I have earned my disillusionment.

[fickle]

So, I'd say that a fair share of you have already seen the following meme, right?

We would like to know who really believes in gay rights on livejournal. There is no bribe of a miracle or anything like that. If you truly believe in gay rights, then repost this and title the post as "Gay Rights". If you don't believe in gay rights, then just ignore this. Thanks.

How many of you read that and went 'BWUAH'? Because seriously, what's the point of that meme? Who is this unnamed we? The FBI? The HRC? Aliens monitoring us from space somewhere?

Also, secondly, who believes in gay rights? Gay Rights isn't a religion. It's not the Tooth Fairy, it's not Santa Claus.

So why make a meme that basically says, "If you believe in fairies, clap your hands!"?

Honestly, it's like that really stupid statistic that says 98% of teens have tried pot and to repost that in your journal if you're part of the two percent that haven't. For one thing, just thinking about that one for a little would make it pretty clear that's not true and a little basic research would disprove it.

And yet I keep seeing that in people's signatures.

ARGH. Way to give teens an undeserved bad name, everyone.

I wasn't sure if I was just being too critical about the Gay Rights meme, then thankfully ceresi also posted about it, as well as linking to other people that had pointed out the flaws in the Gay Rights meme like the self-righteousness, the us versus them mentality, and the coerciveness.

Personally, I believe in human rights, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexuality or anything else used to divide humans into groups. I believe in taking useful action, and I believe that just posting a meme won't change anything.

I also believe that this is currently the most worrying topic in the political hot zone.

I mean, the right to obtain evidence through torture? Not showing them the evidence against them? No limits on how long people can be held? That's more important to me than some mythical person who's supposedly going through all of el-jay and seeing who's reposting a paragraph and who isn't.

And if you really want to support a cause specific to one group, try supporting the Equal Rights Amendment. Trust me, sending off an e-mail to Congress or your Senators is a lot more productive than just reposting something in your livejournal -- for one thing, people with actual power are more likely to see the former, since I rather doubt that most political figures go around surfing el-jay on their breaks.

Edit: You want to do something real for Gay Rights? Here. A nice little collection of links to work with. Enjoy.

Comments

[kaough-daimaoh.livejournal.com]

You're my hero Fickle.

I'm not the only one.. I find that meme to just be absurd. In fact I pretty much hate all memes. Especially ones that subtly coerce you into doing them, by using the whole "Prove you care or it means you don't!" motiff.

Great entry.

[fickle-goddess.livejournal.com]

I'm normally okay with memes in general, but I agree that the 'if you don't post this, you don't believe' attitude of that one is really, really annoying. Urgh.

And thanks. XD I figured that if I was going to complain about the meme, I ought to offer some alternatives as well. Like The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: United Nations, 1948 (http://brown-betty.livejournal.com/218647.html#cutid1). If I was going to meme anything, it would be that.

[actualize.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised people found it so serious, actually. Like, took it so seriously. It's a meme, not a petition or anything with weight. Maybe I shoulda cut that out when I respoted it, but I did it for fun.

'Sides, it's preaching to the choir even if it was serious.

[fickle-goddess.livejournal.com]

It's a really poorly-phrased meme that doesn't do anything and has a holier-than-thou mentality. Preaching to the choir, maybe, but it sounds more like talking down to the congregation from where I'm standing.

And when that comes up several times on your flist from people whom you respect and know genuinely care about human rights, then it's insanely frustrating because you think better of them than to believe that they'd fall for something like that, and then you post your opinion of the meme.

So, not so much an issue of whether you cut it or not, and just about people needing to be less gullible/sheep-like, I'd say.

[actualize.livejournal.com]

XD I saw it as about the same as dropping like waving to someone I don't know or smiling or something really reflexive and a 'nice gesture' but with no weight. I guess it proves my stupidity in that sentence alone |D but I am totally surprised at the backlash with it.

:( I am so Pavlov'd.

[fickle-goddess.livejournal.com]

:( I am so Pavlov'd.

Indeed you are :P *petpet* Think first then post next time?

