Best response I’ve seen yet to Bill & Emma Keller using their high-profile media platforms to sniff at a cancer patients’ tweets (“Should there be boundaries in this kind of experience?”) comes from Maureen O’Connor at NYMag:
… In the age of social media, when cell phones come with camera lenses optimized for selfies, that last question gets asked regularly. So I am going to answer it, once and for all: No. There is no such thing as TMI on the Internet. We are living in a post-TMI age, and everyone needs to deal with it. Preferably by using the “unfollow” button.
There is such a thing as too much information for you. There is such a thing as information the speaker will later regret. But if an audience is willingly and pleasurably consuming the information, then by definition, that is the right amount of information for them…. If you continually recoil at TMI, it’s because you lack the willpower to stop consuming (or foresight to avoid) the information in question. That’s your fault.
Modern media consumption — particularly digital media consumption — is personalized. This is sometimes to our detriment; it is very easy to surround yourself with the voices of only those who agree with you. As consumers of social media, we are all the programmers of our own personal line-ups, featuring a hand-selected set of soap operas, news sources, and other amusements. If a particular soap opera becomes boring, you click “unfollow” — or maybe you hate it so much that you block it. You can download browser extensions that will turn words you do not want to see into a big black bars, or prevent you from loading web pages that contain material that offends. For instance, if I never want to see or think about Bill or Emma Keller, I could install a content filter like Blocksi and set it to block or limit the amount of time I spend on web pages where the term Keller appears. Or I could set it simply to warn me about incoming Kellers, so that I can summon a third party to preview the material for me…
… In the age of micro-audience — when everyone is famous not for fifteen minutes, but to fifteen people — there is a consumer for everything. No exceptions….
My emphasis. I hadn’t realized there were so many tech-enabled ways to avoid seeing stuff I don’t like, but then, I find the scroll-down option sufficient for my unexacting needs.
amk
Isn’t that the bw msm mantra?
AnonPhenom
“… In the age of micro-audience — when everyone is famous not for fifteen minutes, but to fifteen people ”
Nice.
OzarkHillbilly
Or one could just turn it off.
.
.
.
.
.
..
Naaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh…
OzarkHillbilly
Michelle Obama is 50. And hot. I know I know, I am a sexist pig. But she is.
Baud
But if I don’t follow it, how can I be outraged by it?
PurpleGirl
@OzarkHillbilly: Well, she is hot (and very smart). That’s one of the reasons I like her. (To be honest, I voted for Barack so we could have Michelle as the First Lady.) It has been a long time since we had a FL as young in age and spirit as Michelle.
Shortstop
New technologies just give the same old control freaks fresh context in which to ply their pathology.
Linda Featheringill
@OzarkHillbilly:
Flotus: Your’re right, of course. She is.
OzarkHillbilly
Also, Hiroo Onada has died. I remember his surrender in the news, but I did not know that,
“Refusing to believe that the war had ended with Japan’s defeat in August 1945, Onodera drew on his training in guerrilla warfare to kill as many as 30 people whom he mistakenly believed to be enemy soldiers.”
…
“He was only persuaded to surrender when his former commanding officer travelled to his hideout on the island of Lubang in the north-western Philippines and convinced him that the war had ended.”
…
“Onoda wept uncontrollably as he agreed to lay down his perfectly serviceable rifle.
He was later pardoned for the killings by the then Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos. In his formal surrender to Marcos, Onoda wore his 30-year-old imperial army uniform, cap and sword, all of which were in good condition.”
…
“He returned to Japan in March the same year, but after struggling to adapt to life in his homeland, he emigrated to Brazil in 1975 to become a farmer. He returned to Japan in 1984 and opened nature camps for children across Japan”.
WereBear
I adore our FLOTUS. Especially when you think about how she was not enthused about the duties and responsibilities, but went for it to make Barack’s dreams come true.
And I feel their relationship is such that he will reciprocate.
kindness
That would work. Except the town I live has a high end kitchen supply store named Kellers. Think Williams Sonoma but without being a chain. I rarely buy anything there because of the prices but when I feel the need to drool over kitchen supplies McArgleBargle would brag about, I go there.
HeartlandLiberal
Just want to make one point.
If you use the options on web sites, even such as news.google, to “personalize” your news feed, or plugsins to accomplish the same while browsing, then you are have taken the first step into the trap of surrounding yourself with only what is familiar and what you want to hear and are accustomed to hear.
How is that any different from what is lovingly prepared for their viewers by that paragon of fair and balanced reporting, the Faux Noise Nutwork? Except they do it for you, sort of pre-digeste, if you will.
