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Opinion - Introduction
For me, reading Facebook statuses is the single most defining act of irony. It’s almost impressive how people can write so much about something so utterly unimportant, yet I find slow status updates to be irritating. What is even worse is when I see scores of likes and comments on a post that is clearly unexceptional. I don’t know whether to applaud people’s unending optimism or to conclude that they’ve been inured to celebrating mediocrity. The whole act is horribly similar to flipping through TV channels, complaining about the shows instead of switching the damn thing off. The difference is that the channels in Facebook are a culmination of 30+ years of my social life. For a split second, I wished I lived in a 14 story building.
But my aim is not to criticize but to
encourage. After all, just about
everyone that I know has something interesting or some
area of expertise that they can share with others. Instead of sharing videos
and articles all the time, why don’t we
produce something of value on our own? I'm not against posting videos and articles; I am for putting in extra 10 minutes to craft a well-thought out material once in a while. I'm absolutely convinced that everyone has more intriguing things to say than what they had for dinner.
So this is what I'll do. I will write 1~2 opinions a month, on slew of topics ranging from the effect of Confucianism on modern Korean society to the size of Crayon Pop's helmets. Regarding my writing, I promise two things: 1. I will attempt to write with terseness, verve and wit (emphasis on attempt - and on a side note, there ought to be a special place in hell for people who do otherwise). 2. I will be honest even if I offend people. I think we all have some despicable and ridiculous thoughts and I think it's acceptable to share some of them, as long as its ridiculousness is acknowledged. After all, it's just a thought.
For instance, when I'm near a baby that has been crying nonstop for 30 minutes, my impulse isn't to utter, "oh my, that baby must have some matters of consequence at hand." I have a flashing image of myself shot-putting the baby out of a 14 story building, because I'd hate to break my arm in the process. That would be quite tragic. I'd never do it obviously, but the thought did occur once. Tossing is probably the better option.
Some argue that Facebook is not the right medium for such writings and even kindly point out that there are these things called tumblr and blogspot. Well who cares what Facebook was meant to be? The internet was invented for military purposes, yet people use it to express their disapproval of the new Batman - and to watch porn. Spoons were made for eating, but people use it to open beer bottles. Anus was made for discharging feces, but gay people use it for coitus. In short, who cares about what something was meant to be. There is no need to eschew organizing your thoughts and posting something original, out of fear that you're not using something the way it was meant to be.
As far as blogs go, I see no need to update multiple websites for identical content. You might - but I don't. Facebook is severely limited in scope but it's pretty much guaranteed that some people will see what you write (different from reading). Blog has the potential of reaching millions of people, but honestly, no one reads your stupid blog.
The second question is, why am I sharing my opinions and writing with others to begin with? For the same reason that musicians hold concerts and artists exhibit - writers publish. We are all social creatures and we experience a rush, for whatever reason, when we share our work with others. In other words, it's fun. That alone is enough reason for me to write and share.
I hope not to waste your time. Cheers.
So this is what I'll do. I will write 1~2 opinions a month, on slew of topics ranging from the effect of Confucianism on modern Korean society to the size of Crayon Pop's helmets. Regarding my writing, I promise two things: 1. I will attempt to write with terseness, verve and wit (emphasis on attempt - and on a side note, there ought to be a special place in hell for people who do otherwise). 2. I will be honest even if I offend people. I think we all have some despicable and ridiculous thoughts and I think it's acceptable to share some of them, as long as its ridiculousness is acknowledged. After all, it's just a thought.
For instance, when I'm near a baby that has been crying nonstop for 30 minutes, my impulse isn't to utter, "oh my, that baby must have some matters of consequence at hand." I have a flashing image of myself shot-putting the baby out of a 14 story building, because I'd hate to break my arm in the process. That would be quite tragic. I'd never do it obviously, but the thought did occur once. Tossing is probably the better option.
Some argue that Facebook is not the right medium for such writings and even kindly point out that there are these things called tumblr and blogspot. Well who cares what Facebook was meant to be? The internet was invented for military purposes, yet people use it to express their disapproval of the new Batman - and to watch porn. Spoons were made for eating, but people use it to open beer bottles. Anus was made for discharging feces, but gay people use it for coitus. In short, who cares about what something was meant to be. There is no need to eschew organizing your thoughts and posting something original, out of fear that you're not using something the way it was meant to be.
As far as blogs go, I see no need to update multiple websites for identical content. You might - but I don't. Facebook is severely limited in scope but it's pretty much guaranteed that some people will see what you write (different from reading). Blog has the potential of reaching millions of people, but honestly, no one reads your stupid blog.
The second question is, why am I sharing my opinions and writing with others to begin with? For the same reason that musicians hold concerts and artists exhibit - writers publish. We are all social creatures and we experience a rush, for whatever reason, when we share our work with others. In other words, it's fun. That alone is enough reason for me to write and share.
I hope not to waste your time. Cheers.
I look forward to what you'll post on facebook :)
ReplyDeleteAnd you ma'am, need to update more often :)
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