[actualize.livejournal.com]

But then I wouldn't be able to start spectacular wank about myself :( life would be so much less entertaining if I learned to censor myself. Also, I might end up making posts that go something like this:

muffin muffin orange orange spaghetti on the plane of the house inside of the pea pod muffin muffin BANANA.

:( tragedy.

[fickle-goddess.livejournal.com]

But this is hardly about you. XD I've got that damn meme in at least four of my flist posts, all posts by well-intentioned people who just didn't think before automatically doing as they were told. Which is seriously worrying because people don't ask enough question if they'll just do as they're told without wondering why or checking the facts.

I wouldn't call it self-censoring, because it's not like you're being forbidden to post about gay rights, or supporting gay rights or whatever you like. You can still have an opinion and express it however you like.

It's just the simple statement that this meme in particular is an incredibly poorly-written and pointless piece of 'yay gay rights we are so cool'. It doesn't accomplish anything except to make people feel smug that they posted it because hey, look, they're such a cool, liberal person for supporting gay rights and that makes them cooler than everyone else who didn't post it.

[actualize.livejournal.com]

:( the new meme in my journal is all about being cool.

Nah, I see the point. But I guess that I've had just about as many >O responses towards the meme as repostings of it on my flist. So I am surprised.

[fickle-goddess.livejournal.com]

*nods* Saw. XD

And I've had a few O_o responses but mostly repostings, but then I thought to get on Fandom Wank and check it out and whaddya know, apparently a lot of people in el-jay are unhappy with that meme. Including the girl who analysed it line-by-line (http://gehayi.livejournal.com/224448.html?style=mine). Nice to know that other people are thinking about it instead of just knee-jerk reposting because it looks like a good cause.

[actualize.livejournal.com]

Ahhh F_W. WOE. I should work harder to look cool, because apparently I fail at being liberal and cool and being not-liberal and cool. It's a horrible state, my coolness x3.

...wow. it made it to F_W. I am so out of the loop XD

[fickle-goddess.livejournal.com]

It's okay. Cool isn't everything. XD Personally, I'd rather be hot.

And I checked F_W on a hunch after a lot of people commented here saying that they also disliked the meme since anything that gets a lot of attention from more than one side tends to end up on FW.

[mlleelizabeth.livejournal.com]

That meme reminds me of the glurgey emails I receive from time to time that end with something approximating "you are a meanie poopie head who hates children and puppies if you don't forward this to you entire addressbook" at the end. I ignore those emails, and I ignored the meme. \

sending off an e-mail to Congress or your Senators is a lot more productive

heh ... Not in Texas, it isn't! Unless, of course, you are send off an email supporting extremist right-wing causes. But you're right that in many states it can make a difference. As a result, I tend to contribute to out-of-state campaigns that have a chance of actually doing something.

[fickle-goddess.livejournal.com]

*dies* Yeah. I ignore forwards as well. Especially the ones that go all "this was written by a girl dying of cancer, her family receives ten cents for every address you forward it to". Or I do a quick Google check, find the proof that the forwards are fake, then hit 'reply', attach the proof and request politely that people don't send me that kind of junk.

...Oh man, poor you in Texas, then. And hey, that's a good attitude to take! I'm just glad to live in MA, where it's got a decent chance of doing something.

[mlleelizabeth.livejournal.com]

Yay for Snopes! Most of the people who forward that stuff are well-intentioned, but I think they don't actually read and think about what they are forwarding.

There are things about Texas I truly love, especially parts of the hill country and the Austin of my memories from 20 years ago, but our politics are mostly teh suck. We have a few teeny pockets of goodness surrounded by the Bible belt and a lot of corruption. That's why I have a link to the Obama blog on my website and will be sending money to who ever the Dems run for President in 2008, despite my Libertarian leanings.

[fickle-goddess.livejournal.com]

*nods* Exactly! So it's slightly, "Argh, why do good people have to be so stupid?"

Awwww. I think that I'm more along the lines of Independent but I know that's pretty much just throwing my vote away so I'll probably end up favoring the Dems candidate as well. Who will hopefully actually be progressive instead of middle-of-the-road.

[sakata.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU!
That meme was annoying me too. I spotted it last night in one friend's post, ignored it for the sheer banality of it. Today I've seen it in no less than half of my active flist.
So yeah, WTF.