The comfort of the familiar is the enemy of truth.
OzarkHillbilly
And The Professor is dead. What is Gilligan going to do now?
Baud
@HeartlandLiberal:
That’s not true. None of us can read everything. That doesn’t mean what we select to read puts us in the same type of bubble that Fox creates.
BillinGlendaleCA
@OzarkHillbilly: Gilligan’s dead too. As a side note, I went to Intermediate School with Bob Denver’s son.
WereBear
@OzarkHillbilly: That was a sweet obit. I’m actually a fan of Russell Johnson, not just The Professor. If you want old movies and TV shows… there he is.
PurpleGirl
@BillinGlendaleCA: Tina Louise who played Ginger (The Actress) was a volunteer with the educational non-profit I worked for. She tutored children in a public school several hours a week.
OzarkHillbilly
@BillinGlendaleCA: Damn. Your right. I had completely forgotten that. I knew the Skipper was gone. And Ginger. And of course the Millionaire and his Wife. Was trying to remember if MaryAnne was still around or not.
In the end, we all take that 3 Hour Tour.
Mystical Chick
@Baud: Yes, and outrage is on the daily menu for lots of people. I used to have a lot of “Republicans suck” FB pages on my news feed and the constant litany of the stupid really dragged me down. I like to make fun of it too but a constant barrage of it made this peace-loving chick want to run in the street and scream.
While I’d like people to stop posting what I don’t want to see (in my own fiefdom, I will be doing that), here on planet internets, the best way to do that is to not go to those sites, not follow those people and just turn and face in a different direction. It’s part of living a conscious life, IMO.
WereBear
It’s like we used to say to the Puritans complaining about the sex and violence on television: Don’t watch, then.
But look at what has happened! Thanks to their tax-free profits, Xantians have taken over many cable channels and exerted their dark influence on networks so that what we get is not adult drama. We have to go to HBO and Showtime & such for that, now.
Though frankly, I prefer even Dennis Franz’s bare behind to the likes of Verne Troyer drunk on a motorized tricycle. Where was the outrage?
Could it be… manufactured for a dark purpose? Oh, I’m so cynical!
cleek
Mary Ann is still around.
and this year is the 50th anniversary of Gilligan’s Island.
BruceFromOhio
The only downside I see of learning to more efficiently avert ones attention from the objectionable is that it becomes too efficient, and we turn away too easily from that which we should be paying attention.
All life is performance art, ain’t it just? I recoil at those who recoil, it’s part of the metaphysicality feature I simply adore about this life.
sparrow
@OzarkHillbilly: Nice. Am I weird that I teared up a bit looking at those? Sometimes it still amazes me that our first family is black. So awesome. Happy Bday Michelle.
JPL
Good Morning and Happy Birthday, Michelle!
Only on Balloon Juice can you have a post discussing whether or not there is tmi. It’s mind boggling and I have nothing to add.
Donut
@OzarkHillbilly:
Tina Louise (Ginger) and Dawn Wells (Mary Ann) are both still alive. I think Tina Louise is basically inactive in show biz, but Dawn Wells is still pretty active, pimping the ‘Gilligan’ thing all over the place.
BruceFromOhio
@PurpleGirl: She was “The MOOOOvie Star,” and so splendidly exotic in an accessible way – just enough a caricature to be entertaining, while avoiding outright camp. And a redhead to boot. Zoiks! Happy to hear she was engaged with the kiddo’s, that’s classy all by itself.
JPL
@sparrow: The picture in the elevator, #15, is funny. The President and First Lady are obviously sharing a moment and the staff and secret service look towards the ground.
OzarkHillbilly
@cleek: Whew! I’m not that old yet.
Sarah, Proud and Tall
So this. I love taking the piss and making fun of the wingnuts. I love reading other people doing the same. I love going on Tripadvisor forums and reading the stupid questions and getting huffy about how dumb people are. Every now and then someone on the internet really crosses an actual line and needs to be told, “You are a [racist/sexist/etc] dickhead”, or just be mocked unmercifully (even if they never realist they are being mocked).
But the other 94% of the time, if you don’t like it, if it pisses you off that someone else is having their say, if it’s TMI, if you’re not enjoying it, or not enjoying being pissed off by it – just stop reading it.
WereBear
To share my favorite First Couple Moment:
It’s a ceremony celebrating women, and during Michelle’s speech she glances to her husband, at her side, and says, “You should worship me.”
And he deadpans, “I can do that.”
OzarkHillbilly
@Donut: Apparently, while I am not that old, I am old enuf to have a failing memory! I could have sworn I had read of Gingers demise. Oh well. And thanx for their real names, I can see the credits now in my minds eye.
