I've been wanting to get a few things off my chest lately, mostly because people on the internets are going crazy about them and I'd like to have my say.
First off, memes. There's an interesting thing going on in my Facebook newsfeed. Every other post will be a meme. The posts that aren't memes are people saying how much they hate memes. And by hate I mean absolutely loathe. These people are passionate about what everyone else posts on their Facebook or Reddit or whatnot. Apparently it's a big deal to them.
But you know what, I'm gonna be honest. Sometimes, I get annoyed by memes. Especially those "What so and so thinks I do" ones because they're rarely even that funny. But a lot of the time, I think they're hilarious. That's right, I said it. I like the idea of people taking shared ideas and concepts and being creative with them. I kinda dig it. And while there really is a bit too much meme-ing going on right now, it's just a phase. The internet world has those. But they change, like, twice a month. Okay, so your news feed is a little clogged up right now. You will survive.
Secondly - Twilight. That's right, I'm going to talk about Twilight. In my circle of friends, who are mostly educated, mostly socially functioning, and mostly self respecting, it is assumed that you hate Twilight. I think most adults in America assume that you hate Twilight. If you like Twilight, you are an absolute idiot.
Well, guess what? When I first read Twilight, around the age of 14, I loved it. I read the first book multiple times. I've read all the books at least once. Whenever the topic comes up nowadays, I laugh it off with everyone else, but apparently there was something redeeming about those books in my high school brain. I'm not ashamed. I'm not saying they're quality literature either - I had a tendency to read non-quality literature along with my C.S. Lewis - but come on, people. Don't just hate on something because that's the thing to do. If you've read the books and then hate on them, sure. I'll accept that. I still make fun of 'em because, honestly, they're pretty silly books. But, like, Justin Bieber, they're somehow redeeming to freaking-millions of people, so why don't we all just calm it down.
Finally, that little modesty note fiasco that everyone's getting all riled up about. I'm not going to take sides either way, which is what I think anyone who can step back and be objective about this should do. I'll just make a few points and walk away.
1) Despite what everyone says, it really is part of the rules here that skirts must go to the knee. True, she's not showing any skin there, but we've been told a ridiculous amount of times that leggings don't make outfits modest. And don't think I'm being self-righteous here. I could see myself wearing the same outfit. I don't see it as inherently immodest. I just know that here at BYU, one could see that as being against the honor code.
2) On the other hand, what that kid did was harsh. It was Valentine's Day after all, and she was a complete stranger.
3) However, the note was not nearly as dousche-y as people are making it out to be. In fact, by reading it you can tell that he really didn't want to write it in an offensive way. He was trying to encourage others to abide by the Honor Code as well, in his own way. And if you didn't already know, it says right in the Honor Code that we're supposed to do that. The point is, if he wanted to mean, he could've said it a lot worse.
4) Nevertheless, I don't think his reaction was warranted. If you feel unsafe seeing a girl in that outfit, you're going to be screwed when you go out in the real world. No matter how good of an atmosphere we want BYU to be, we need to be able to let other people do their own thing a little bit. Take care of yourself, encourage your friends to do the same, and try not to incite any ridiculously scathing internet wars.
That is all. Thank you for listening.
First off, memes. There's an interesting thing going on in my Facebook newsfeed. Every other post will be a meme. The posts that aren't memes are people saying how much they hate memes. And by hate I mean absolutely loathe. These people are passionate about what everyone else posts on their Facebook or Reddit or whatnot. Apparently it's a big deal to them.
But you know what, I'm gonna be honest. Sometimes, I get annoyed by memes. Especially those "What so and so thinks I do" ones because they're rarely even that funny. But a lot of the time, I think they're hilarious. That's right, I said it. I like the idea of people taking shared ideas and concepts and being creative with them. I kinda dig it. And while there really is a bit too much meme-ing going on right now, it's just a phase. The internet world has those. But they change, like, twice a month. Okay, so your news feed is a little clogged up right now. You will survive.
Secondly - Twilight. That's right, I'm going to talk about Twilight. In my circle of friends, who are mostly educated, mostly socially functioning, and mostly self respecting, it is assumed that you hate Twilight. I think most adults in America assume that you hate Twilight. If you like Twilight, you are an absolute idiot.
Well, guess what? When I first read Twilight, around the age of 14, I loved it. I read the first book multiple times. I've read all the books at least once. Whenever the topic comes up nowadays, I laugh it off with everyone else, but apparently there was something redeeming about those books in my high school brain. I'm not ashamed. I'm not saying they're quality literature either - I had a tendency to read non-quality literature along with my C.S. Lewis - but come on, people. Don't just hate on something because that's the thing to do. If you've read the books and then hate on them, sure. I'll accept that. I still make fun of 'em because, honestly, they're pretty silly books. But, like, Justin Bieber, they're somehow redeeming to freaking-millions of people, so why don't we all just calm it down.
Finally, that little modesty note fiasco that everyone's getting all riled up about. I'm not going to take sides either way, which is what I think anyone who can step back and be objective about this should do. I'll just make a few points and walk away.
1) Despite what everyone says, it really is part of the rules here that skirts must go to the knee. True, she's not showing any skin there, but we've been told a ridiculous amount of times that leggings don't make outfits modest. And don't think I'm being self-righteous here. I could see myself wearing the same outfit. I don't see it as inherently immodest. I just know that here at BYU, one could see that as being against the honor code.
2) On the other hand, what that kid did was harsh. It was Valentine's Day after all, and she was a complete stranger.
3) However, the note was not nearly as dousche-y as people are making it out to be. In fact, by reading it you can tell that he really didn't want to write it in an offensive way. He was trying to encourage others to abide by the Honor Code as well, in his own way. And if you didn't already know, it says right in the Honor Code that we're supposed to do that. The point is, if he wanted to mean, he could've said it a lot worse.
4) Nevertheless, I don't think his reaction was warranted. If you feel unsafe seeing a girl in that outfit, you're going to be screwed when you go out in the real world. No matter how good of an atmosphere we want BYU to be, we need to be able to let other people do their own thing a little bit. Take care of yourself, encourage your friends to do the same, and try not to incite any ridiculously scathing internet wars.
That is all. Thank you for listening.
Oh my goodness I so agree! (This is Jenna btw, on my boss' email). Someone called me prude because I said she wasn't following honor code. I don't follow honor code but I also don't go to BYU anymore. And today when I put on a dress and sat down I was thinking to myself that she was probably sitting when he saw her and dresses tend to get hiked up to mid thigh if they are that short...so that is definitely not honor code appropriate. I think it is ridiculous that she got a modeling contract and that she isn't getting reprimanded for creating a PR fiasco for BYU. I don't agree with the way the guy did it but suck it up girly, I've been told off for a lot less.
ReplyDelete