The trend unfolds...

Is it annoying that I jumped on the blog bandwagon to run my mouth about trends?  Yes.  Yes, it is.

So as of today, I'm noticing a new trend picking up momentum on Facebook.  You probably already know what I'm talking about. But what I really want to know is -- how the hell is changing your profile picture to your favorite childhood cartoon going to increase awareness about child abuse?  I'm beginning to see that this largely depends on our perceptions of the internet.  How much social weight does it have?  Well.. let's start at the beginning of my doubts.

First of all, I doubt that anyone is *really* changing their picture to promote awareness for child abuse.  I think people are changing their pictures because it's fun to jump on trends.  The idea is noble, but it seems secondary to one's desire to express individuality with their favorite cartoons.  My first thought was "What cool cartoon can I put up?!" but then I was able to shake off the novelty.  I think of all the Livestrong bracelets and pink ribbons.  I even think about the political campaign stickers that really have little impact on my life.  Now I just get to sit back and watch people change their profile pictures with the pretense of doing something good but really it's so very inconsequential.  Or is it?

Okay, I'll give it a chance.  Maybe it is actually a good idea to associate such a negative thing with a meme of mass proportions.  Maybe it will actually ingrain some sense of awareness into the back of our mind.  But really, if I'm like most people, we only ever care about issues (breast cancer, aids, etc) when they affect us or people we know personally.  I don't abuse kids and if I knew anyone involved in such a thing, I wouldn't need a facebook trend to encourage me to fight against it.  I do know people that are afflicted by other painful realities, but there's so little I can do on a personal level to fix it.

Digression:  This is going to sound heartless but just consider it.  Let's look at the level of coverage of all events in our lives.  9/11 still pains most Americans.  We vividly remember the events that transpired 9 years ago... yet we do not care as much about the fighting going on in other countries.  How many of us care about the disputes between the Koreas?  What about in Iraq?  Yes, people care about Iraq, but they're going to care a whole hell of a lot more if they know someone in active duty.  I do not, so consequentially I am not inclined to care.  Which event is more memorable in your mind -- Hurricane Katrina or the earthquakes in Haiti?  Honestly I might be making an asshole of myself... but obviously is not the one closer to home more important to us?  These things receive more media attention and thus they consume more of our thoughts.

But, returning to the point, perhaps this trend does positively affect those who are completely ignorant about such terrible things.  Perhaps it's only frustrating for me because I've heard it all before and it never seems to go away.  This makes me wonder what I'm ignorant about by situation and by choice.  Damn... I'm swaying back and forth so hard I might just explode.

Now I should also blame myself for my attitude.  It could be my fault for building a social network not only comprised of friends, but also people I don't really know or care deeply about: acquaintances.  Facebook is this potentially intimate medium in which I can learn many things about people but when it comes down to it - I don't have meaningful relationships with a lot of the people in my "friend" list.  When you first meet someone at a party, you chat with them a while, learn about their interests, and it might grow into something else.  But it takes some time to build a friendship out of a first encounter.  However, in the instance of Facebook, I have let my friend list grow stagnant.  These potential friendships are so readily cultivated, but instead the lines of communication collect dust.  I wonder why I do that?

It's almost surreal.  Imagine being a room with everyone you've ever met.  Naturally, wouldn't you keep your friends close to you and those casual encounters would be pushed back?  Realistically, how big of a ring of friends can you have before others just naturally get cast aside?  Well this isn't really the point, but it's making me realize how I don't need Facebook... but it is indeed an incredibly effective tool.

So I think I should stop rambling and wrap this up with something positive.  When I first saw this trend rising, I was put off by it.  But then I considered this:  A lot of people use Facebook -- even violent people.  Generalizations aside, imagine the social weight of seeing all your friends change their profile pictures to some of their most endearing childhood memories... all in the name of compassion and ending violence.  How could you ignore that?

Change is not instantaneous.  A change in attitude, as much as we wish, is not going to explode into a momentous transformation of our society.  We'll be lucky if we witness it in a lifetime.  I suppose we suffer from some sense of urgency that absolutely craves viable results.  Maybe it truly is a valuable endeavor to work on our awareness of the future, opening our eyes to the indirect causality of behavior and attitudes.

I think about all the times I became absolutely furious with other cultures for the way they treat women.  I even get enraged about the way we treat each other.  Really, I can't impose my beliefs on anyone.  But I can and will impose my beliefs on my kids!  Muahaha!

Life is beautifully fucked up, innit?