Twitter Outrage and My Grande Disillusion

As the Internet offers the distinct ability to interact without direct confrontation, how one conducts themselves on it is seemingly without consequence. Or at least this is assumed to be the sentiment shared by those who use its secure vantage point to broadcast hatred and insolence to a potentially limitless audience of groups and individuals who may or may not be deeply offended. Recently, there has arisen a disturbing trend of people, particularly teenagers, using social media platforms such as Twitter to voice their most intolerant and abhorrent of views. This quickly gained attention after a mass of tweets were published around the time of the US Presidential Election that expressed extreme racially-charged vitriol against Barrack Obama. And so, a contrary movement has sprung forth among "Internet vigilantes" whose aim is to expose the offenders and avenge their wrongdoings by use of public shaming. Ostensibly, this measure serves not only as  punishment, but also to prevent the occurrence of further "hate speech" as it were. Responses to this practise, as I have observed in related articles and their respective comment threads, have been largely polarised. While there are many ardent supporters, urging the importance of teens facing repercussions for their online actions, usually informed by some form of "don't dish it out if you cant take it" posture, others strongly disagree, suggesting that their age should permit them to make mistakes and that exposing them will only bring about more aggression. My stance however, may not be as decisive, and is as follows; though I find the public shaming efforts to be wildly misguided, I also see no reason or comprehensible method to protect the teens in question.



One example of the "Tweets" in question

Firstly, it should be noted that the practise of public shaming and humiliation is highly controversial on ethical grounds, and its effectiveness as a deterrent for bad behaviour is dubious as best. Though some studies have shown it to be useful in preventing criminal behaviour among adults, it is almost universally rejected by professionals with regards to being used on children. Even so, there is little grounds for comparison to almost any research on the subject as the circumstances surrounding this issue are so vastly different, to the degree where it begs the question of whether re-circulating racist Tweets can even be classified as such. Traditionally, "public shaming" involves exposing people for committing crimes that they would feel shame for. Quite differently, in these instances the "crimes" being exposed are by nature of their execution, intended for public viewing. Yes, the tweets that are receiving attention on shaming sites and articles were first obtained from publicly accessible Twitter accounts, and thus any notions of privacy invasion can be quickly abandoned.



Typical responses display lack of remorse

 

I actually do think shame is an important and increasingly underused societal tool ('m not even opposed to the "dog poop girl" tactic), but the sheer confidence and steadfastness with which these tweets are delivered suggests a resilience to such application. In the cases I have seen, directly critical replies are met with no visible remorse whatsoever, and its even harder to imagine what little effect the distribution and viewing of said tweets among  a silent, faceless Internet jury would have. And however vile the Tweets may be, I am also somewhat bothered with the fervent efforts put forth by the shamers . As one online commenter so eloquently put it;

“ I can't help suspecting that the business of "shaming" is akin to the same warped impulse that instigates bullying. Nothing justifies hectoring and scolding like the Moral High Ground, and racism is the lazy moralist's platform of choice. ANYTHING done in the service of correcting racism is apparently justified, as though remarks (racist or otherwise) made by teenagers via social media are anything we should take notice of at all."- Semoco, can be accessed in comment thread here

So, perhaps if nothing else, this activity can provide the "shamer" a feeling of semi-satisfaction, knowing that they at at least addressed the issue of racism in some way, though each racist remark in and of its self  may have little bearing on any ones well being. Jezebel, which has been at the forefront of this humiliation campaign, actually contacted the schools of several of the culprits. Among the  schools that did respond, a general displeasure with the tweets was expressed, and some stated that disciplinary actions would be taken.  Though not overly encouraging, one would think this method is more likely to yield actual results. However, when combined with the voyeurist shaming aspect, it sends mixed messages. What are your priorities, Jezebel? And I would ask the same of Matt Binder, creator of the  popular and aptly named tumblr blog Public Shaming, who along with exposing racial hatred and staggering elitism is going after tweets that aren't even particularly offensive, such as those displaying the failure to know when John Lennon died. When exposing real societal issues is accompanied with the relentless desire to simply make fun of the stupidity of others, is the moral intention not blurred?

Is this worthy of public shaming?



