If You Can X, Then You Should Y

[davidklecha]

Just a little chest-clearing, real quick, if I may (and I may, it’s my damn blog).

I’ve noticed this meme a few times in the last couple of months; coming along with the SOPA/PIPA blackouts, and with the Ocean Marketing fiasco. In formulation, it went something like this: “Oh sure, you all can get up in arms enough to protest this kind of dick move thing, now why can’t you get all worked about my pet issues?” And, on some level, I agree, especially with the protests of the Ocean Marketing douchebag. That might have gone over the top. But, you know, there’s a point short of over the top. Probably somewhere near, you know, the top, where you achieve critical mass and inspire people to make a change. And I think the sort of person I paraphrased above would probably still think it too much fury over too small an issue.

But here’s the thing, and I wish people would understand this better: it’s not that the same number of people don’t get worked up over other issues, it’s just that so few issues are as clear cut as a marketing douchebag talking to a customer like a condescending asshole (with a poor grasp of spelling and grammar). It’s really easy to get behind that. Same with SOPA and PIPA. The only people who might have really supported those bills were those who didn’t understand them (and thus not invested enough to protest or counter-protest) and the accountants running Hollywood.

Most other issues have been a crapshoot.

And that’s okay, on some level. As much as I might like there to be greater consensus on really important things, like taxes and healthcare and war (not that SOPA wasn’t critical, actually), the lack of consensus is the result of living in a multi-cultural society. It’s part of the bargain. A maddeningly frustrating part, sometimes, especially when we do see people coming together and making that kind of concerted effort. But, part of the bargain, just the same.

Mirrored from Bum Scoop.