Fun Size Bytes (from @Tj)Missing the Point
(Please note update at the bottom)
Look, people, I come here for the funny, and I suspect that most of you do too.
But when you get caught doing something and lash out at others and start throwing around all sorts of nonsense, well, that just irritates me, especially when you cast yourself as the victim when you really, really aren’t.
Quoting from moelevin
So I wake up this morning and find that some people are unhappy about things that I’ve posted recently. Classy.
People pointed out that you repeated someone else’s material and posted it as your own without any indication it wasn’t your own—
But what made it better was that you previously claimed to be against retweeting with the same level of disgust as one ought to feel if one is sexually molesting an 8 year old girl.
(Speaking of “classy”…)
Let me explain. First, a friend of mine told the infamous “spinach joke” to me yesterday,
Well as least you’re not claiming to have thought it up yourself.
and he certainly didnt hear it from nostrich.
I’m not sure why this is so obvious. He may very well have heard it from Nostrich/Favrd, or he may not have.
That’s not really the point.
Further, to you morons that think it was plagiarised, here’s a quote that was posted more than a year ago, found on IRC logs. So I guess either nostrich “plagiarised” it as well, or maybe it’s just something funny we both heard and wanted to share with friends online.
That may be exactly what happened.
You’re still missing the point of irony after saying “I think retweeting is like having sex with kids” and then “retweeting” something someone said (or is it OK to copy stuff that people said as long as they’re not on Twitter?)
Third, I find it a bit startling that you only choose to voice your frustration three days after I post something, and not in real-time. I believe that’s indicative of you actually not giving a shit, or you’d have said something earlier.
Or maybe they just didn’t see it until now…
Finally, I think you are all missing the point. Twitter is a microblogging social networking site. What we all have are essentially very different microblogs. The way I see it, it doesn’t matter if you’re posting “eating lunch” or “my girlfriend swallows,” either way, they’re both just personal amalgamations of your right to free speech.
That’s actually nowhere near the point, although it may be a true description of what Twitter is.
The point is not that you made a joke about sexually molesting children..
The point is “Your expressed opinion is that repeating other people’s material is akin to molesting children—and then you repeated other people’s material.”
The hypocrisy is the point.
You seem determined to make this a “free speech” argument, which Avery addressed very well here to remind you that freedom of speech does not equal freedom from criticism.
But that’s not really the point either.
Where do you get off trying to stifle my right to express myself?
Your ‘right’ to express yourself does not come with immunity from criticism.
Nor does anyone else’s.
(See Avery’s post for a more articulate explanation.)
But the point is that you are re-purposing other people’s content (a) without citation and (b) after saying that you were vehemently opposed to doing so.
Where do you get off pretending to be offended by something half a week later?
Is there a statute of limitation of being offended at something?
Perhaps your own self-righteousness is affecting your real-life relationships as well, so you take it out on me, on your “tumblelog” or “microblog.”
That’s the lamest attempt at pop psychology I’ve seen since Jeff Goldblum started appearing on Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
But that’s fine, cause I don’t mind.
Clearly.
You have the right to freedom of expression, and I respect that.
Clearly.
That’s why you asked “Where do you get off” twice and referred to their having an opinion about something you wrote as “classy”.
Clearly you think I have waived that right, and now should be publicly lynched. Classy.
So you’re comparing being called out on Twitter/Tumblr for a) reposting other’s material without citation and b) comparing reposting other’s material with citation as molesting children to being murdered in public to cause panic within an entire race of people?
Seems like you might be trying to stifle their freedom of speech by comparing it to a lynching.
Classy.
Twitter as a Communication Medium
I realize that citation is difficult on Twitter because of the limited number of characters. However, if it’s something someone else said, I expect either a “RT” or an “OH:” or a separate message before or after:
“My friend told me that last night, and I thought it was hilarious.”
While I can’t speak for others, I’d be willing to guess that a large percentage of others have the same expectation.
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”
So goes the old saying. But you set yourself up for criticism when you implied that you were “above” copying other people’s work.
What does the evidence suggest?
1
I assure you madame, my putting bros before hoes is strictly an alphabetical sorting. 11:49 PM Oct 12th, 2008 from Twitterrific
Moe Levin’s Facebook status, April 13, 9:47am:
I assume you madame, my putting bros before hoes is strictly an alphabetical sorting.
(Several month’s difference, maybe it was just a spontaneous coincidence.)
2
The unemployment rate has gotten so high it thinks Jay Leno is funny. 9:01 AM Apr 3rd from TwitterFon
One month later:
Moe Levin’s Facebook status, May 3 at 10:43pm
The unemployment rate has gotten so high it thinks Everybody Loves Raymond is funny.
(Again, maybe you both just had the same thought. It’s possible.)
3
Walking with the kids to the donut shop. My daughter is randomly confessing to things out of excitement. I am the Jack Bauer of fatherhood. 12:47 PM Mar 28th from Tweetie
Less than 24 hours later:
Moe Levin’s Facebook status, March 29 at 11:52am:
Walking with my nephew through the candy aisle. My nephew is randomly confessing things out of excitement. I am the Jack Bauer of uncles.
4
Yes I sure do type fast. See you tomorrow when we have the exact same conversation. Maybe you can do that hilarious imitation of me typing. 10:32 AM Apr 3rd from Hahlo
One hour later:
Moe Levin’s Facebook status, April 3 at 11:35am
Why, yes, I do type fast. See you tomorrow when we have the exact same conversation. Maybe you can do that hilarious imitation of me typing.
5
When asking a secretary a question on Long Island there’s a rule: the bigger the gold hoop earrings, the larger your regret. 10:01 AM Apr 14th from txt
Later that same day:
Moe Levin’s Facebook status, April 14th at 4:45pm
When asking a secretary a question there’s a rule: the bigger the gold hoop earrings, the larger your regret.
6
Went to my first yoga class. Learned that I am flexible enough to place my head by my crotch. No longer need to go to yoga classes to relax. 10:27 PM Apr 16th from txt
30 minutes later:
Moe Levin’s Facebook status, April 16 at 11:00pm
Went to my first yoga class. Learned that I am flexible enough to place my head by my crotch. No longer need to go to yoga class to relax. Go ahead, judge me.
7
Poker Face? Uh, I think Lady Gaga should be singing about her butter face instead. 9:04 PM Mar 30th from txt
Seven minutes later:
Moe Levin’s Facebook status, March 30 at 9:11pm
Poker Face? Uhmmm, I think Lady Gaga should be singing about her butter face instead.
You fell off the “maybe this was coincidence” scale around #3.
Look, you’re probably a nice guy, and I’m sure you’re not the only one who is doing this, but please, enough with the “I’m being persecuted for expressing an unpopular opinion! Free speech! Free speech!”
UPDATE: Moe posted an apology which, despite being unfortunately titled “My Crucifixtion”, seems sincere. I have not yet seen one on Twitter, where he publicly called out others, but that is up to him. (“Crucifixion” is pretty far over the top—akin to “lynching” in the original message—as a symbol of unjust persecution, but I’m willing to overlook it. Well, except for the fact that it’s misspelled.)