 Purveyors of the opposition seem to be just as deluded, however. In the article Hey Internet, Quit Outing Kids for Racism, Slate contributor Emily Bazelon expresses her dismay with public shaming sites and Internet vigilante-ism , quoting fellow Slate journalist Emily Yoffe in saying “these sites are pinning kids like butterflies as permanent racists", and may have a detrimental to their career opportunities. While this remains to be seen, I would argue that to display such complete and utter moral bankruptcy evident in the tweets should bring a negative effect. Furthermore, its hard not to notice the subtle hypocrisy at work. While she stresses the notion of protecting the "kids" from said exposure, the article itself is simply attracting more views to very sites she renounces. The same can be said about Bust magazines Genevieve Bleidner, who in her article entitled Public Shaming Tumblr Outs Internet Assholes: Lose-Lose?  goes as far as to make a comparison to the shaming of Amanda Todd, but then shares the screen shots from Twitter, name and all included, further shedding light on the potential victims of harassment. And apart from writing about it, what possible method is there to thwart this type of retaliation. There is little find a legal basis for intervention, as I have stated previously that these tweets were made public to begin with. Even a site like Hello There, Racists, which compiles personal information about the posters, is only doing so by means of referencing their active Twitter and Facebook accounts. Furthermore, if someone is allowed to voice their opinions, however reprehensible, others should and do have the right to respond by referencing those opinions. Indeed, almost as Newton's third law of motion would dictate, for every action of a racist twitter user, there seems to be an equal and opposite reaction by angry / opportunistic bloggers.

Hey Slate, Quit Outing Kids for Racism

 My bitter rejection of both camps may come across simply as stoic pessimism, but let me assure you otherwise.  While I find most voices within  this uproar to be uninformed and largely inconsequential, I do think the issue at large is one worth discussing, and that course of events that has transpired is one that will only give us more frame of reference for future struggles. My final analysis? Though in varying proportions, the twitter offenders, the vigilantes, and the journalists who criticise them all appear to have common motivator; the incessant need for attention.







-Connor Dennehy

 





Blog 6: A Reluctant Enlightenment

Let me begin by saying that my decision to take this course was one motivated purely by convenience.  Admittedly, being the Luddite that I am, I was somewhat uneasy at the prospect of "writing in a digital context", but by the time I was registering the only alternative that would fulfil my GNED requirement had classes that began at 8 am, which was to be avoided at virtually any cost. On the first day I was quite relieved to hear that our class only met only once per week, but little did I know how much forethought and consideration would be needed in the coming weeks.

Though keeping a blog can be a draining practice, it can yield considerable benefits.  Writing has always been a struggle for me, and I found that having to write an entry every other week has really helped me with my approach. Generally I tend to write as little as possible, and the process of extending on ideas in order to reach 500+ words, when in my mind they could have been summarised in a few sentences, was quite invigorating. Additionally, when I was hesitant to get started on a post, I could use my classmates posts as inspiration or revisit my own previous entries as a comforting reassurance. Having said that, as many of us were writing on the same topics it was at times hard to avoid repeating the ideas of others, and ultimately the biggest goal of mine was to provide original commentary while remaining accessible and genuine. I also should address my falling short on my initial intention of doing a regular blog about local music. Part of the reason for this was the strenuous task of keeping up with other aspects of the course, but also I simply did not feel that much of the recent activity in local music that I know of was really worth documenting.

Google plus also came with its challenges. I was amazed at many of my classmates ability to find great articles on the Internet that were relevant to our class discussion. I had no such luck, so I focused mainly on commenting on others posts. Again with this I needed to find ways to be interesting and sincere, which really occured to me when Yaz pointed out early on "I encourage you to post an insightful or intelligent response without the use of sarcasm". Overall I was pleased with the efficiency of google plus, and relished the opportunity read the what my contemporaries were expressing. Another challenge presented with this course was simply the fact that all work was to be done at the computer; a medium of boundless distraction, never ceasing to beckon towards something else.
 

 

Above all, I can see now that prior to my involvement in this class, my comprehension of the Internet was very limited.  I had not been a member of any online community and aside from occasionally commenting on youtube, had not participated in anonymous interaction. More importantly,  I had simply had not considered  many of the implications of the Internet with regards to issues of identity, privacy, the law, and culture at large.

Blog 5: Internet Identity

One distinct feature of communicating on the internet is having the ability to conceal or shape one's identity. While this anonymity is often abused, serving as a barrier from personal accountability for those who spread ignorance and hatred, it can have many positive uses. By removing the disclosure of personal information, people can be judged solely on the validity of what they have to say, transcendent of connotations such as race, gender, religion, age, sexual proclivity, etc. Seemingly, this could be particularly useful in providing marginalized members of society a chance to voice their opinions without being victim of prejudice.  Personally, I have difficulty understanding the notion of minorities becoming empowered through anonymity. During a discussion of any kind, whether “anonymous” or not, information provided by each contributor will allow others to form opinions about them. In order to express issues related to societal perceptions of your identity, you cannot separate yourself from said identity.

