Manipulations…
December 7, 2010I am rather angry. I have a Facebook account…more than one, actually. I get sick and tired of people posting things that are manipulative. “I have a wonderful family. If you also have a family who thinks the world of you, copy and paste this on your status and leave it there for at least one hour.” Or something to that effect.
It really does not matter what the subject is, the implication is clear. If you DON’T do what it says then your family must NOT be wonderful. Or your husband is not loving. Or you don’t care if soldiers come home safely. Or you don’t really love Jesus. Or…
I HATE this. All of my life has been about being manipulated. If I tell someone I love them it is because I DO…not because I must. I write what I write because I WANT to…not out of some sense of duty or coercion. Grrrr!!!
I hate feeling like I am fighting attempts to manipulate me…attempts to make me feel guilty…to control what I write or what I use for my profile picture. I have fought long and hard to be my own person. I intend to stay that way. I will NOT submit to this coercive nonsense. I am not defined by whether or not I do these thing. My sense of being OK does not come from conformity. It comes from being true to who I am in Yeshua. Period!
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A Survivor's Thoughts on Life 
You’re not alone in your hatred of those chain status’. They’re insulting and meaningless. I tend to ignore them, but I know they upset part of my system.
Some of us like some of the responses to the chain status’… A couple of my favourites are:
Copy this text and put it in your status if you know someone or have heard of someone who knows someone. If you don’t know anyone or even if you’ve just heard of someone who doesn’t know anyone then do still copy this. It’s important to spread the message. And the hearts! ♥♥♥♥♥ For goodness sake, don’t forget the hearts! ♥♥♥♥♥
Then there’s this:
Please put this on your status if you know someone (or are related to someone) who has been eaten by a dragon. My wish for 2010 is that people will understand that being eaten by dragons is not something to be ashamed of. Dragons are nearly unstoppable and are truly terrifying and when people go against them unprepared… there is almost no hope. 93% won’t copy and paste this as they have already been eaten by dragons.
No one likes being manipulated.
Take care,
CG
Thanks, CG. I just had to write and rant last night because I felt like I was about to explode. I also ranted on FB. I even have a page I started for people who also hate this kind of thing.
I recently saw the first one you mention one of my sons’ FB wall, but I don’t think I have seen the dragon one. I LIKE that! I wonder, though, if people will really get the message. *sigh* Then there are the ones that tell me I am wonderful and to pass it on to so many others. It is not manipulative, but neither is heartfelt personal. It is like taking a card I received and making copies of it to give to others. How personal is that??
Thanks for coming by and commenting, CG. I really appreciate the validation. 🙂
Good article. I don’t use face book, but I go nuts when I get a forward that tells me I need to bug 12 other people with the same forward.
Most of all, though, I just wanted to say ‘hi.’ It’s been a awhile.
Best Wishes,
~meredith~
Hi, Meredith. Yeah, it has been awhile. Sorry. Life is still crazy for me, so my reading of others’ blogs has been sporadic at best. 😦
Thanks for coming by and sharing your feelings on this. It is nice to know I am not crazy…that others feel the same way I do.
Take good care of yourself, hon.
I hate those things too, and I never ever do them no matter what they say. People who know me well know that I care, and that is enough.
Hi, fromthesamesky! Thanks for coming by and for sharing! I don’t do them, either. I was just telling my husband that people know what I believe from my life and my love for them. I show them! I don’t just copy and paste words to them.
Thanks for the validation!
Take care.
Good post. I have a FB account, but don’t find it useful (other than for reconnecting with people from my past)–as people can certainly be manipulative using the site.
I am careful who I add to my friends list. The people doing these stupid posts are people I know. Grrrr! Once we move, I probably won’t be on FB nearly as much. Hopefully, though, I will be able to concentrate more on my blogs and my art…as well as on uninterrupted bible reading. In this tiny place I tend to get interrupted a lot.
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