More Ridiculous Tripe On Facebook
Last week it was a campaign to have people change their photos to cartoons, as if that would do a damn thing against child abuse. This week it's this:
Your car is Japanese. Your pizza is Italian. Your beer is German. Your wine is Spanish. Your democracy is Greek. Your coffee is Colombian. Your tea is Chinese. Your watch is Swiss. Your fashion is French. Your shirt is Indian. Your shoes are Thai. Your radio is Korean. Your vodka is...Russian. And you complain about your neighbor being an immigrant?" Copy this if you are against racism!
My response:
My car didn't come to the country illegally.We're all immigrants. I only have problems with the illegal ones -- those who are costing California $10 billion-plus a year. If you don't, feel free to direct your entire salary toward their living, medical, and (ideally) their deportation expenses.
Pssst...as Milton Friedman said, you can't have open borders in a welfare state. Also, it isn't 1810. We're kind of full-up these days.
Sigh .. I think teaching of logic and things like logical fallacies and other reasoning errors should be compulsory for every student in every school, every year. We'll never eradicate idiocy but it would at least be a start.
Lobster at December 11, 2010 10:26 PM
A. I you are on Facebook, Linkedin, MySpace, etc. -- I can't see you. I don't have an account for any of them. The day I get one -- I figure we're going to be tossing snowballs in some hot nether regions.
B. If you are living in that world -- you are designing pages using pablum. I don't denigrate anyone for that. But I know how much more powerful, enriching, and
pages can be.
C. I hate to say 95% of my consumerism lately has been stocking up on food & silver.
Jim P. at December 12, 2010 12:14 AM
A. I you are on Facebook, Linkedin, MySpace, etc. -- I can't see you. I don't have an account for any of them. The day I get one -- I figure we're going to be tossing snowballs in some hot nether regions.
Then you are not an author. It's terribly hard to sell books these days, and social networking is a requirement for any author. I mainly use it to sell my book, follow certain researchers, and drive traffic to my blog. I have some of my real life friends on there, but our friendships take place in real life.
Amy Alkon at December 12, 2010 6:27 AM
Oh, I hope someone I know pastes that tripe. I really do.
momof4 at December 12, 2010 6:47 AM
Sigh...boo-hoo-hoo. Criminals complaining how much American taxpayers don't like them.
Very soon now, we'll have convicted criminals suing for discrimination. "You let illegal aliens have all this stuff for free, education, health care, homes, jobs, but we have to stay in prison. Not fair!"
Patrick at December 12, 2010 7:31 AM
Facebook is tragic. In a realm where you can build any Inception-style world you like, most people prefer to let the imaginations be corralled by a profoundly self-interested corporate enterprise.
Crid [cridcomment at gmail] at December 12, 2010 7:51 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/12/12/ridiculous_bull.html#comment-1798145">comment from Crid [cridcomment at gmail]A recent favorite in mail I've gotten there (and please, never, ever contact me there):
"I know you don't like getting contact here, but I needed advice..."
You gotta love people who want free advice, but can't be troubled to make it easy for the advice giver to actually give it. Which is what I said when I wrote back.
Facebook is sometimes helpful in contacting people I can't reach otherwise, like the dippy hostess at the restaurant near me (I found out she worked there after she inadvertently left a bag of clothes on the street here, with a headshot and a non-working number on it). But, I hate the "please like" the Acura dealership requests and defriend people who send me those pronto.
Amy Alkon at December 12, 2010 7:59 AM
I must be one of the only people over the age of 25 who actually likes Facebook. :-\
However... I have blocked all of the Mafia Farm Vampire war game requests. I've also blocked most of the stupid quizzes and other little games that make the rounds, and I've even removed certain friends from my news feeds so I don't have to see their driv... er, uneducated points of view on politics or religion six times a day.
And I'm somewhat choosy about who I "friend", in the sense that I don't just add people or businesses unless I already have a relationship. Six degrees is a fun game about Kevin Bacon, but if I need to play it to figure out who you are, then we probably don't need to bother.
