tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7377914227915645124.post5974696895905564583..comments2024-02-23T10:00:32.673-06:00Comments on the happy hausfrau: The Hash-tagging of Tragedythe_happy_hausfrauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07372773477740551839noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7377914227915645124.post-23940239059268031072013-04-24T11:53:35.865-05:002013-04-24T11:53:35.865-05:00I was just talking to my mother about things like ...I was just talking to my mother about things like this. I agree with Anonymous (#2) about disturbing images and videos shown being nothing new, but I believe that the AMOUNT and complete access to any of these images is tragic. It's the same as the lynching, Vietnam, and the Zapruder film. Because of ACCESS now you can see any of those things online at any time in any form. There are many things that are great about that, but there are many things that make me feel sad about that. Just because those images are, or were, displayed, doesn't mean it's okay. That's the world we live in though, so I can only complain a little bit. <br /><br />As far as "How I feel about technology and Boston" goes, I have a few things to add: <br />The fact that they put Dzhokhar's Twitter account name public was, in my opinion, kind of ridiculous. This gave millions of hurting people an opportunity to do research on this man - which I actually don't mind - but also gave them access to try to calculate a 19 year old person's thoughts, or rants, and try to connect them to these bombings. I have, as well as my brother, probably put some outrageous information on social media. Maybe I drank a little too much, maybe I had an extremely difficult day at work, or maybe I just wanted to vent. If, a year after a vent-y like post, I decide to take a life, reading through my posts may or may not give insight into why I decided to take that life, but that should be for professionals to decide. <br />The media also has to rush into everything, which can sometimes bring more harm then good. The fact that the media takes opportunities to interview most everyone is just ridiculous. "This just in from an individual who attended the suspect's high school, but never even met them, and really never even saw them but graduated a year earlier so they must have some insight". That in my opinion is just as bad, if not the same, as giving misinformation. Oh the rush... which brings me to my next issue.<br />The next problem I have is the complete overshare of misinformation. I understand that people care and have the right to share, but pretty soon after information was given about possible mortality, images were circulating of a small girl and how she was killed in the bombing. That hadn't been proven at that point, but people just continue to not do their research. This access to a wealth of information should be a source of building in our society, but apparently some my friends on social media aren't part of the growing process. <br />It just makes me question people's intent when information comes out. Less about getting appropriate knowledge out there, and more about being the first to know any information, relevant or not. <br />I am thankful for not having a smartphone and becoming consumed in times where I should be praying and not refreshing; and also giving the media time to just figure it all out before taking the first word they give and run with it. <br />I agree that exposure to such a wealth of disturbing images is making those images cheap, and the people in those images cheap. Not only could the people in those photographs be robbed, but their families as well. It's pretty selfish of me to think, but I just think about the main what if - What if one of those people in the images (wounded, killed, or in danger) were a member of my family? That would be terrible. <br /><br />I loved this post just as much as I love your baby-daddy drama posts! I love feeling like I can relate to you in so many things, even being from what feels like different worlds! <br /><br />XOXOMaranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7377914227915645124.post-89057091591943412502013-04-20T19:48:28.886-05:002013-04-20T19:48:28.886-05:00Excellent, sensitive post as always, Jenny. This e...Excellent, sensitive post as always, Jenny. This event would have been really upsetting to me, like anyone, no matter what, but I think Greg and I felt hit extra hard because it was a marathon, and runners and their "cheerleaders" were affected. Not that we are at all fast enough to qualify for Boston (yet)...but still, it felt like "there but for the grace of God..."I heard about it when I got back to the car after grocery shopping Monday, and just sat in the parking lot glued to the radio, not able to leave for a few minutes...I still cannot imagine what people who lost a loved one -- or a limb -- must be feeling. But, I saw your point immediately. Some of the posts on social media, and even on news media websites seemed like they were straddling a very fine line, risking turning a horrific tragedy (well duh, what other kind of tragedy is there??) into a glib, self-serving meme. That was a lot less