I came across this New York Times op-ed piece by Maureen Dowd and I just had to say a few things about it.
First, I just hate how techno-phobic some people are. New social networking/blogging sites are an excellent way to empower people who otherwise wouldn't have the chance to make their voices heard. We don't all get our 'annoying' musings published by The New York Times, Ms. Dowd. I am sure that, mostly, that is for the best. Still, I love how equalizing the Internet can be if only because it is so easy to access.
Second, even if Twitter is "a toy for bored celebrities and high-school girls," can you please tell me what is wrong with that? I think that giving high-school girls the opportunity to speak to each other and to speak back to media is fabulous. The everyday minutia of girls' lives is forever being trivialized and if Twitter provides another space for girls (and everyone else) to communicate and to articulate their interests and desires then please, please tell me what is so awful about that.
Third, why on earth do you care that people use Twitter to grieve?
"I heard about a woman who tweeted her father’s funeral. Whatever happened to private pain?" Whatever happened to letting people grieve in the way that is most productive for them?
6 comments:
Dead on!! I so hear you on this one. Some people don't like the equalizing effect of the interwebs. They much rather have the hierarchy they know and love, no matter how oppressive it is to some (or most!!).
Yes! I agree whole-heartedly. Thank you!
Maureen Dowd has been a wacko unworthy of an audience for many years. It's best to wait for the men in the white jackets to take her away.
Ugh, I despised that article by Dowd, and I could never put my finger on what upset me so much about that one quote about high school girls, now it makes sense. Great post!
Intelligent response to a pointless, sarcastic article. I follow dozens of twitter sources on transgender, lgbt, lesbian and feminist subjects. A lot of the tweets exchanged seem silly to outsiders, but this is the media of now and the future. It's word of mouth, instantaneous & reliable.
I totally agree with you when you say that the minutae of teenage girls' lives are trivialised. I am a teenager and recently, I went through something of a breakdown. Even during the therapy that I sought out, I felt guilty because I didn't have any 'big' problems in my life, just a series of everyday teenage hardships that I couldn't cope with all at once. Being made to feel bad by the media because you're touched by your everyday teenage goings on is completely unfair and unconstructive.
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