Once tweaked, it's a pretty nifty way to keep up with the friends and family out of state that I rarely get to see.
Tom Accuosti at December 12, 2010 8:39 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/12/12/ridiculous_bull.html#comment-1798166">comment from Tom AccuostiThe social networking games are a real mystery to me. Apparently, on Farmville, you "buy" nonexistent farmland? Can somebody please explain this to me and whether there's anything intellectually or socially interesting about this whatsoever?
Amy Alkon at December 12, 2010 8:48 AM
Amy- in Forbes this week there is an article about how some people are paying real prices for "virtual property". By real prices, I mean $335,000!
http://blogs.forbes.com/oliverchiang/2010/11/17/meet-the-man-who-paid-a-record-335000-for-virtual-property/
Eric at December 12, 2010 9:05 AM
PS- Crid-
If I could go SCUBA diving anywhere this morning, this would be it:
http://wimp.com/greenlake/
Eric at December 12, 2010 9:11 AM
- Your car is Japanese.
My car is German.
- Your pizza is Italian.
My pizza is American, on the rare occasion I have some. It's hand tossed by a twenty something with metal in his face.
- Your beer is German.
My beer is American, brewed by a little brewery in Bend, OR.
- Your wine is Spanish.
My wine is American, vinted in one of the several small wineries that have sprouted up like mushrooms after a rainstorm around here. Drink locally, I say.
- Your democracy is Greek.
Well, I guess if you go back far enough.
- Your coffee is Colombian. Your tea is Chinese.
It's possible.
- Your watch is Swiss.
I no longer wear a watch. Work gave me a smart phone (which calls people I don't want to talk to, and takes pictures of things I don't want to look at. Smart phone, my ass.) and it has the time right on the front.
- Your fashion is French.
My fashion in Pacific Northwest fleece and jeans.
- Your shirt is Indian.
One or two of them, I guess. I buy them from thrift stores.
- Your shoes are Thai.
My shoes are Nike. Maybe they were made in Thailand; I don't know. I certainly do like their food, which I buy in Portland, mostly.
- Your radio is Korean.
My radio is German, just like the car.
- Your vodka is...Russian.
My vodka is the least expensive one-hundred proof clear alcoholic beverage I can find. It's made in Hood River, OR. There might be a Russian in Hood River, but I've never taken notice of him.
- And you complain about your neighbor being an immigrant?
No, I complain about my neighbor leaving their garage light on all night. It shines into my bedroom window when that happens.
- Copy this if you are against racism!
I can be against racism and illegal immigration. They are not mutually exclusive attitudes.
Steve Daniels at December 12, 2010 10:00 AM
Man, that's gorgeous. But I bet it's freaky cold! It looks so normal, you kind of want them to do Kansas City next just to see what it would be like.
Crid [cridcomment at gmail] at December 12, 2010 10:14 AM
The social networking games are a real mystery to me. Apparently, on Farmville, you "buy" nonexistent farmland? Can somebody please explain this to me and whether there's anything intellectually or socially interesting about this whatsoever?
They're the human equivalent of chicken tic tac toe.
There has been some interesting research on them - http://www.bogost.com/blog/cow_clicker_1.shtml
Basically Farmville style games feed the compulsion for feedback and attention.
Moe at December 12, 2010 10:24 AM
Aw c'mon, they're just games. A month ago, Angry Birds became perhaps the most important piece of computer code on the planet. I know this because the New York Times finally noticed yesterday.
Crid [cridcomment at gmail] at December 12, 2010 10:29 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/12/12/ridiculous_bull.html#comment-1798191">comment from Steve DanielsBy the way, I wrote the labels for the 2005 crop of Clautiere Vineyards wine, out of Paso Robles. They're really funny dialogues, filled with sex and Shetland ponies. The owners are lovely people, and also own "The Lobster," in Santa Monica, the only restaurant where I will order fish, because it's great -- even their $21 sole. Best view in So Cal, too, although Yamashiro, now under somewhat annoying new management, has a great view, too.