possible back when JFK was shot, or when that poor Vietnamese girl was napalmed. It is a pitfall of our social media -- but like you said, isn't it great that we can also find out in just a few clicks that victims become survivors? Or, that you can perform a real public service and post those links to fundraising sites to help people affected by the bombings (THANKS for that!!) BTW, here's another one -- another uber-cool lady named Jenny (Hadfield -- she's a running coach) is organizing a virtual marathon as a fundraiser to help folks who lost limbs in the bombings. The entry fees ($15/person) will all go to that cause, and all you have to do is log 26.2 miles at any time from 4/29-5/31...and not even all at once! (I bet you and Walter could even walk it :) Here's the link: https://www.jennyhadfield.com/run-for-peace/ <br />Hope it is OK to share that. THANKS for the links, and for your thoughts as always!JCShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18206618987380198579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7377914227915645124.post-12830570979055854322013-04-20T19:37:44.603-05:002013-04-20T19:37:44.603-05:00Thank you. I am in COMPLETE agreement with you. ...Thank you. I am in COMPLETE agreement with you. I am from Boston, and knew several of the injured as well as many of the rescue workers. People completely forgot that in "liking" and "sharing" these pictures, what they were actually doing was violating the privacy of someone's worst moment ever. They were victimizing the victims again. And social media made those five days a melange of constant flowing misinformation. They got him, they didn't. They have a suspect, they don't. It is a terror cell, but no one knows which one, it is a lone wolf. It is the Saudis, it is the IRA. Blah. <br /><br />If we want to make sure this doesn't happen again, we start rediscovering our humanity as you said. We get connected again to the people in real life. We ask people how they are doing, and we care about the answer! Thank you for making so much sense.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08422601008096949851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7377914227915645124.post-43733546787074997032013-04-20T09:26:16.912-05:002013-04-20T09:26:16.912-05:00Yes, hypnotizing. That's what it is. My BFF an...Yes, hypnotizing. That's what it is. My BFF and I were glued to the t.v. last night, watching the coverage yet again. Don't get me started...I kept seeing that 19 year old BABY and wondering what the hell could happen to a kid that would cause him to do this. He's the same age as my Charlie.<br /><br />And now I'm crying over the explosion in Texas. It never ends.<br /><br />Thanks, friend, for everything.the_happy_hausfrauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07372773477740551839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7377914227915645124.post-74168682120596811102013-04-20T09:15:44.893-05:002013-04-20T09:15:44.893-05:00Your comment has reminded me that I am nowhere nea...Your comment has reminded me that I am nowhere near mastering the fine art of "getting to the point". I have all these thoughts in my head, getting them out in a cohesive and orderly manner is hard.<br /><br />Yep. Of course I remember all of the images you bring up. I remember all of them, and more. My dad had a subscription to National Geographic and I'd spend hours poring over the photographs of war and famine and natural disasters. Guilty as charged.<br /><br />I remember wanting to find out what happened to that little Vietnamese girl, and thinking how awesome our world was that I had been able to look her up and see that she survived that unspeakable horror. Not only survived, but thrived. I always wanted to know more about the boy in front of her in the picture, too. <br /><br />Capturing images of life's brutality has been happening since our ancestors discovered they could draw on the walls of their caves. <br /><br />The difference between how things happened THEN vs. how they happen now is, like you said, "it's all just happening faster". And now instead of just the images and mayhap a line or two or maybe an article, you get memes made up with them and those inane facebook posts (like and share if you care!). You get "celebrities" on Twitter pontificating in 140 characters. It was three or four pictures I saw that night, those pictures of little kids running in races that said "Share in memory of this angel" that got me cringing. BECAUSE THOSE KIDS WEREN'T IN BOSTON. It was some doofus grabbing pictures off the web and trying to get people to "like" or "share" them, for whatever reason. For some reason that pissed me off.<br /><br />And yes, I smelled my own hypocrisy just last night when I did a search for that man in the wheelchair. Because I just wanted to know he was going to be okay. I found this:<br /><br />http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/us/in-grisly-image-a-father-sees-his-son.html?_r=0<br /><br />(link probably won't work here, but it's safe...just goes to a NY Times article)<br /><br />His dad saw that picture on facebook. And also through social media he (and the rest of us) found out the name of the cowboy hat wearin' hero. And through this crazy interweb world, I found out that the guy in the wheelchair was going to be okay. <br /><br />I'm glad you like, and read my blog. But I'm gladder (is that a word?) that you spoke up and let me know what you took issue with in this post. My opinion is just that: mine. I relish the chance to hear from others. That's how we learn. And I thank you for sharing YOUR view with me. It made me think. <br /><br />Jennythe_happy_hausfrauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07372773477740551839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7377914227915645124.post-46324691476211101172013-04-20T08:46:29.166-05:002013-04-20T08:46:29.166-05:00Thanks anonymous.
