This Mom Explains How Memes And Social Media Can Turn Young Boys Into Racists
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Social media and its effects on teenagers have been on the radar for quite some time now. Older generations have been constantly looking for new ways to blame the Internet culture whenever they see a new atrocity committed by young people. Recently, video games were subjected to scrutiny for allegedly causing violence in society. While many laughed at this belief system, the discussions on how the uses of social media affect us all continues.
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Recently, writer Joanna Schroeder started yet another topic questioning the effects of social media. She took to Twitter to share something alarming she noticed coming from her sons’ Internet activity. The concerned mother says that alt-right, racism, and white supremacy groups are actively grooming young boys to join them using vlogs and memes. Is it just another baby boomer incapable of understanding the internet culture or does she have a point? Read her explanation below.
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Schroeder’s arguments were compelling enough for many other parents and some teenagers too, as a lot of them sided with her opinion. However, some stepped forward to voice their disagreement. Which side are you on? Are we being groomined for systematic racism or is it jsut another fad? Tell us your opinion in the comments.
Many people sided with Schroeder’s opinion
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However, not everyone agreed with with her point of view
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Jonathan Haidt, a progressive liberal Jewish academic with a Ph.D in Pscyhology, has critiqued the concept of people being 'triggered' and having trigger warnings. He said it's not taken seriously by the psychologists with the deepest expertise in addressing trauma. I say this all as a socially liberal, straight ally who has marched in Pride parades, dislikes the POTUS and votes Democratic: there really is a problem of speech intolerance among some on the far left. 'Get your hate speech off of this campus!' Getting physically violent over Ben Shapiro saying ideas. Literally throwing a milkshake at a GOP Member of Congress (https://bit.ly/2z0Eovf). That's why the right are calling them snowflakes, b/c some on the left really are unwilling to even be in the presence of ideas they disagree with. Anyone on the left or center left needs to call it out and rid the left of it, marginalize it, not tolerate their intolerance.
Regarding Ben Shapiro, I had heard that had been banned from speaking at some campus due to some protests, and I heard that people on the right were talking about liberal colleges, etc. I just assumed that these speakers were really, really hateful people like KKK members. So, my son showed me a speech by Ben Shapiro at a campus. He said one controversial thing, and the college ended his speech, shut him down. I was dumbfounded. I don't agree with pretty much anything the guy says, but he wasn't saying anything that should cause that reaction. I think he said many people who are poor are poor due to bad decisions. I think it is largely wrong or at least far more complicated than that, but I wanted to hear his points. No need to kick him out. If nothing else, he challenges a person to think how to defend their own view, which is a very good mental exercise. (FYI, I'm quite progressive, as is my son. Sanders and Jill Stein voters.)
Yeah, it's both sad and amazing that some (I know, not all) of the far left younger Milennials are so unable to even be near someone saying something they strongly disagree w/. I recently heard a group of younger Millennials talking about how awful it was for some group of conservatives to have a rally. I pointed out to them this same thing: 'I'm a socially-liberal, D-voting-center-left guy myself, BUT those right wing people have a right to say things.' - The younger Millennials were looking at me like this was something they'd never considered before, as though it were a new concept to them that the 1st Am. applies to anyone not on the left. Then again, they may have heard a Dem no less prominent than Howard Dean say: 'The First Amendment doesn't protect hate speech.' (His exact words). Wrong Howard, SCOTUS specifically has ruled that it does, several times. It's high time we re-educate some of our own political allies.
If the GOP has it's way all your problems are solved within a few months: Civil liberties groups are warning of a major threat to online freedoms and First Amendment rights if a leaked draft of a Trump administration edict—dubbed by critics as a “Censor the Internet” executive order that would give powerful federal agencies far-reaching powers to pick and choose which kind of Internet material is and is not acceptable—is allowed to go into effect. Which means that from that moment only the racist, sexist propaganda from Trump and the GOP can be published.
It is proven that laws and constitution don't mean a thing to Trump and if he can find ways to restrict free speech or divide the Americans even more, he will surely use them.
For free speech concerns, Trump also said in Dec. '16 that he would 'deport anyone who burns the American flag.' This despite the SCOTUS ruling in Texas v. Johnson that burning the flag is protected political speech under 1st Am. Pretty chilling that he said that. But in '05 Hillary Clinton and Barbara Boxer (and many other Ds and Rs on the Hill) sponsored a bill that would've made burning the American flag a felony w/ a 1 year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine. Thank goodness that bill was shot down by sensible people in Congress, patriots who recognize how central the tolerance of dissent is to American patriotism. How sad and shameful that so many in both parties are so ready to endanger our civil liberties as soon as someone says something controversial. We have to remember Voltaire's ideal: 'I disagree with what you say but will defend to the death your right to say it.'
