What is it about nice people that attract total idiots?Nice people are martyrs. Idiots are evangelists.

SOCK IT TO ME BABY!!!

Monday, December 3, 2012

Shares and Re-posts.

I have come to the conclusion, which I should have long ago, that Facebook is just a place where everyone can talk without having to have anyone listen.  Why, you ask?

Actually, it's because of a response I got on the topic I'm about to discuss- the myriad of "re-post/share if you like..." garbage that showers down on the heads of FB users like ash from a sulphur-belching volcano.  Now, I'm not against the "share this" posts per se.  I am against a very specific style.  But in trying to get that point across, I discovered that many FB users just aren't willing enough to listen to get this very simple concept.

Here's my bitch.  How many times have you gotten the "97% of my friends won't re-post" posts, or the "if you really care about x, you'll share this" posts?  Most of the time, I just scroll right past without a backwards glance.  I only share stuff if it comes from one friend who might not be connected to another one, and the other might apreciate it.  I don't do these "guilt posts", and I resent seeing them.  So yesterday, a friend of a friend (or friend of a relative, or some such permutation) shared a post where the "speaker" asked Santa Claus to fly to the Middle East and bring all our soldiers home, and then said, "Share this to show respect for those who won't be coming home."  At this point, I have no problem with it.

But then it ends, "If you don't share, I understand.  You can't take six seconds out of your life to support our soldiers."

WTF?  How DARE you say I don't support our troops because I won't play your silly "share" game??!!  So I posted a comment instead.

ME: You know what, I share what I feel like, and resent seeing these "you are a bad person if you don't share " posts. Maybe I just don't feel like sharing every little thing that comes down the pike. The people who produce these things may have good intentions, but have no reason to JUDGE others.
 Now I thought that was pretty clear.  But minutes later, someone posted this:
 
 THEM: Where does it say that "you are a bad person if you don't share"?
 
First clue that someone was reading just what they felt like.  So I replied:
 

ME: "I understand. You can't spend six seconds of your life to support our soldiers." Dont presume I don't support the soldiers. DO try to read the entire message.
 
Somehow they skipped over not only what I said about "guilt posts" but over my reply as well, and proceeded to lecture me:
 

THEM: Hey, because of those soldiers we still have Facebook! Do try to get the meaning of the message, and your FREEDOM to do what ever you want to with Facebook posts and no one really thinks anyone is a louse for not sharing. That is the point...I for one do not have the gonads to be a soldier, so I am sharing if I choose to, or not. Everyone has the FREEDOM to keep scrolling....
 
True enough, but missing my point entirely.  So I returned lecture for lecture:
 
 
 ME: Well why not support the troops without being INSULTING to those who dont choose to play the share game? Every one of us have got those posts that start "I know my friends won't re-post this..." What does that prove? Is your point to support the troops or make people feel guilty? I have no problem when the post says share if you agree. I have a big problem with those that say, "you dont think enough of the soldiers/cancer victims/ what have you to share." And Dianne if you look at your last comment you are saying the same thing- "you dont apreciate the troops because you dont like sharing." This has NOTHING to do with the troops or with people who share. This has everything to do with people who create these posts just to guilt people. Do you like being told "Our soldiers aren't worth 6 seconds of your life"? I don't. That is ALL I'm saying. THINK before you share "guilt" posts.

 

This apparently either sank in, or they found something better to do.  Probably a good thing, because my next step would have been something like, "Your reading comprehension leads me to believe you must have voted for Obama."
 
Later that night, a friend shares another post, that ran:
 
So, since I didn't re-post, I don't love God- and God knows it?  Okay, I know that I shouldn't take this drivel serious.  But why, if you are going to the trouble to send a noble message, whether it be about your faith, our troops, or the little kid someone knows who's fighting cancer, why CHEAPEN YOUR MESSAGE with the guilt trip?
 
I was trying to think of reasons why the posts' originators might add the guilt thing:
 
1- they are less about the message and more about "let's see how many likes I get";
 
2- They have a fixation with causing guilt in others and/or demeaning them;
 
3- if you have a good email system, you'll often see this:
"Some images in this this message are not shown.  Images that link to external websites are blocked to protect your privacy."  This means that scammers have the means to read your location- and thus a foothold into your data- through images.  They can use you connecting to these images to send all manner of junk to you, as well as target advertising for what they glean from your info.  I think a LOT of these guilt posts are just that- getting gullible people to share and spread there spam across the internet like- well, like ash from a sulphurous volcano.
 
