive. Therefore Plaintiffs cannot maintain wrongful death claims based on two unborn fetuses.””
hy·poc·ri·sy
/hiˈpäkrisē/
Noun
The practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one’s own behavior does not conform; pretense.
NOTE: If you have no clue about this feature on FaceBook, read this article first. Or this one.
Sickest thing about Facebook – the “See Friendship” feature.
It’s like your PAST poking you in the EYE with a STICK!
It shows you (and possibly anyone who cares to look, not too sure) the entire FB friendship between yourself and another person – which could be cool – EXCEPT:
What if you no longer TALK to that person?
Or you just had a bad break-up (stalk(ed) much?)
UGH!
Of course (surprise, surprise) I found it by clicking ‘See Friendship’ while mooning over my “on-break” other half’s page. I admit it.
However, I will NOT be visiting again – how sad is it to look at the timeline of a past relationship? Or one that is not so stable at the moment?
Having a graphical reminder of every FB interaction we ever had, including photos, messages – EVERYTHING!
I’m talking photos we’re both tagged in, wall posts and comments between us, events we both RSVP’d to, and our mutual friends and Likes.
Curiosity killed the cat – well, I feel as though I just took that cat and watched as it was born; as it frolicked and played as a kitten; as it grew older and more distant; and then…ended. Nothing.
“See Friendship” = Curiosity = Dead Cat.
Why not just tattoo this onto my forehead:
Yup. This girl. Right here.
Yeah, so – “See Friendship” feature? Go take a hike. Without shoes. On rocky shores.
I am. Are you? 