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undivided wrote:

Pael wrote:Wait everyone you are all missing the real problem. You are on facebook. Get off facebook and you will find gobs amount of time to actually make a difference.

Why just facebook? Make it the whole internet!

Honestly, I spend too much time on this thing.

Bye. We will miss you.

The idea isn't to change things by having a picture up, its to use a medium as widespread and fast acting as Facebook to increase awareness of the fethed up things that happen in the world. For example, this little monster of a human being raped a 2 year old in the middle of a Dollar store, during business hours, 1 aisle away from the child's mother. He had to be physically restrained in order to get him to stop raping the toddler. Increased awareness is never a bad thing.

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news%2Flocal%2Feast_bay&id=7821397

Then again, its cool to jump on the "your stupid little gesture means nothing" haterade wagon.


And not to be a FB bandwagoner, but its how I keep in touch with lifelong friends, network with other artists, keep up to date on social issues in my area, and it put me back in contact with my current GF as well as a bunch of other local gamers. Its kind of dumb to say that it serves no purpose....FFS your grandma is likely on facebook. Employers also use it to check applicants. For whatever that is worth.

Also, I will point out that FB and twitter have been pretty damn important when it comes to dissemination of information, keeping people up to the second on world events even in places that we don't have media eyes and ears, and helping to track down lost children, to name just a few of the positive effects that social media has on our culture.

Being jaded and bitter does not make it cool to actively poo poo things like this. I suppose you think educational video's about AIDS are pointless as well? I mean they don't DO anything.

It apparently does raise some awareness becuase we have 2 pages talking about it.

No, we have two pages of people bull*****ing around.

Same *****.

Reasons why I dont involve myself in social networking sites....

We must not confuse awareness with activity or action. For example growing a mo for a Bro on Dakka Dakka...please cite an example where a member or a friend or family member have had their prostate checked during the course of the campaign rather than just showing awareness, that, you know, cancer happens...and it affects men.

Awareness campaigns are great but lets not get all vain when they come around by giving the appearance of doing something when in actuality we are doing naff all.

(actually that last statement is probably inaccurate, showing support IS A GOOD THING. Appearing to show support because you think it is what people want to see and what you want people to see is not).

Sadly, sometimes, being aware is the only thing a person can do about it, no matter what he\she wants to do.

I can imagine the scene; the collection tin is outside a shop, held loft by an old granny, waving it madly over her blue rinsed locks asking if you'll donate to charity.

You reply "No thanks I've already changed my profile picture"

Elmodiddly wrote:I can imagine the scene; the collection tin is outside a shop, held loft by an old granny, waving it madly over her blue rinsed locks asking if you'll donate to charity.

You reply "No thanks I've already changed my profile picture"

I doubt anyone is that stupid\heartless.

The gimmick is supposed to promote awareness and real action after all.

I'm not doing it because I and all my friends (who have done it) are obviously already aware.

I'm pretty much against violence against anyone but furries and the Dutch all year long, and I'm curious as to what all my FB friends knowing this fact will do to combat it. If you want to see a positive social change, go out there and make it happen. I realize that this is slightly more of a commitment than changing your profile pic. I assume that being opposed to violence against children is the default position, generally. I would imagine that those who support it are a distinct minority.

My current FB status, posted yesterday, sums up my feelings on the subject.

Yep, changed mine to tauros for the pokemon version (which seems to have gone out of fashion in a couple hours ), and then changed mine to the show 'recess' for the cartoon one

Valkyrie wrote:Just logged into Facebook and some of my friends have changed their profile photos to cartoon characters. I ask someone, who claims that changing their photo will stop child abuse Now sorry for this, but a scumbag who attacks children is not going to be moved by a few childish photos on Facebook. Like last year, when every girl put the colour of their bra to raise awareness for breast cancer: How? How does that honestly make a difference?

Stop me if I'm going on a bit, but why do people get drawn into these fads, so to speak? I know about 4 people (including me) who aren't bothered about changing their profile photos, and we get blasted for it. Lets hear your opinion on this Dakka, do you get drawn into these too, and what good actually comes out of it?

I honestly didn't mind that so much

undivided wrote:

Elmodiddly wrote:I can imagine the scene; the collection tin is outside a shop, held loft by an old granny, waving it madly over her blue rinsed locks asking if you'll donate to charity.

You reply "No thanks I've already changed my profile picture"

I doubt anyone is that stupid\heartless.

The gimmick is supposed to promote awareness and real action after all.

And it is really a gimmick, the road to hell and all that.

Am I really this cynical? I seem to remember a time when I wasn't...maybe that was B: SN (before social networking).