The lobster also has really professional waiters who are very informed about wine, etc., but who do not go snob on you, which I especially appreciate.
Amy Alkon at December 12, 2010 10:39 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/12/12/ridiculous_bull.html#comment-1798192">comment from MoeRegarding Farmville as a social site, it must be for people who are uninterested in and incapable of intelligent discussion. I am not somebody who does things for free, and while you regulars have been pretty great about buying stuff off my Amazon and tossing me some dollars from time to time, what keeps me blogging is how fascinating and fun the discussions can be here, and how interesting and varied the opinions are here. That's because actual subjects are discussed -- not just "trade ya two chickens for 1/68th of a tractor," which sounds decidedly less satisfying than bleaching my kitchen counter tiles, to say the least.
Amy Alkon at December 12, 2010 10:44 AM
Downloadable content and microtransactions are huge moneymakers for games even outside FB. I wish I had the citations on this computer, but the amount spent on virtual properties for games last year was in the billions if I recall correctly. This includes everything from downloadable maps, vanity items, and actual game content. Dungeons and Dragons Online and LOTR are both MMOs that give away the basic game for free and rely on those microtransactions for income.
"Apparently, on Farmville, you "buy" nonexistent farmland? Can somebody please explain this to me and whether there's anything intellectually or socially interesting about this whatsoever? "
Oh it's a hugely interesting subject to examine at the very least. The nature of value and creating wealth when you aren't actually creating anything real. The only reason something has value is because the buyers believe/ have faith that it does. Then you look at modern economics where our dollar has been divorced from the precious metal standard and most transactions take place without any physical money being exchanged. I and the grocery store believe that a unit called a dollar is worth an apple. I use my debit card to pay for that apple and the bank moves one dollar from me to the store. I'm trading a very strong concept for a real thing.
The micotransactions are a great equalizer in games as well. As a gainfully employed adult with a few "meat space" hobbies, I don't spend as much time gaming as most 15 year olds. But where they can spend the time building the perfect asteroids, assembling the perfect Farmville farm, or grinding reputation for vanity pets - I can buy things to accelerate me tothat point or just purchase the virtual items outright. The "time=money" formula is an incredibly delicate balancing act when it comes to creating something that is universally fun.
Now Farmville is a bit of a special case because it's a Zynga game. And Zynga's CEO has admitted that, especially in the early years, he would unapologetically do any sleazy thing to get money. And he did do some pretty sleazy things. There were lots of kids who were happy to subscribe to "first month free" text-a-joke-a-day subscriptions in exchange for some free farmville money without reading the fine print and costing their parents a lot of real-world money. Cracked.com has a pretty good article about all the ways Farmville gets it's meathooks into people: http://www.cracked.com/article_18709_6-devious-ways-farmville-gets-people-hooked.html
And I'll stop now because I think I'm veering way to abroad of the topic and I know I can babble about this stuff for days.
Elle at December 12, 2010 10:56 AM
Well, there's things to ponder here. As television has lost so much of its territory in people's attention (or their inattention, if you want to be snotty about it [and who could blame you if you did]), the internet has scrambled to develop a range of morning-show-cheery distractions for people who don't really want to have to think clearly, but who basically want to have the drone-zone of their waking lives defended.
So you get Facebook, a sunny realm where fertile women don't seem to menstruate and nobody admits to having trouble with their mortgage... Just as on the Today show, real life is distilled into a nonthreatening clear liquid, perfect for people who want to stay home with a tummy ache.
And you get Farmville and Angry Birds. I've never seen AB actually being played on a phone or tablet, but the beak-face on their opening graphic is cute. As these distractions go, video games are less troubling than Facebook... Though of course one thing that makes AB so interesting is that they're developing their own financial and & marketing systems outside of the Google Android and Apple Iphone infrastructures.