OzarkHillbilly
@WereBear: Heh.
Baud
@WereBear:
The Obamas really are a nice couple. That’s why it’s so important that they be stopped.
dr. bloor
“Incoming Kellers”
Heh.
WereBear
The article referenced above has an excellent point. We are “reinventing privacy” because we should all remember, “privacy” has its dark side, too.
I call it the Peyton Place Effect.
danielx
Kinda sorta OT, but it’s still the Times and I just can’t restrain myself.
@HeartlandLiberal:
All too true, and particularly apropos after reading – to get my blood pressure up – David Fucking Brooks’ latest encomium* this morning, and yes, it was unpleasant. Entitled The Inequality Problem, it consists of of my man Dave’s musing on the whys and wherefores of growing income inequality. You will no doubt be shocked to learn that, among other things, Dave does not believe that an increase in the minimum wage is an effective policy response to…anything.
There speaks a man who has never in his entire fucking life worked for minimum wage. Does it put more money in people’s pockets? Yes, it does. Case closed, Dave…you tool.
Then there’s the, ah, misframing of the issue insofar as who is making the major, major bucks is concerned.
True to a degree, although that superstar effect is due to a lot of policy decisions. Your major framing problem here, Dave ol’ pal, is that there’s a big difference between the top one percent and the top five percent. For one thing, those in that top five bracket but lower than the top one percent do well – very well – but there are a great many more of them that do something that contributes to society in a real way – say, my periodontist – than there are in that pesky top one percent. That guy and any number of other professionals make big bucks, but I certainly don’t resent or grudge them one bit of it – they worked hard and suffered through a lot of educational years to develop their skills and are compensated accordingly. Their compensation levels, moreover, have at least some faint relationship with what they actually do for a living. By contrast with, say, Steve Cohen of SAC, who took home an estimated $1.3 billion in 2012.
Let me go way out on a limb here and suggest that in a sane world there is nothing that any single human being does that is worth more than a billion dollars a year, and I don’t give a rusty goddamn how much value he brought to his shareholders.
Okay, extended rant – but one of our boy’s last few paragraphs truly gives away the game.
O rlly?
This of course explains why Wal-Mart, to name an example at random, puts so much effort into anti-union organization activities. Also, too, it neatly brushes over economic history in which the major economic gains of the middle and working class were made during periods of highest union membership (shudder!) and greater trade barriers (clutching pearls!) than exist today. And of course, you should totally ignore all that money that various interested parties have been putting into buying legislators like shares of stock since the Citizens United decision. It’s all in the interest of good government, no quid pro quo and nothing to see here, move along, proles!
Brooks is correct, paining me though it does to say it, when he says that income inequality is a complex issue with multiple causes. But to ignore the very much class-based political efforts that have gone on since the 1970s to push more and more income to the top of the income pyramid (let’s hear for capital gains tax reduction!) and less and less to the middle and lower levels is to ignore reality. The economic pie might not be of fixed size, but you’d never know it by viewing the effects of purchased policy decisions that put more and more money in fewer and fewer hands.
David – buddy – let me clue you in on something. Marxism as a political/economic system is a demonstrated failure. Marxism as an analytical tool, however, is alive, well and useful. You might want to look into it.
*Actually this rant is probably music to Brooks’ ears, as it were – “you may not agree with me at all, but you’re reading me anyway, aren’t you?” Yes, Dave, but I’m doing it 1) as a public service and 2) to keep myself up on what passes for Villager thought – know your enemy and all that. If our man Brooks is pooh-pooh-ing and Viewing With Alarm, whatever the topic may be, you know you’re onto something that’s becoming a perceived problem that might actually have some distant impact on the Villager fishbowl. Like higher taxes or less deference, perish both thoughts.
WereBear
These rightwing shills twist the meaning of words until they scream for mercy. If you have opportunity and mobility, this tends to dilute inequality.
It’s simple social hydraulics, so to speak.
danielx
@WereBear:
Yeah, I’ve noticed – reading Brooks or worse, his compadre the Moustache of Understanding, is to truly understand that famous (infamous?) pronouncement of Humpty-Dumpty. You know, this one:
PS – thanks for the tip on Blue Buffalo Weight Loss kitty provender – they seem to like it just fine. And so they should, at $23 (with tax) for a five lb bag.
MattF
@danielx: Re: Minimum wage. A conservative who thinks raising the minimum wage is a good idea:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/26/us/conservative-leads-effort-to-raise-minimum-wage-in-california.html?_r=0
So, yes, Brooks is a hack.
rikyrah
Obama to Nominate His 1st Black Lesbian Federal Judge
President Barack Obama, who has nominated more black and LGBT judges than any president ever, is now adding to the list his first black LGBT federal judge nomination.