Yes, it's a gimmick. They want to make people feel better without having them actually do anything worth a damn. It's a waste of time, so I tend to ignore it. If I do have extra money, I sometimes give to charity, but I need to save up rather frequently so it's not like I can do it every year.


Lol social networking.

It's fun not being lonely enough to need it.

I'm sure complaining about people changing their FB pics to cartoons "to spread awareness" is equally constructive.

I'm not attempting to be constructive. Nor do I care.

Wasn't specifically responding to you. More to the idea that people mock it as an empty gesture that does nothing, then do nothing.

Mr. Burning wrote:We must not confuse awareness with activity or action. For example growing a mo for a Bro on Dakka Dakka...please cite an example where a member or a friend or family member have had their prostate checked during the course of the campaign rather than just showing awareness, that, you know, cancer happens...and it affects men.

Just becuase it doesn't incite a family member of a Dakka member does not mean it doesn't incite anyone. In situations like these (child abuse) if it prompts even one kid to come forward and stop the abuse it did some good. If a prostate campaign only gets a few men to get their prostate checked that wouldn't have it did some good. Everyone is acting as if these are only a success if there is some huge sea change in the landscape when they don't work that way at all. The NFL doesn't think becuase they wear pink items to support breast cancer and mammograms that an extra 100,000 women are going to run out each week and get one. If it gets some women to remember to get the procedure it has made a difference in someone's life, and that is why they do it.

Melissia wrote:I thought that parents being intelligent and actually WATCHING their children and PAYING ATTENTION to their children prevented sexual predators from getting to them. Who knew that it was something completely unrelated like changing a picture or two on some douchey little website. WHO KNEW! .

The really sad thing about this thread is how it demonstrates how completely the education system has failed some people, in that they don't even have enough of a grasp of English to understand what the word 'awareness' means.

If somebody who'd never really thought about breast cancer, or child abuse, or mummy crotch rot, or whatever logs onto facebook and asks, 'Hey, what's with all the cartoon characters,' or 'why is everyone talking about their underwear color," and then upon finding out then decides that that is something worth getting involved with and volunteers, or donates mission accomplished! It beats both doing nothing, or being an ignorant twit.

This thread has turned me around.

I'm changing my facebook pic, so as to not be one of these sad and cynical people that have posted here. I've decided I want to be as far from a few of these peoples' mindsets as humanly possible.

avantgarde wrote:Wasn't specifically responding to you. More to the idea that people mock it as an empty gesture that does nothing, then do nothing.

+1

Haters wanna hate.

Monster Rain wrote:I'm changing my facebook pic, so as to not be one of these sad and cynical people that have posted here. I've decided I want to be as far from a few of these peoples' mindsets as humanly possible.

The cynicism isn't from not doing it, people are always welcome to not doing it. It is from the people who openly mock people for trying to do something, even if it isn't much. That is more than nothing, which is what the people complain about are typically are doing: nothing. I'm not doing it but I'm not tossing static toward the people who are. most people aren't research oncologists, and many aren't even adults so they can't throw money at the problem so they do what they can with the limited means they have.

But as always...

Wait... So we're NOT supposed to be abusing children? Woah. Looks like I found this thread just in time!

Melissia wrote:
Lol social networking.

It's fun not being lonely enough to need it.

Y'know, you've been on here an awful lot recently. Just saying.

Albatross wrote:Wait... So we're NOT supposed to be abusing children? Woah. Looks like I found this thread just in time!

You know the point isn't to inform people that such a things exists; I'm surprised at your reductionist rhetoric on the subject.

Ahtman wrote:

Albatross wrote:Wait... So we're NOT supposed to be abusing children? Woah. Looks like I found this thread just in time!

You know the point isn't to inform people that such a things exists; I'm surprised at your reductionist rhetoric on the subject.

Why so serious?

Chibi Bodge-Battle wrote:Banding the hardman cynical twotwagon are you?

also

hold me...

Ahtman wrote:

This picture is pure win.

Ahtman wrote:The cynicism isn't from not doing it, people are always welcome to not doing it. It is from the people who openly mock people for trying to do something, even if it isn't much. That is more than nothing, which is what the people complain about are typically are doing: nothing.

I actually had a more nuanced position, saying that if one felt the need to fight for a certain cause they should do something a bit more substantial and that "feeling" like you are doing something might take the place of "actually" doing something like volunteering at a battered women's shelter or similar, you know? But it is better than nothing, and as I said before, I don't want to be in the same camp as some of the social aberrations knocking down the picture change as it's at least a gesture. Raising awareness isn't a bad thing.