Rant!

Note: This is strictly my opinion. If you post things on Facebook that annoy the crap out of me on a regular basis, I don't defriend you unless I really don't know you or don't like you. I just take you off my NewsFeed so I don't have to be annoyed. And I know I've done some of these things before too.


I have profiles on both Twitter and Facebook and I use them very differently. I have gotten dinged on more than one occasion for griping about a person in my Facebook status, of course without saying who I'm talking about but giving enough information that they can figure it out. Or thinking I'm being clever and then someone thinks I'm talking about them and I'm really not. Twitter is much more anonymous...most of my Twitter followers do not know me personally, although I've actually made some friends of my followers. Kind of interesting how posting random crap and following a genre of music's bands and blogs can bring you to people you have something in common with. Probably more in common with than people you went to high school or college with. (That was sarcasm. If I'm friends with someone on Facebook, it's because I know them and like them. I think.)

Anyway, today's rant is about my social media time-wasters, as DH calls them, and how things people post on them annoy the crap out of me.

1. The copy and paste status, version 1. Whether it's sons' week, daughters' week, hairdressers' cousins' week, retarded Chihuahuas' (wait, is that an oxymoron?) week, at least 5 times a week someone is copying and pasting some BS status, probably because they think their son, daughter, hairdresser's cousin or retarded Chihuahua will be offended if they don't. I figure how you feel about any of these people at any given time is your business, and if you wanna share how you feel about them, you can tell them anytime, in a variety of ways...in person, via text message, in an e-mail, by skywriter or smoke signal. You can even send them a Hallmark card, but only if you care enough to send the very best. Most of us (OK, maybe I'm the only one) aren't that interested. I joined Facebook to share how awesome my life is, how incredibly smart and beautiful my kids are, how enormously successful I have been, and how I've put on about 50 pounds since high school. Plus the occasional pithy comment. And it's that kind of information I'm expecting to see when I creep on other people's profiles and read their status updates.

2. The copy and paste status, version 2. This one is a little more innocuous and I've been sucked in on more than one occasion. Usually it's a disease (cancer is a favorite) or perhaps a special needs group (special education week is quite common), but it's always something that you'd just have to be a supreme a-hole to not support. I mean, come on, who DOESN'T want a cure for diabetes? Who's gonna admit they stare at people who have 3 eyes? But guess what? Just because you don't copy and paste whatever crap it is this week in your status update doesn't mean you're against it! It just means you're against copying and pasting crap in your status update.

3. The raising awareness by...changing your picture to your favorite dog breed, putting your shoe size in your status, or whatever. I can't even think of anything right now. How does making Captain Cavemen my profile pic keep some dude in Alpena from beating his kid? Or putting my bra color in my status raise breast cancer awareness? What does "raising awareness" even mean anyway? I think we are all aware of the existence of cancer, autism, PETA and unemployed middle-aged actresses. The big question is, what are we going to do about it? I'm not sure Facebook is the best forum. Or I dunno, maybe it is. Maybe if we are aware of a disease we can cure it. Screw research, medicine and funding. And just because I don't jump on board doesn't mean I don't care.

4. The online petition. These have changed over the years, remember the ones that were chain e-mails that you typed your name at the bottom and then forwarded it to everyone in your inbox? Now you go to a website and it's supposed to go to where it says it will, unlike the e-mail ones that I often wondered what happened to them. My problem with petitions? You don't get an objective view of the issue, only the side the petiton-monger wants you to hear. My latest example and the subject that sent me over the edge is the petition on asking people to show their support for HB 669, a bill that would require doctors to inform breast cancer patients of all of their options before they undergo surgery. Now let me get this straight, there are women going into breast surgery who don't know what they are having done? Or they don't know there are a couple of different kinds of surgery, either of which may be appropriate, and they can have reconstruction? Are you freaking kidding me? What is the first thing nearly anyone is going to do when they get a devastating (or even minor) diagnosis? Do a little research! For heaven's sake, when I got the news given to me, they gave me handouts right then about breast cancer! Now I realize I have a healthcare background but come on, really, unless you can't read, there is no excuse for not looking into your treatment prior to getting your treatment! I visited two surgeons prior to my surgery and based on my mammogram and MRI, they both recommended the same treatment. They both mentioned lumpectomy and mastectomy and explained why a lumpectomy probably wouldn't work (since there was no LUMP!!) and told me about reconstruction options, even though a plastic surgeon would be the one doing it. For some reason I don't think my doctors were atypical. Really, the government is going to shut down in a week because there's no budget and we're fighting THREE wars but we need to pass a law making sure doctors...doctor???

And finally...

5. Being dirty for the sake of being dirty. I'm pretty "live and let live" but geez, I don't wanna read Tweets or status updates about any of your bodily functions or who you want to have sex with! Just because it pops into your head doesn't mean you have to share it.

One of these days I'm gonna get back to finishing my story...maybe tomorrow!