Let me give you another example.  When you try to share, say a news story off FoxNews, it will ask you if you are willing to let Fox have your data from FB.  If you say no, it gives you a ration of crap until you say the heck with it.  If you say yes, it has permission to scour your posts to get info with which to send targeted ads and such to you.
 
So yeah, I didn't just "scroll on by" yesterday.  I got mad, first because I don't HAVE to share to love God, support my troops, or anything else.  And second because people are so naiive that they think it's okay to spread their messages by guilt and insult.  But does it matter?
 
Soon later I saw the now-famous re-post of the dipshit who held up a photoshopped lottery ticket, claimed he was a winner, and told people he was going to share it with random people who shared the post.  Almost minutes after he put this up, it was all over the internet that it was a scam.  Yet one of our friends re-posted and commented "God bless you."  I shook my head and said, "Chris, they are a bunch of sheep.  All out their going "Baaaa!" and having no more reason or meaning.
 
So I shall try one more time to make my point clear.  If you want to share and/or re-post on FB:
-Read carefully what you are posting.  If someone came up to you on the street and said it to you, would you be offended?
-Does the entire message convey what you want it to?
-Do you trust the message? Have you checked to see if it is a scam or just flat untrue?
-If someone comments on it, UNDERSTAND what it is they are saying.  Don't just turn on your selective hearing.
 

17 comments:

  1. I've been guilty of posting some of these that would really offend or hurt some people, I've tried to stop it all together. Unless of course it's something I feel very strongly about. I will NOT re post some of those because it tells me to. I guess it's my rebellious side or something.. I'm sorry, but Jesus doesn't use FB and well soldiers probably aren't really worried about how many likes and shares a "support our troops" FB post gets. I can't do it, it bugs the hell out of me. Don't let it bug ya, it's just facebook! In other news, how was your weekend?

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  2. CWM:
    ...And THAT is one of a myriad of reasons WHY I don't "do Facebook"...
    TO me, it's like "talking to the palm"...a lot.
    Wifey does it, and she can have it...for what it's worth.

    I REALLY think you're onto something with the whole "GUILT" thing.

    We have fast become a GUILTY society, and by that, I mean people LOVE guilt...in and of the GIVING sense.

    God forbid you LAY some (deserved) guilt on THEM, for being WRONG, or misinformed, or just plain STUPID.
    But it's perfectly OK for them to toss some guilt YOUR way, however misdirected it is.

    Hell, the gov't LOVES to lay guilt-trips )from food to lightbulbs, and then some) on US every day...and many of us lock-step right along.
    Not this boy!

    I figure God knows whatever guilt I have MUCH better and ANY man, woman, OR squirrel.
    And that remains between HIM, me, and the fencepost.

    I really get sick of being "labelled" (anything)by others when THAT becomes their ONLY defense in a "shootout of wits, wisdom, and knowledge"...and they show up unarmed for the conflict in the first place.

    Great post.

    Stay safe up there.

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    1. I'm a former Catholic. I can smell a guilt-con miles away.

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  3. I don't do the re-posts and shares either and am glad you said it like it is! I do, however use Facebook to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which I know full well causes many Christian friends to be irritated with me, because there is a general consensus that FB should not be used to preach. But because I've chosen to be a disciple of Jesus Christ & disciples are called to preach the Gospel to the far ends of the earth & because FB has the potential of reaching to the far ends of the earth & because He truly is what is on my mind all day long ... I do it anyway. Those who let me know privately how appreciative they are of what I do & let me know they are benefitting from it, affirm and spur me on. I'm not waiting till FB bans using Jesus' name and then protest our loss of freedom! And I never tell anyone they should share what I post :)

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    1. I think using social media such as we two do is part of what was meant by using our gifts and reaching to the ends of the earth. I tend not to do it on FB but the blog is linked so any of our friends who so desire can check it out. Posting directly to FB often is an invitation to battle for those who have an axe to grind, and with my proclivity (genetic) to argue, 'tis best to do it in a forum where mainly people who need and will appreciate it will read.

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  4. I had to back way down on my Facebooking (is that even a word?) over the last year or so. Between politics, religion and meaningless drama it's no longer worth it to me.

