Why This Meme Irks Me, and Programming

[debka_notion]

"98% of teenagers do or have tried pot. If you're one of the 2% that hasn't, put this in your journal."

As it so happens (and I'm sure, to no surprise to my friends) I've never tried pot. But I think that a meme that slanders people who don't put it in their journal, for whatever reason- if they don't do memes, if they think this one is dull, whatever. It then suggests that they're not putting it up because they have tried pot/smoke up regularly, and don't want to lie. It's sort of insiduous. I'm not in favor of anything that effectively coerces you into using it. And, to my eyes, this meme seems to be doing just that- if your friends are putting it up, then not putting it up will effectively wind up in you slandering yourself.

Tonight I programmed for my Israeli Dance session. Technically I was running the session along with Mom, Dad and Leng. Mom and I tried to teach Debka Dor to the beginners, because we recently learned it, like it, and Mom thought they could do it. And then Dave Siegel walks in, and I totally revamp the program I had set up, because he's definitely not a beginner, things were feeling sort of drag-y, and he's hard to please. So I had him helping me program some. And then a set of one older lady and 4 middle aged ladies from Fairfield came in- and I had to utterly revamp again- and what they knew/were up for didn't match what my beginners could handle, or what our advanced regulars wanted. It was a real struggles, and people were nudging right and left, and seemed to have no idea about my needing to work it all into a cohesive and flowing program. As far as they were concerned, they didn't think anything of going from Eretz Nehederet to Debka Larrden to Yareach Limon to Mocher Prachim. (Translation for those outside the world of IFD: slow and flowing to fancy footwork and Arabic music to lively pop to old and fast.) But- I made it work, somehow. Not without its couple of moments where there were only 3 people dancing- but not too many of those. I think Dad took a good bit of the nudging that to be effective should have been aimed at me, because he was mostly sitting in front of the computer. I'm grateful. But well- it gave me a real feeling of accomplishment, if nothing else. But I hope next week is easier. I really do. By the end I couldn't even think of what I wanted to do myself- and in the course of the night, I put on almost every dance that I absolutely abhore for the sake of the dance. (There are a few I avoid for other reasons, usually to do with the meaning of the lyrics/dance- but as for dances that I dislike for aesthetic reasons- we played all but 2 of them.)

Comments

[qianian.livejournal.com]

But my question is would you feel slandered if you didn't put in your lj that you hadn't. Like [Unknown site tag] said, you ultimately choose whether to put it in or not. Also, if you feel compelled to announce you haven't done x, and complain about feeling threatened with slander if you didn't post it, remember that you might have friends who did do x and read what you posted: you're simultaneously judging your friends, in fact, everyone who's ever fallen into the reputed "98%" category.

I've pretty thick skin but not everyone does, including you.

Also, there's a huge list of illegal things I am (and would guess you would be) perfectly content to do because the law isn't nearly as virtuous as your above comment makes it sound. For instance, posting Diebold emails. You know how much Diebold email text is on locked lj posts? Basically your comment says you defer to the law for your "morals and ideals," and I sincerely hope that isn't what you mean.

[debka-notion.livejournal.com]

It isn't that said people had done x- it's that htey know that that isn't the sort of thing that I do. I don't care if they do it, and if they know me, they should know that too. It isn't the what that I find troubling, it's the association of my identity with things that aren't like me at all. It isn't so much that I felt slandered, what I was writing about was that I felt like the meme promoted slander by the way it was written- rather like chain mail- "the statement, now do this", rather than just saying "the statement". I don't approve, that's all. Regardless of values. If it had been "x% of teens have lied to their parents about what time they went to bed"- something I on principle disaprove of in my more self-righteous moments, but have done, I'd still find it sort of troubling. My main point is that I don't like things that are likely to imply things about people who Don't put them in.

The law? Virtuous? Wouldn't think so, myself. But following the law is generally virtuous. If nothing else, I'm obligated to do so if it doesn't interfere with Jewish law, by that same law. (I posted about it at some point, but I'm not sure when, exactly, in the context of underage drinking, which I don't think is particularly virtuous or unvirtuous either way on its own. The fact of life is just that it's illegal here.) I don't particularly think the law is virtuous- but I think that obeying it is.

Sadly for your example, I don't know what Diebold email is.