Crid [cridcomment at gmail] at December 12, 2010 11:02 AM
Also, what Elle said.
Crid [cridcomment at gmail] at December 12, 2010 11:03 AM
My husband just showed me an article about children racking up costs on their folk's ipads or whatever while they played free games.
My inner old fart keeps me from being interested in all this new-fangled technology, thank gods.
Now I keep thinking of Ray Bradbury's "The Veldt".
Pricklypear at December 12, 2010 12:15 PM
Only instead of the being fed to lions, the pesky old parents end up in the Smurf's zombie farm.
Pricklypear at December 12, 2010 12:17 PM
You have to be crazy to allow a Zynga app anywhere near your profile. They're a criminal organization.
jj at December 12, 2010 12:42 PM
Steve Daniels: My beer is American, brewed by a little brewery in Bend, OR.
Monty Python said it best. "American beer is like making love in a canoe: You're fucking close to water."
Patrick at December 12, 2010 1:16 PM
"You're fucking close to water."
You aren't talking microbrews, apparently.
momof4 at December 12, 2010 1:35 PM
digression ..
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101210075920.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29
"However, the preferred age difference did not change as we'd expected -- more financially independent women actually preferred even older men. We think this suggests greater financial independence gives women more confidence in partner choices, and attracts them to powerful, attractive older men."
moo at December 12, 2010 1:53 PM
Complaining about your neighbor being an immigrant isn't racism. It's...xenophobism, I think? Granted this facebook status doesn't necessarily advocate illegal immigration, but it's pretty silly either away. I keep everything political off facebook (along with anything negative or personal) because you never know who's looking.
Shannon at December 12, 2010 2:11 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/12/12/ridiculous_bull.html#comment-1798293">comment from ShannonMe? I don't care if my neighbors have green skin and a third eyeball, as long as they're quiet.
Amy Alkon at December 12, 2010 2:34 PM
Complaining about your neighbor being an immigrant isn't racism. It's...xenophobism
It's really neither. You can't assume that all complaints about immigrant neighbors are motivated by some phobia or bigotry. That's a deliberate conflation that people use to discredit the desire for immigration enforcement.
For instance I used to live in a neighborhood in SF that was full of young Irish guys who were a bunch of violent thugs and grifters. I think that a lot of them were evading the law in Ireland and exploited their country's preferential immigration status to get to the US. They never worked and just milked the system.
I complained about them all the time, but I'm not a xenophobe, and it wasn't racism - my family is Irish. They truly were scumbags and should have been deported.
Mike at December 12, 2010 2:47 PM
Dear Patrick:
http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/splash/default.aspx
They have other fine brews as well, should porter not be your thing. Give it a shot, if it's available to you.
Steve Daniels at December 12, 2010 4:45 PM
I enjoy Facebook because it's an easy way to keep in touch with people I am friends with who don't live nearby. I don't play the games and haven't bothered to try to figure them out.
KrisL at December 12, 2010 5:34 PM
My point was that racism isn't even the correct term to use here, making the campaign even more ridiculous.
Shannon at December 12, 2010 6:49 PM
I will admit that I changed my profile pic for the child abuse one - I do support the concept. But Amy and Walter are right it does develop bad behaviors and concepts. Facebook has many good points but it has its many bad points.
One point that it really pissing me off recently is Facebook brevity. The 180 characters of whatever is useful when you just want to say. Hey I just had a good time reading such and such book. Or just a headline - "I got a new job" but when this brevity starts to go to other areas in life and Internet. My example is this. I am on another site for Expats who live and work in another country. The sites forum has been around for about a decade. Which I have been a member for most of it. Lately I have noticed really bad forum posting behavior from the newer members and one of it is this Facebook/Twitter length postings. Ie - my boss is trying to fire me what do i do? Argh! - No details, no thought put into writing, bad spelling, etc. You try to help get them to tell more but each time it is just a sentence. So the older more experienced people usually just learn to ignore these people and they are surprised when nobody helps them. Here is the amazing part most people of this forum demographic have to at least a University or college degree. These are people who have to know how to write! I am maybe getting old butI am amazed at the the last generations actions.
