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Torches & Pitchforks
May. 22nd, 2006 08:15 amA riot... iss an ugly tingk. Und I tink it's yust about time dat vee had vun!!
Sheesh.
Preface: I am all for breast-feeding. I am not prudish and generally, except considering business environments that prohibit such content for, IMHO, valid reasons, don't care what images or content is on my default LJ reading list.
Here's what annoys me - a little concept I call Crowd Mentality. To quote Tommy Lee Jones' character from Men in Black: "A person is smart. People are dumb." I completely believe that. I woke up this morning to find ranting and raving all over LJ about this breast-feeding default icon hoopla. I've read a couple of sensible posts on my default friends list, but on friendsfriends and elsewhere, people are misinterpreting the LJ TOS left and right, they're screaming LJ is unfair and is changing the TOS on them, they're quoting California laws about breast-feeding, etc.
All for naught. Step back and take a look at the issue. All LJ is saying is not to have default icons with breast nipples visible. Maybe that is a little unfair because, not that anyone would want to see them, I could show my manboobs all I want in a default icon and not get slapped. LJ can do that. They can change the TOS whenever they want. They are a place of business and have reserved that right. If someone doesn't like the new TOS, that someone is certainly free to terminate the business relationship with LJ. California laws about breastfeeding don't apply here - they're not telling anyone not to breastfeed.
More importantly, I get annoyed whenever something like this blows up with apparently large numbers of people jumping on a bandwagon, stirred up in all the fury, without logically looking at the issue. Why do I seldom if ever discuss sensitive issues in my LJ? Same reason I don't discuss them heavily IRL. I'm always gathering data and analyzing it. Does this mean I never take a stand and am wishy-washy? Not in the least. But I refuse to grab a torch and a pitchfork and go running off to burn the monster when I don't know what if anything he may have done. I'm told I think too much sometimes. Maybe there's a cosmic balance to some who think too little.
This rare soapbox brought to you by the letter 'W', for 'witchhunt'. We now return you to your regularly scheduled LJ...
Sheesh.
Preface: I am all for breast-feeding. I am not prudish and generally, except considering business environments that prohibit such content for, IMHO, valid reasons, don't care what images or content is on my default LJ reading list.
Here's what annoys me - a little concept I call Crowd Mentality. To quote Tommy Lee Jones' character from Men in Black: "A person is smart. People are dumb." I completely believe that. I woke up this morning to find ranting and raving all over LJ about this breast-feeding default icon hoopla. I've read a couple of sensible posts on my default friends list, but on friendsfriends and elsewhere, people are misinterpreting the LJ TOS left and right, they're screaming LJ is unfair and is changing the TOS on them, they're quoting California laws about breast-feeding, etc.
All for naught. Step back and take a look at the issue. All LJ is saying is not to have default icons with breast nipples visible. Maybe that is a little unfair because, not that anyone would want to see them, I could show my manboobs all I want in a default icon and not get slapped. LJ can do that. They can change the TOS whenever they want. They are a place of business and have reserved that right. If someone doesn't like the new TOS, that someone is certainly free to terminate the business relationship with LJ. California laws about breastfeeding don't apply here - they're not telling anyone not to breastfeed.
More importantly, I get annoyed whenever something like this blows up with apparently large numbers of people jumping on a bandwagon, stirred up in all the fury, without logically looking at the issue. Why do I seldom if ever discuss sensitive issues in my LJ? Same reason I don't discuss them heavily IRL. I'm always gathering data and analyzing it. Does this mean I never take a stand and am wishy-washy? Not in the least. But I refuse to grab a torch and a pitchfork and go running off to burn the monster when I don't know what if anything he may have done. I'm told I think too much sometimes. Maybe there's a cosmic balance to some who think too little.
This rare soapbox brought to you by the letter 'W', for 'witchhunt'. We now return you to your regularly scheduled LJ...