While the internet does allow us to interact without reference to external features of identity, I believe that people will inevitably project their own assumptions on others until provided with information that would suggest otherwise.  As human beings, nay, living organisms, we simply cannot help but constantly survey and judge our surroundings. In an online context, reading someone’s words will invariably lead to the formation of sort of mental image of the author. Aspects of the authors identity that that may not be revealed explicitly such as the gender or race will likely be “guessed”  to some degree as to what is most likely based on what is being said, and where it is being said.  When I am on my “home community” of Reddit atheism, I generally recognize the people I converse with as being white males. Conversely, in research of my previous blog on the Dooce, I identified its community members as almost exclusively female. These assumptions are quite natural and usually go unmentioned, but one should consider the possibility of exception before acting accordingly. Ultimately, I think assumptions with regards to internet identity are common and vary considerably based on the context, and are necessarily harmful. Furthermore, in order for minorities to become empowered online, they must first acknowledge their identity, for enlightenment can only occur when perceptions are changed, not simply prevented.

 

 

A Clearer Look at..."Sudden Clarity Clarence"

"Sudden Clarity Clarence" depicts a young man appearing to be struck by an abrupt and unlikely epiphany, gazing into the unknown, all the while trapped in a sea of mindless party-goers. The picture itself is quite amazing, with its subject being exposed so vividly, glowing with a illumination exceeded only by the amazing realisation so brilliantly expressed on his face. This, coupled with the text that appears over top, can combine to form a truly effective meme.





Photo source as it appeared in 2009

On November 21st, 2009, the original stock photo was submitted to the Australia Associated Press as coverage of the Schoolies Festival in Queensland, Australia’s Gold Coast. Two years later, a reddit user by the name of NorthernSkeptic posted "Introducing Sudden Clarity Clarence”, with the caption “Oh my God / dubstep sucks" captioned over the image macro; and so the meme was born. After its initial success on reddit, reaching the front page of the /r/AdviceAnimals subreddit, the meme went on to spread like wildfire among Tumblr, FunnyJunk, QuickMeme and alike, under the tag “#sudden clarity clarence^."


NorthernSkeptic's post: November 23rd, 2011

 

 

Quite apparently, it is often the sheer triviality of Clarence's realisations that gives the meme its humorous appeal, i.e "Tomatoes are fruits/ That makes ketchup a smoothie." However, like a Shakespearean Fool, as Clarence delivers seemingly benign commentary, at times his statements contain subtle yet profound truths about life that may inspire prolonged cogitation in the viewer. Or at least that was this bloggers experience. 


The meme has been at times criticised for a perceived resemblance to "Consiracy Keanu", however to the keen observer the distinction is clear. "Clarence" experiences moments of unexpected enlightenment about things that deep into his subconscious he may have already known but failed to "connect the dots" as it were. Conversely, "Keanu" proposes elaborate and often absurd conspiracy theories, and does not become enlightened at all.

Conspiracy Keanu

 Presently, the ultimate challenge that "Clarence" faces is one shared by all memes, that is to stay true to the original sentiment of the meme. A task of great difficulty, considering each potential  instance can be attributed to a possibly infinite number of different authors. And so, it is the duty of the meme enthusiast to only promote those instances deemed worthy of its namesake, and to disregard those who use it for ill purpose. "Clarence", we hardly knew ye.



Waxing Nostalgic about WOMEN

It has now been two years since the break up of my favourite band, Calgary's own Women.

My introduction to Women was seeing them live at Artlife Gallery (now defunct) on July 23rd 2008. My friend and I had been there earlier in the day to see an art showing, so having already been stamped we were allowed re-rentry that night despite being obviously underaged. The entire line-up of that night is even more impressive in retrospect, with Indiensoci (Raphaelle Standell-Preston of Braids) opening and Abe Vigoda ending. But as Women played, I was simply awestruck. While their music was so original and foreign almost beyond comprehension, it was also eerily familiar at times. I had a hard time recongizing their pastiche, having no frame of reference for such music blissful guitar violence at the time except maybe Sonic Youth or The Velvets. Anyways, I proceeded to buy the debut album a few days later and it remains one of my most listened to LPs, along with Public Strain.

Over the next two years I was forchunate enough to meet the members of Women and see them play a handfull of times. Both of their albums recieved wide critical acclaim and they managed to carve a  decent following for themselves, however part of me feels as though they never really got their due. While often compared to the likes of Deerhunter, Crystal Stilts or countless other contemporaries who seemingly bridged the gap between "noise" and "pop", Women had more to offer in my opinion. Having honed their skills early and often, playing countless types of music growing up, from gypsy jazz to thrash metal and beyond, they are incredibly accomplished musicians. At some point they refined their music palates, and Women was born. Their skills were not entirely envolped however, they simply knew when to use restraint when playing, which is an incredibly neglected element of music. Furthermore, the songs they wrote were so different from eachother yet the contrast didnt seem at all unnatural or contrived. This, combined with the sheer quality of composition and arrangement, made every song memorable upon first listen. In an age when bands tend to repeat themselves at nauseam, this dinstinciveness may have been the most admirable facet of Womens music.