John Paulson at December 12, 2010 7:38 PM
Hi all,
Here's a practical facebook question. I use facebook and have gotten some enjoyment out of it while learning how to block and ignore much of the really annoying stuff.
Every now and then, I purge "friends" who haven't contacted me in a long while and just seem to be there. I try to keep my friends list very limited. I went through this purging process last night and dropped about ten people. Do they get a message saying they've been dropped? Or are they left to just notice on their own that I'm no longer in their list?
whistleDick at December 13, 2010 3:19 AM
Unless they have something like unfriend finder available at http://www.unfriendfinder.com they will likely not notice unless they go thru their friend list.
John Paulson at December 13, 2010 4:19 AM
Thanks, John! I'm happy about that :)
whistleDick at December 13, 2010 4:49 AM
Got myself on to Facebook last year. Found it kind of handy for some things, like getting in touch with people I hadn't heard from in years. I never tried the games, though not out of any sense of disdain. If it's mindless entertainment I want, I'll fire up my Elder Scrolls games.
Old RPM Daddy at December 13, 2010 5:04 AM
I always liked Baldurs Gate better the Elder Scrolls
lujlp at December 13, 2010 5:37 AM
Baldurs Gate is fun, too -- I've spend a lot of time playing Icewind Dale. I like the first person view of Elder Scrolls, though, and the Elder Scrolls games have interesting modder communities, too.
Old RPM Daddy at December 13, 2010 7:03 AM
Friedman is absolutely right that you can't have unlimited immigration in a welfare state. His point wasn't that we should pick the welfare state part of that equation, though. Allowing the government to set up barriers against people trying to join our market is beyond foolish, from both a political and economic perspective.
CB at December 13, 2010 7:27 AM
I must be one of the only people over the age of 25 who actually likes Facebook.
I like it, too. I get to hear about the small, trivial things that happen to people, things I miss by not living close to them. It's stuff I would know about if we lived in the same small neighborhood, without them peeking into my living room. Most of the bitching I hear about Facebook is from people who aren't using their privacy and "hide" features correctly.
MonicaP at December 13, 2010 7:28 AM
Amy, 'More ridiculous tripe on Facebook' is kind of like saying "Hey, something on the interwebs is WRONG!"
Firehand at December 13, 2010 9:31 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2010/12/12/ridiculous_bull.html#comment-1799090">comment from FirehandOn Facebook, I follow researchers whose work I use in my column. I "hide" the profiles of people who post stuff like this just above as soon as they post it. (I need to be on Facebook as an author, and I enjoy people I have lost touch with getting in touch -- for the most part -- but I have access to a bunch of strangers most people wouldn't...people who post tripe like this.)
PS Facebook is just a medium; people who believe in tripe are everywhere.
Amy Alkon at December 13, 2010 9:43 AM
I love Icewind Dale - aside from the fact that the damn AI scripts dont work properly. I liked the storyline of the first one better than the second one though
lujlp at December 13, 2010 10:29 PM
I think some people who try to publicly diss Facebook are just being contrarian. Must mean you're 'smarter' if you don't just go along with the 'masses' / hoi polloi / sheeple, right?
Except sometimes the masses latch onto something because it's useful, and not because of mob mentality.
Facebook is just a tool to help keep in touch with people. At that, it's in fact very useful, which is why it's popular. But that's all. No big deal.
Sometimes a contrarian position is the consequence of actually being smarter than the masses. But that doesn't mean that simply automatically being contrarian when the masses like something, is always smarter.
Lobster at December 15, 2010 3:39 PM
Hi This post couldnt be written any better Reading through this post reminds me of my good old room mate He always kept chatting about this I will
Kerrie Calderara at September 16, 2011 1:04 AM
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