Thanks anonymous.<br />the_happy_hausfrauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07372773477740551839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7377914227915645124.post-90649092001525593902013-04-20T02:19:53.405-05:002013-04-20T02:19:53.405-05:00And thanks for adding those links -- it's real...And thanks for adding those links -- it's really important we get past the media frenzy and remember to DO something. That media frenzy can be damn hypnotizing if we let it. Action, help, donations, good words to strangers (as you suggested), makes the difference. It's the difference between being a spectator and a participant in the healing. Again: thanks. Salishnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7377914227915645124.post-62542564252391751972013-04-20T02:17:54.895-05:002013-04-20T02:17:54.895-05:00What happened in Boston was a tragedy, and a remar...What happened in Boston was a tragedy, and a remarkable show of heroism. As so many were running away, many were running forward to help. The most iconic image to come out of the Boston situation was of a young man in a wheelchair with horrifying injuries being frantically rushed to emergency care. Yes, that image is very graphic. It and others got circulated quickly.<br /><br />The issue I have with your essay, is your quotes and the words that proceed and follow; "Yes, it's the way things are now." "Putting somebody in the spotlight at the worst possible moment in their lives."<br /><br />Do you know about a little thing called the Zapruder film? That was, and has been shown over and over? That was the assassination of a PRESIDENT. How about the image of Phan Thi Kim Phuc. The young girl running down a road in Vietnam after a napalm attack? Not only is she burning almost to death, she is unclothed. That image was on the cover of the New York Times the NEXT day in 1972. How about the image of three young African Americans lynched in Duluth in 1920? Also shown on the front page.<br /><br /><br />The young man in the wheelchair has sadly been affected for the rest of his life. He was also instrumental to bringing the suspects to the attention of the authorities, helping end the continued tragedy. The image of him still haunts me.<br /><br />I guess my point is, it's not anything new, it's all just happening faster. I imagine folks in 1972 bought a paper and showed it to anybody they knew who hadn't yet seen it. That image also helped change opinion of the war here in America. The image from Duluth helped bring the rising racial tensions in the north to peoples consciousness.<br /><br />I like, and read your blog. But selective memory drives me crazy.<br /><br />BTW. The image of the nude burning girl in Vietnam? Won the Pulitzer Prize for photography that year. Oh, and World Press Photo of the Year.<br /><br />Looking forward to seeing the good come out of this. As I'm sure you are.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7377914227915645124.post-62329588413124494022013-04-19T15:31:09.356-05:002013-04-19T15:31:09.356-05:00Amen.Amen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7377914227915645124.post-51018216542418667162013-04-18T19:47:09.578-05:002013-04-18T19:47:09.578-05:00Thanks Latte!Thanks Latte!the_happy_hausfrauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07372773477740551839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7377914227915645124.post-20179751750735691222013-04-18T19:46:46.160-05:002013-04-18T19:46:46.160-05:00LMAO! Apparently so :) Made an honest woman out of...LMAO! Apparently so :) Made an honest woman out of his baby mama. I like their love story.<br />the_happy_hausfrauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07372773477740551839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7377914227915645124.post-61976078176779863332013-04-18T14:57:36.205-05:002013-04-18T14:57:36.205-05:00Well stated. I was thinking the same thing as my ...Well stated. I was thinking the same thing as my feeds became bogged down with images that day.My Latte Brings All the Boys to the Yardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17098755517519394683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7377914227915645124.post-78269485854272795252013-04-18T14:48:03.524-05:002013-04-18T14:48:03.524-05:00Wait a sec - Matt Damon got married?Wait a sec - Matt Damon got married?Suburban Correspondenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11488916572135296650noreply@blogger.com