When I first heard the news of the infamous "Lucky Bar Brawl" incident two years ago, having caught glimpes into the keen sense of humour shared by the band,  I immidiately dismissed it as some sort of Andy Kaufman-esque stunt. After the tour cancellation, and months passing it dawned on me that they may never reform. With Chris Reimers tragic and untimely passing earlier this year, it began time to recognize the great legacy they have left and to cherish the memories I have of them.

YOU ARE MINEZ go Cinematic

Calgary prodigy Jean Sebastien-Audets latest offering is a collaboration with Boise Idaho director Tyler T. Williams. The short film / extended music video features a strikingly austere cinematic narrative blissfully juxtaposed with three irresistibly poppy, previously unreleased YAMZ tracks. The saga appears to follow a homicidal junky disposing of a corpse amidst the glorious scenery of the American western frontier. Ostensibly, its a slice of life. Don't miss the Mr. Blonde dance at 4:33!

The Dooce's Audience

The Dooce was created in early 2001 by web-designer Heather B Armstrong with the intention of having “a place to write about pop culture, music, and [her] life as a single woman”. The blog soon began to emphasize the autobiographical; Armstrong using it as an open diary to the world, an outlet for her to express her most intimate stories and opinions.  Unfortunately, this forthrightness cost her job. After a year, she was fired for revealing information about people she worked with. She landed on her feet however, and in subsequent years The Dooce began attracting wide audiences and garnering praise from the likes of Times and BBC News, allowing her to start her professional blogging career in 2005. This is all in debt to her unique style of prose; candid, insightful and often humorous in relentlessly chronicling her life from her Mormon upbringing, her battles with substance abuse and mental instability, the struggles and joys of motherhood and the boundless exploration of everyday existence. Quite simply, it is the quality of her content that has enabled her to connect with and maintain the extensive audience that she has. Armstrong also reinforces the blogger-audience connection by establishing familiarity through repetition.  At the top right of the sites layout are the headings “daily photo”, “daily chuck” and “daily style”. In “daily photo”, Armstrong will present a picture that captures of a particularly significant moment of her life, usually recent, that is accompanied by a descriptive caption below. “Daily Chuck is dedicated to her dog Coco, and will depict him in a series of situations and will provide an explanation. Lastly, in Daily Style, she will express her current fashion inclinations, accompanied by pictures and links of websites to obtain specific items. While the site may appeal to many demographics, judging by the feminine-oreitned content that the site provides, as well as the identities of active users, it appears that its audience is mostly female.

Interaction on The Dooce occurs in two basic forms. Firstly, in the comment thread of each blog entry, where users will weigh in their impressions of the entry and a discussion will often form. Armstrong herself will occasionally address notable comments and contribute to the dialogue.  While this is a vital aspect of the blogs sense of community, sometimes comments will be closed, somewhat inexplicably which is that case now as I write this. Furthermore, within the Dooce there exists Dooce Community, which is a forum where enthusiast of the blog will discuss a variety of topics within a set range of categories, i.e. “Family and Relationships” or “Home and Garden”.  Each thread within a category will start with a question posed by a single member, to which other will respond and generally some semblance of a conversation will develop. The person that started the thread will then have to option of assigning the “best answers” of their choice. Armstrong appears to have little presence on Dooce Community, although she will sometimes refer to its activity in her blog posts.

 

The Nation: Under Review

 

 

     The Nation, as one of America’s foremost opinion journals, is certainly not shy of making its political affiliations known. Commonly referred to as “the flagship of the left”, the magazine thrives on its reputation as a liberal news resource and any first time reader will be able to recognize its ideological carriage simply by scanning through the article titles.

     Or at least this was my experience; when first visiting the website I was immediately struck by the headline "Re-Elect the President". The article itself however, is perhaps not quite as blatant as the name might suggest.  While firm in their electoral stance, proposing that a victory for Romney and Ryan would “validate the reactionary extremists” and “represent the triumph of social Darwinism, the religious right, corporate power and the big money donors who thrive in a new Gilded Age of inequality”, the editors express their fair share of qualms with Obamas record, criticizing his reluctance to overhaul reform on immigration, the environment, Guantanamo, etcetera.  The negative focus effectively pivots back and forth between the two candidates, with Romney still ending up the much less desirable with the final verdict being “we can’t afford a Romney/Ryan victory”. Balanced perhaps, but is it fair? Within the article exists many assumptions, it prophesizes of what terror is surely to strike if Romney is voted in, and the authors on numerous occasions attempt to speak for all progressives, suggesting that they “have a profound interest in the popular rejection of the Romney/Ryan ticket” and that progress on any cause they care about would be unimaginable under Romney’s presidency.