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    1. Some thiongs about it are worthwhile. Laurie's niece likes to post pictures which I then make snarky comments about so she knows I care. Other friends have their finger on the pulse of the city, and others are family we like to keep up with. But yeah, if life got too stressful, I know it would be one place that would get jettisoned, just like twitter after baseball season.

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    2. That's the only reason I get on there anymore - family. If we didn't live so far away from them (including one of my kids) I wouldn't have a need for it. Wait, did I just say need? *sigh* LOL

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  5. Ugh, thank you!!! I HATE facebook reposts and apparently I am a terrible Christian because I DIDNT REPOST A FACEBOOK STATUS!! Lol. I could go on about this topic for hours but I won't because you already said everything I would have!!

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  6. These repost and share things started happening when they opened Facebook to people under thirteen. I would venture to say that the majority of those post originated with a kid who doesn't truly understand what they're doing. I miss the old facebook days before all of that junk, but it's still the best way to keep in touch with my family who is scattered all across the country so I deal with it. I wish there was a way to block those post though. They are annoying!!

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  7. There is an awful lot I could say about this blog bit, but I'm going to keep it really short.

    >>...THEM: Hey, because of those soldiers we still have Facebook! Do try to get the meaning of the message, and your FREEDOM to do what ever you want to with Facebook posts and no one really thinks anyone is a louse for not sharing. That is the point...I for one do not have the gonads to be a soldier, so I am sharing if I choose to, or not. Everyone has the FREEDOM to keep scrolling....

    In the first place, the first sentence was as big a load of crap-on-a-stick I've ever read. The writer is implying that the only reason we in the USA are still "free" (so to speak) and have not been conquered is because of our soldiers.

    Really?

    Who had the capability to go to war with us in the modern era, conquer us and survive the war sufficiently enough to overrun us and subject us to their post-war dictatorship?

    And which modern war did the American soldiers fight and win which prevented that from happening? Which soldiers should I profusely thank for saving "Facebook"?

    Uh-Huh. No one and none. That's right.

    And lastly, the writer states, "I for one do not have the gonads to be a soldier."

    I'm quite sure that's true. I'm equally sure that the writer does not have the brains to be an imbecile.

    OK, I'm done.

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

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    1. Can't say I disagreed with the poster's thoughts on freedom, and I really do see a connection (though not a direct one) between our boys and FB freedom. My only problem was, THAT WASN'T MY POINT, and she refused to hear what the point was. Instead, she argued with me on the things we agree ON.

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  8. I hear you. I hate these things. One of the biggest reasons I hid a few of friends feeds - they constantly post the guilt trips. I don't go on FB to be guilted - had 44 years of that with my mother tyvm - I go to read everyone's bragging about their kids, grandkids, weight loss, new Lexus, whatever is better than I have flavor of the week posts, okay? ::sarcasm drip::

    Seriously tho' - did you have to drop an Obama dig/reference into an otherwise well written argument about FB and people who do this? We get it - you hate the President - but he is ours for the next four years. Maybe we can get the Repuplicans to work with him this time, instead of trying to bury his administration and the country will come out better for it. He isn't solely to blame for this entire mess as I recall he was handed a big ol steaming pile of doodoo from the previous guy. But as I always say, your blog, your rules - I just wish the entire country would come together instead of boohooing that their canidate didn't win or it's going to be another long 4 years.

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    1. Yes, yes I did. I have been very good about posting full articles about Obama since the election. Subtle digs is my metier, and that I will not cut back on. Even if Leno, Letterman, et al suddenly promised to stop THEIR digs at GW Bush, blaming him for all of our current woes, which is, as you said, "a big ol' steaming pile of doo doo."

      Seriously, I am tired of the whole "Bush did it" and "the republicans are holding everything up" business because it is a dog that only half-ass hunts. How co-operative has Harry Reid been at working through bi-partisanly? Frankly- as I'll be posting soon- I think the Tea Party has a lot of problems, but they learned their craft from the democrats.

      Unemployment is still going up. An Ambassador was killed because his superiors did NOT protect him. And the Catholic Church is being forced to do things against their conscience. NONE of that can be laid at GW Bush's feet. When will I stop snarking at Obama? When he and his people start taking responsibility for their OWN messes.

      Rant said, I do agree we need to work together. Which is why I haven't attacked Obama as a main subject of any post. That doesn't mean he gets a free ride, however. Nor will anyone who put his Marxist butt back in office. And John Boehner is next if he keeps up.

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