Jimmy Wellington
The creator of The Fake news, comedy writer, gadfly. Everything here is original content (except for a few reblogs here and there)
-
I could have just “unliked” a page? Now you tell me!
A while back, scores of my Facebook friends changed their profile picture to a cartoon character, saying that this was raising awareness for child violence. This phenomenon was reported on by many in the media as if it were a perfectly reasonable thing to do. It was not.
I upset some of my friends by pointing out that changing their profile pictures was an example of “slacktivism,” a term which I fervently wish I had coined because it is a perfect way to describe this new trend.
Maybe I’m going to piss people off—maybe I should go back and change the first word of this sentence to “surely”—but this trend of “raising awareness” is becoming increasingly tiresome. For example, I fully support research and treatment for breast cancer. At this point, however, is anyone not aware that breasts are susceptible to cancer? Haven’t we turned over every rock by now and shouted to those slumbering under them, “Excuse me, but I made my Facebook status a sexual joke about where I left my pocketbook that implies that I like to have intercourse in that location.”?
Last week, it was brought to my attention that Geoff Fox, the weatherman at the station I grew up watching, was being let go. Yes, you could say that my awareness was raised. What followed, however, shows just how ridiculous people are becoming with these online protests.