       In another article I encountered, cleverly titled “The Enemy of My Enemy Is My President”, author Robert Scheer examines the turbulent relationship between Obama and the proverbial Wall Street “fat cats”, “swindlers” and “hucksters”, and submits that Goldman Sachs animosity toward the president indicates that “he must have done something right.” He then explains that the top five banks had once supported Obama heavily, contributing some 3.5 million to his 2008 campaign, now reduced to a mere $650,000, meanwhile giving Romney 3.3 million; clearly evidence of dissension.  What is also clear is Scheers disdain for the banks, attributing “‘The fat cats’ sense of betrayal at the hands of the Obama administration is obviously less a reflection of actual financial pain they endured these last three years than it is a mark of bankers’ uncontrollable greed”, visible in reviewing the annual earnings of Goldman CEO Lloyd C. Blankfein who got $12 million last year in stark contrast to 65.8 million in 2007 when “Goldman was happily constructing toxic security bundles.”

      Ultimately, The Nation is a leftist’s organization whose political agenda strongly informs what staff they hire, what content they publish, which determines who their subscribers are and who advertises with them.  By no means are they a neutral entity, but they also are not in the interest of fabrication. They merely present information, usually widely available, and spin it whichever way best supports their reputation and often the results are quite presuasive.

 



Blog Post 1. Marshall McLuhan Medium Message

McLuhan's Message

Marshall McLuhan is a name I have come across many a time in my academic career, often mentioned briefly by a teacher or glanced over in a textbook. To me, his legacy was reducible to a handful of enduring catch-phrases, and it was not until being presented with the options for this very assignment that I felt compelled to finally confront my ignorance concerning this revered mind and in particular the expression for which he is best known, “the medium is the message.”

This phrase, while appealing in its concise and alliterative structure, is quite an enigma. How could the medium be the message if the purpose of the medium is to provide the message?  During a 1979 televised lecture, McLuhan was proposed a similar question by an audience member:

“If the medium is the message, and it doesn’t matter what we say on T.V, why are we all here tonight and why am I asking this question?”

In his response he explained…

“…there is a huge technology involved in T.V which surrounds you physically, and the effect of that huge surface environment on you personally is vast. The effect of the program is incidental.”

In other words, the effect of content in and of itself is dwarfed by the influence of its medium, namely the method and rate with which it is delivered. This notion is perhaps best epitomized in McLuhans 1964 book Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, where he illustrates the dynamic that exists between content and medium through the context of transportation, specifically the development of the railways:

            "…it accelerated and enlarged the scale of previous human functions, creating totally new kinds of cities and new kinds of work and leisure." -excerpt taken from his official website.

In this case the railway, being the medium of transportation propelled civilization to realm of heightened existence; an undoubtedly important advance that had very little to do with the contents of the train. Such is the case with media, where the information, while infinite in its possibilities, is used simply as a currency to satisfy basic communicatory processes, while the medium of transmission determines how it is consumed, in ways much more significant than the obvious physical manifestation. For instance, the simple act of reading as opposed can have a profound impact, stimulating processes of the mind that may otherwise be left idle. In the same lecture, Mcluhan stressed this point, explaining that because of the amount of meanings that can be attributed to any word, a reader must rapidly select a meaning that is most appropriate given the context of surrounding words, and thus literate people tend to be better at making decisions. Moreover, the medium also dictates how many people can have access to information. In fact, prior to the advent of mediums of mass communication, there is little indication that a ‘Global Event” could or did exist. In an article for Smashing Magazine, contributor Jason Gross made this very point,

            “Today, we often cite various events as things that will “change the world,” but 100 years ago the entire world was not reachable.”

Now that the world is so reachable, McLuhan's ideas are more valuble than ever, and more available. I just don't know which medium to choose.

Cats in the Bath

As an oh-so keen observer of local music both in recorded and live form, my aim with this blog is to further document the stream of musical craft currently emerging from our locale and attempt to provide quasi-astute commentary regarding the processes of creation and performance, the cultural and geographical circumstances which inform musical activity and the relations that exsist between  bands from Calgary and their foreign contemporaries.

 

"Brevity is the soul of wit"- Polonius