By: Breanna Edwards
Posted: Jan. 16 2014 3:04 PM
President Barack Obama is slated to appoint his first-ever African-American openly LGBT federal judge on Thursday, once again showing his commitment to diversifying the judicial system, Politico reports.
Staci Michelle Yandle, who is currently practicing privately, is the woman President Obama wants to place in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, the president’s home state. If Yandle is confirmed, she will be the first African-American judge to sit in the court, and also the first “out” judge in the 7th Circuit, covering Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.
But Obama won’t be done there. He’s also nominating the first Latino judge—Salvador Mendoza Jr., a county Superior Court judge in Washington state—for the Eastern District of Illinois.
Politico points out that diversity on the bench is a top priority for the nation’s first African-American president, and his picks are expected to be easily confirmed in Congress, since Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) changed the filibuster rules to require only a simple majority.
Other nominations were Stephen Bough, to sit in the Western District of Missouri, and Richard Franklin Boulware II for Nevada. Boulware would not be the first African American to sit in Nevada, but Politico notes he will be the 57th African American Obama has nominated
http://www.theroot.com/articles/politics/2014/01/obama_to_nominate_first_black_lesbian_judge.html?wpisrc=newstories
rikyrah
Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to appoint fifteen individuals to the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans. This Commission is charged with strengthening the nation by improving educational outcomes for African Americans to ensure that all African Americans receive an education that prepares them for college, productive careers, and satisfying lives. This mission is part of the Administration’s broader mandate to restore the country to its role as the global leader in education. These members will advise the President and the Secretary of Education on ways to advance federal programs that improve educational opportunities for African Americans, increase participation of the African American community in federal agency programs, and engage stakeholders in a national dialogue on the mission.
President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to the President’s Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/01/16/president-obama-announces-his-intent-appoint-fifteen-individuals-preside
rikyrah
A First Lady at 50, Finding Her Own Path
By JENNIFER STEINHAUERJAN. 16, 2014
She has perfected a mean forehand, is working on her yoga poses, dishes with girlfriends over brussels sprouts and dirty martinis (one olive) at the Mediterranean hotspot Zaytinya, pushes her two daughters to play two sports — one of her choosing and one of theirs — and said this week that the wonders of modern dermatology, like Botox, are in the realm of possibility for her.
Michelle Obama is in many ways the embodiment of the contemporary, urban, well-heeled middle-aged American woman. She likes to take “me time,” as she did during an extra vacation week this month without family in Hawaii, setting off a tabloid furor over the state of her marriage. She frets that her older daughter, 15-year-old Malia, hangs out with the boys a grade above her. She gardens, although unlike the rest of us, she has significant weeding help.
She toys with false eyelashes.
On Saturday night, Mrs. Obama will celebrate her 50th birthday with dancing and sweets throughout the state floor of the White House, drawing the nation’s attention away from her husband, at least for an evening. Guests will sip fine American wines, consume delicate macarons and be entertained — the expectation is by Beyoncé.
…………………..
For all of her complaints about the scrutiny and isolation that come with living in the White House, Mrs. Obama has created a vibrant life in Washington as well as a policy agenda that at times dovetails with her husband’s, particularly on education. But she maintains a powerful zone of privacy, aided by discreet friends and a controlling East Wing. Accounts of her life here are culled from interviews with staff members, friends and parents of Malia and Sasha’s schoolmates. The accounts also draw on Mrs. Obama’s public speeches and comments, including a recent interview with People magazine.
While Mrs. Obama has been careful not to define herself or her role strictly through race, she has paid steadfast attention to her role as a model and mentor to minority children from poor backgrounds like her own, and has built much of her policy agenda around them.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/17/us/a-first-lady-at-50-finding-her-own-path.html?_r=2
rikyrah
Breaking Politics @breakingpol 10m
State judge strikes down photo identification requirement for voting in Pennsylvania – @AP
rikyrah
Deaf Man Allegedly Beaten by Police for Not Obeying Orders He Couldn’t Hear
The 64-year-old, whom the affidavit says resisted two troopers and didn’t respond to multiple orders, says he was hit in the face before he could show his ID card.
By: Breanna Edwards
Posted: Jan. 16 2014 1:35 PM
An Oklahoma City resident is claiming that Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers beat him for disobeying their orders. The only problem is that 64-year-old Pearl Pearson is deaf—a fact that he says a sign in his car indicates.
