Tag Archives: social media

Microblogs: What it means when we say sex is a social construction

Since J.K. Rowling’s (yes, that J.K. Rowling) transphobic tweet last week, conversations on Twitter around topics of sex, gender, and trans individuals have been going on nonstop. Far too many of these conversations are transphobic and show stubborn disregard for any kind of accuracy or learning.  This blog post is simply a compilation of the microblogsContinue reading “Microblogs: What it means when we say sex is a social construction”

Minorities, Responsibilities, and Educating Others 

Conversations on social media about privilege and oppression often have comments along the lines of “it’s not the minority individual’s job to educate others as to how they are being oppressive or blind to their privilege.” And this always strikes me as problematic or as, generally, less than ideal.  On the one hand, of course. Continue reading “Minorities, Responsibilities, and Educating Others “

Alex Trebek. Aunt Becky. Not Your Friends.

Parasocial relationships form easily. Carefully-scripted and highly-rehearsed, people see fictional characters people on their screens from the comfort of their homes and almost naturally come to believe they really know and very much like them. People are not able to internalize that this relationship is one-sided and is with a fictional character.  Sometime during the past week,Continue reading “Alex Trebek. Aunt Becky. Not Your Friends.”

Notes on: Free Speech vs Censorship, Facts vs Opinions, and Writing

Recent events, including today’s (weird, irrelevant, distraction-mechanism) announcement by Trump about colleges and “free speech zones,” warrant a few comments and reminders about free speech/censorship and about facts/options, generally. People should remember common sense and decency at every step. People should respect experiences/experts and personal limitations. People should follow the golden rule. People today oftenContinue reading “Notes on: Free Speech vs Censorship, Facts vs Opinions, and Writing”

“Think For Yourself” – Hidden Power of Words Series, #31

According to Southern mores, “bless your heart” is typically a veiled insult, despite its sympathetic denotation. “Think for yourself” has a similar, contradictory function. Think-for-yourself phraseology appears in my inbox regularly, but only when I have publicly expressed my most original and complex ideas and only from people without any expertise (according to information availableContinue reading ““Think For Yourself” – Hidden Power of Words Series, #31″

“Implications” and the Rhetorical Framing of Critiques – Hidden Power of Words Series, #30

Suggestions that something is classist, racist, or sexist, for example, are often met with dismissively hostile words. People say, “you’re thinking too hard,” “you’re looking to cause trouble,” “you can find [fill in the blank] anywhere if you look hard enough,” “you can’t appreciate anything,” and/or “you’re ignoring the purpose.” I strive to improve howContinue reading ““Implications” and the Rhetorical Framing of Critiques – Hidden Power of Words Series, #30″

Facebook, Birthdays, and Neoliberalism

Earlier this year and last year, Facebook started encouraging its users to garner charitable donations through its platform, especially for birthdays.  In particular, on my birthday last month Facebook encouraged me to select a charity that friends could donate to as a way of giving a birthday present that would keep giving. Facebook even offeredContinue reading “Facebook, Birthdays, and Neoliberalism”

Behavior, Voice, and Social Media

The topic of this blog is one that has been on my mind for sometime, but I have struggled with exactly how I want to articulate and fully develop the idea. I’m providing at least a sketch of what is on my mind when thinking about behavior, voice, and social media in this post. SocialContinue reading “Behavior, Voice, and Social Media”