I hear the currently deceased 8chan and the still going 4chan are a haven for saying any bullshit you like and being encouraged in it. Never been on those, but 9gag is bad enough. The racism and mysogyny is shocking and very few people ever get criticised for it. I'm not a signed up user to it, so am not in a position to do so and feel I would be wasting my breath if I did. Maybe if all the reasonable people on Bored Panda bombarded the users of other sites with our common sense, we might get somewhere. Remove the approval, but don't replace it with shame. Replace it with reason.
9gag has gone really down the drain. It used to be funny in the beginning, but I stopped visiting after a while, because it started becoming quite hostile to women. I hadn't seen the site in a few years and when I visited out of curiosity a few weeks ago...yikes. There's nothing funny about the rampant misogyny and racism going on there.
"The racism and misogyny are shocking and very few people ever get criticized for it." Spot on. Feedback needed!
Parents need to be checking what their kids do online. And listening and talking to them about it. Picking a site "you heard is racist" and going on a deplatforming crusade is about showing off your virtue, while completely ignoring the problem. The problem which incidentally the op in this article has bullshitted into something totally out of proportion. KEEP YOUR EYE ON WHAT YOUR KIDS ARE DOING. Watch their favourite youtubers with them. Take an interest in whatever sites they like. Its not the alt right that's the problem. Its the world.
I can see that this woman is trying to raise awareness of a real issue. I agree but do not fully agree, because not all memes are racist or sexist, so it is not like they are the bane of human existence. Also I do not see how "triggered" automatically means white supremesist when it is clearly a slang word that means annnoyed.
She doesn't accuse the whole meme culture. In fact, she's inviting other parents to help their kids filter out the harmful ones amongst memes. Because, whether we like it or not, memes are used as a tool for brainwashing as well, since they're short, humorous easy to understand, relatable, and easy to share. Sure, tons of memes out there are harmless, even cute sometimes, but as much are also subtly offensive, while another ton is straightforward offensive. The important part is to learn to differentiate between various kinds of contents, and that's exactly the point of this mother's analogy.
I only ever hear triggered used when someone thinks another person is overreacting. Her point being that, if someone is using "triggered" they're almost certainly complaining about someone disagreeing with them on something offensive. White supremacy was only one aspect that this woman was talking about. She also mentioned sexism, homophobia and anti-semitism. She has not said all memes are like that, but to watch out for those that are - the ones kids are drawn into when they find them among the harmless funny ones they originally went looking for. They go looking for a joke about Chuck Norris or raiding Area51 and are led down a darker path.
Being triggered is not about being annoyed, it's about being catapulted into what is often a very bad head space by someone's racist, sexist, or other offensive and frightening words or behavior. Or, if you're a veteran with combat experience, it's fireworks or a gunshot putting you right back in the very thick of your worst nightmares from service, or a sudden awakening making you lash out at the nearest person because, again, you're stuck in the very physical manifestation of your past bad experiences. It can be so intense that you are completely unaware of your present situation. This is not fun for anyone. It's no joke and can be very dangerous for the people around you, especially for those who have combat experience and lash out and hurt or kill their loved ones. https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/06/guide-to-triggering/
The word triggered used in a derogatory manner is almost solely the domain who sling around words like snowflake to describe someone. It goes with a general culture of insensitivity, rudeness, and far, far worse things. Usually a culture of misogyny, racism, and those who minimize the humanity of others to make themselves feel better. That culture is toxic, and using the word triggered is generally an indicator that they've been exposed to it and have, to some degree, been indoctrinated. No one thinks all memes are bad, but there does exist a kind of meme that is totally devoid of humanity, and unless you are heartless, aren't even funny.
Jonathan Haidt, a progressive liberal Jewish academic with a Ph.D in Pscyhology, has critiqued the concept of people being 'triggered' and having trigger warnings. He said it's not taken seriously by the psychologists with the deepest expertise in addressing trauma. I say this all as a socially liberal, straight ally who has marched in Pride parades, dislikes the POTUS and votes Democratic: there really is a problem of speech intolerance among some on the far left. 'Get your hate speech off of this campus!' Getting physically violent over Ben Shapiro saying ideas. Literally throwing a milkshake at a GOP Member of Congress (https://bit.ly/2z0Eovf). That's why the right are calling them snowflakes, b/c some on the left really are unwilling to even be in the presence of ideas they disagree with. Anyone on the left or center left needs to call it out and rid the left of it, marginalize it, not tolerate their intolerance.
