Thursday, January 16, 2014

Typing Out Loud: Shaming

Plucky skater turned goat for US Olympic team. Just lay off.

There is a disturbing trend on social media that gives me pause: the act of shaming others.

For example, there is a video project of people living in poverty in Africa reciting twitter posts by privileged Americans, entitled First World Problems. One shot shows an individual raising a goat saying "I hate when I say no pickles and they give me pickles."

The finger wagging message is that first world problems are not real problems. I get that the video project is to raise awareness of the needs for people without clean drinking water, I think there's a better way to do it than saying to someone "your problems don't matter."

The shaming continues, from fat shaming to thin shaming to not buying enough for Christmas to being too superficial for Christmas. Food shaming. FOOD!

I hit my threshold this past weekend in what I can only describe as "skater shaming." The reigning 2-time national champion and best overall skater representing the US, Ashley Wagner, didn't have her best skate but was named to the team based on her track record of consistency the last few seasons rather than her mediocre results at nationals.

This led to a massive attack against her in the media, sports commentators, columnists, armchair figure skating analysts who don't know a toe loop from a fruit loop demanding her golden head sacrificed. People who know I have vast knowledge of the rules of sport have demanded to know why people like me play God with these dear girls.

*sigh*

I'm getting exhausted by the level of outrage in social media about skinny girls, fat girls, and girls that couldn't land triple-triples.

Quit baiting. Quit hating.

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