According to Fox 4 News, Pearson allegedly fled the scene of a car accident before being pulled over by the Highway Patrol officers on Jan. 3. According to the affidavit, Pearson resisted the two officers and didn’t respond to the commands (that he couldn’t hear). This resulted in a seven-minute scuffle during which Pearson says he was hit in the face before he could show is ID. There’s no reference in the affidavit as to whether the troopers knew the 64-year-old could not hear, but he was arrested and then later slapped with charges for leaving the scene of an accident and resisting arrest.
http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/01/deaf_man_allegedly_beaten_by_police_for_not_obeying_orders_he_couldn_t_hear.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content&mc_cid=e84fff1305&mc_eid=1e0cf17cc4
rikyrah
The pictures accompanying this article just make you go ‘sigh’…’damn, she can wear anything.’
……………………………………………..
Lupita Is Fabulous. But You Already Knew That
She woke up like this.
By: The Root Staff
Posted: Jan. 16 2014 7:30 AM
Lupita Nyong’o has been nominated for several awards, including an Oscar, for her performance as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave and is quickly becoming a fashion icon. Here is a list of more of her fabulousness:
http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/01/_lupita_nyong_o_10_fabulous_facts.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content&mc_cid=e84fff1305&mc_eid=1e0cf17cc4
rikyrah
Senate Democrats Can’t Win Without Black Votes
The turnout for African Americans will be the pivotal difference in keeping a Democratic majority in 2014’s midterm election.
By: Charles D. Ellison
Posted: Jan. 16 2014 7:30 AM
If you are unaware of a congressional midterm election this year, you may very well wake up the morning of Nov. 5 and slam “WTF” into your Twitter feed. Also sad will be the quizzical looks of other black voters upon learning that they were crucial to the nation’s electoral fate. The exit polling will inevitably show that it was the black vote (or lack thereof) that determined whether Democrats kept the Senate in 2014.
Folks, this isn’t your typical, get-out-the-vote public service announcement. It’s not a smoke-blowing jingle from your friendly neighborhood NAACP chapter.
In 2014, it’s real. Stakes are high. Black voters will be the definitive difference between the government-shutdown gridlock we’ve had to tolerate and the epically disastrous, can’t-get-anything-done gridlock we will have with Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress. Despite all the hype about Latino voters and the snarky pundits snorting at black-electorate value, the numbers show that black-voter turnout can save Democrats in 2014.
The math is quite simple: There is a total of 13 Senate seats that are either very tight or somewhat competitive in 2014. Eight out of those 13 states have black populations at 4 percent or more, according to 2012 U.S. Census Bureau estimates—including four at 15 percent or more. They include Arkansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia and Kentucky.
Even though six of those eight states with significant pockets of black populations broke for Mitt Romney in 2012, congressional midterm Senate races could be a completely different ball game, considering that voter turnout is generally low during the dreaded “off cycles.” But turnouts are usually lowest for Democrats. Thus, the candidate able to fill a margin with voters who are unlikely to vote during a midterm is that much closer to the finish line.
http://www.theroot.com/articles/politics/2014/01/black_voters_will_be_the_difference_in_2014.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content&mc_cid=e84fff1305&mc_eid=1e0cf17cc4
GHayduke (formerly lojasmo)
@rikyrah:
Obama to nominate first black lesbian federal judge
You’re welcome.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@danielx:
You’ll be surprised at how long that bag will last. From observing my kitties before and after we switched, I would guess that the grains in the old foods made them hungrier.
Mine get between a quarter and a half can of Fancy Feast Classic twice a day and have the Blue Buffalo available for grazing. I go through 1-2 cups a day between all four cats. I can’t meter it very well because I have one who insists that the dish be emptied and refilled whenever she can see the bottom. Just topping it off is insufficient.
Mnemosyne
@OzarkHillbilly:
Our lame-ass local radio show rings a bell when they mention the birthday of a hot woman. Mrs. Obama got two bells this morning, which is pretty good since it’s usually reserved for women in their 20s.
Mnemosyne
@danielx:
Keep an eye out for sales at places like Petco or Petsmart — I can usually find Blue Buffalo for a few bucks off. Plus Petco has a “frequent buyers’ club” so I get a free bag of food after buying 10 bags.
Gex
@WereBear: Are we focusing on opportunity and mobility for the top 1%? No, because focusing on opportunity and mobility inherently means we are looking to provide those things for people who don’t have opportunity and mobility. He’s actually saying that we don’t focus on class because we focus on things that focus on class.
different-church-lady
Right. Just like alcoholics know exactly how much booze is right for them, or animal hoarders know just how many cats they ought to own.
Fucking discretion, how does it work?