Double agreement on that asinine teen pot-smoking statistic sig too. Though that crops up more on DA than here.

[fickle-goddess.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. XD The quotation's cool, admittedly, but it's still very American-biased and making false assumptions about what the majority of people are comfortable with.

And I keep seeing the teen pot-smoking stat sig over at Gaia, where it's just GRRRR. But there was a rash of people posting it over at el-jay, I remember, but that was fortunately a while ago.

[xinda.livejournal.com]

Being a meme whore, I'm surprised I haven't even seen this one. Unless I miss it, I won't post it if it says you "have to or you don't agree" sort of thing. Same thing with the, "Post this X amount of times for X to (not) happen." I used to - many years ago. Now? No. Do I have a problem with people posting it? Not really. Do I think there's more to be done? Yeah, like you said.

Also, you're not the only one NOT on your flist who agrees. Someone on my FLIST didn't say WHAT meme it was, but did say they weren't going to post a meme on "gay rights" when everyone on her flist should already know her stance on how she feels.

As far as this meme goes? Doesn't make sense - I agree with what you say and what you linked to.

"We would like to know who really believes in gay rights on livejournal." Really. Who is "we"? If it was some sort of poll in ONE location or something - at least it'd make some sort of sense of who "we" are. I don't see someone going to each and every entry trying to collect some sort of statistics on something that can't even be used. Really. Some people do not post certain things - whether they agree or not, for example. Others miss things. The point of this meme doesn't really make sense @_@

/end ramble.

[fickle-goddess.livejournal.com]

...Huh? You should, you've got WR friended :P

And after seeing the agreement in comments here and the FW entry about it, I've realized that yay, I'm not the only one who disagrees with the way that meme is worded and the sentiment behind it.

*pets you*

[xinda.livejournal.com]

xD I noticed it after this - saw it (either the meme or someone commenting on it - either just part of it or the whole thing... or "ranting" about it) about 5 times after this xD

xD Naw, it's worded... strangely. Possibly someone who wanted to make a meme and as such, threw it together and BAM here y'go.

*purrs*

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

Okay now that I think about it, it's silly.

However, I am easily guilt tripped, and my eyes sort of glazed over after the quote, which I like.

[xinda.livejournal.com]

The quote is a good one, I agree.

*personal opinion: People who posted the quote who believe in gay/equal rights are not idiots or anything of the sort. Most were/are sincere about it*

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

I agree with that opinion. XD

[xinda.livejournal.com]

*beams* Good ;D

[fickle-goddess.livejournal.com]

The quotation's okay, I guess. Personally, I'd like to know who seriously would feel happier seeing someone on the street, holding a gun, than seeing two men holding hands. I mean, really, who feels safer with a gun-wielding possible psycho than two happily-in-love men? Not that it has to be a gay thing. They could just be brothers, or very good friends. I hold hands with my friends all the time, after all.

*pets* And you had good intentions, as did most people who posted that meme.

It's just that posting something stupid even with the best of intentions is still stupid, so it was really bugging me. X_X

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

My grandmother.

And ahaha. Two other friends of mine did it as well, so I'm feeling extra silly. XD

[xinda.livejournal.com]

Personally, I'd like to know who seriously would feel happier seeing someone on the street, holding a gun, than seeing two men holding hands.

Saying it or meaning it? I'm pretty sure I've heard quite a few go on about negative comments pretty similar to someone holding a gun (like, someone being dead or never having something they love) rather than either men/women holding hands (as more than friends) or in a relationship @_@

People who despise it that much? See, now my question is of those people who would seriously SAY that they'd rather see that, I wonder, how many actually are serious.

Sad, isn't it?

[ryuutchi.livejournal.com]

harukami has a really nice dissection of the meme too. I just... ignored it. XD ♥

[fickle-goddess.livejournal.com]

The irony is that I saw this comment right after snickering at your gay alien rights post. XD *is clearly a dirty, dirty xenophobe* ♥

Here's what I say

[raistmimi.livejournal.com]

98% of teens have tried pot and alcohol. Put this in your profile if you like waffles.