Regarding Ben Shapiro, I had heard that had been banned from speaking at some campus due to some protests, and I heard that people on the right were talking about liberal colleges, etc. I just assumed that these speakers were really, really hateful people like KKK members. So, my son showed me a speech by Ben Shapiro at a campus. He said one controversial thing, and the college ended his speech, shut him down. I was dumbfounded. I don't agree with pretty much anything the guy says, but he wasn't saying anything that should cause that reaction. I think he said many people who are poor are poor due to bad decisions. I think it is largely wrong or at least far more complicated than that, but I wanted to hear his points. No need to kick him out. If nothing else, he challenges a person to think how to defend their own view, which is a very good mental exercise. (FYI, I'm quite progressive, as is my son. Sanders and Jill Stein voters.)
Yeah, it's both sad and amazing that some (I know, not all) of the far left younger Milennials are so unable to even be near someone saying something they strongly disagree w/. I recently heard a group of younger Millennials talking about how awful it was for some group of conservatives to have a rally. I pointed out to them this same thing: 'I'm a socially-liberal, D-voting-center-left guy myself, BUT those right wing people have a right to say things.' - The younger Millennials were looking at me like this was something they'd never considered before, as though it were a new concept to them that the 1st Am. applies to anyone not on the left. Then again, they may have heard a Dem no less prominent than Howard Dean say: 'The First Amendment doesn't protect hate speech.' (His exact words). Wrong Howard, SCOTUS specifically has ruled that it does, several times. It's high time we re-educate some of our own political allies.
If the GOP has it's way all your problems are solved within a few months: Civil liberties groups are warning of a major threat to online freedoms and First Amendment rights if a leaked draft of a Trump administration edict—dubbed by critics as a “Censor the Internet” executive order that would give powerful federal agencies far-reaching powers to pick and choose which kind of Internet material is and is not acceptable—is allowed to go into effect. Which means that from that moment only the racist, sexist propaganda from Trump and the GOP can be published.
It is proven that laws and constitution don't mean a thing to Trump and if he can find ways to restrict free speech or divide the Americans even more, he will surely use them.
For free speech concerns, Trump also said in Dec. '16 that he would 'deport anyone who burns the American flag.' This despite the SCOTUS ruling in Texas v. Johnson that burning the flag is protected political speech under 1st Am. Pretty chilling that he said that. But in '05 Hillary Clinton and Barbara Boxer (and many other Ds and Rs on the Hill) sponsored a bill that would've made burning the American flag a felony w/ a 1 year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine. Thank goodness that bill was shot down by sensible people in Congress, patriots who recognize how central the tolerance of dissent is to American patriotism. How sad and shameful that so many in both parties are so ready to endanger our civil liberties as soon as someone says something controversial. We have to remember Voltaire's ideal: 'I disagree with what you say but will defend to the death your right to say it.'
I hear the currently deceased 8chan and the still going 4chan are a haven for saying any bullshit you like and being encouraged in it. Never been on those, but 9gag is bad enough. The racism and mysogyny is shocking and very few people ever get criticised for it. I'm not a signed up user to it, so am not in a position to do so and feel I would be wasting my breath if I did. Maybe if all the reasonable people on Bored Panda bombarded the users of other sites with our common sense, we might get somewhere. Remove the approval, but don't replace it with shame. Replace it with reason.
9gag has gone really down the drain. It used to be funny in the beginning, but I stopped visiting after a while, because it started becoming quite hostile to women. I hadn't seen the site in a few years and when I visited out of curiosity a few weeks ago...yikes. There's nothing funny about the rampant misogyny and racism going on there.
"The racism and misogyny are shocking and very few people ever get criticized for it." Spot on. Feedback needed!
Parents need to be checking what their kids do online. And listening and talking to them about it. Picking a site "you heard is racist" and going on a deplatforming crusade is about showing off your virtue, while completely ignoring the problem. The problem which incidentally the op in this article has bullshitted into something totally out of proportion. KEEP YOUR EYE ON WHAT YOUR KIDS ARE DOING. Watch their favourite youtubers with them. Take an interest in whatever sites they like. Its not the alt right that's the problem. Its the world.
I can see that this woman is trying to raise awareness of a real issue. I agree but do not fully agree, because not all memes are racist or sexist, so it is not like they are the bane of human existence. Also I do not see how "triggered" automatically means white supremesist when it is clearly a slang word that means annnoyed.
She doesn't accuse the whole meme culture. In fact, she's inviting other parents to help their kids filter out the harmful ones amongst memes. Because, whether we like it or not, memes are used as a tool for brainwashing as well, since they're short, humorous easy to understand, relatable, and easy to share. Sure, tons of memes out there are harmless, even cute sometimes, but as much are also subtly offensive, while another ton is straightforward offensive. The important part is to learn to differentiate between various kinds of contents, and that's exactly the point of this mother's analogy.
I only ever hear triggered used when someone thinks another person is overreacting. Her point being that, if someone is using "triggered" they're almost certainly complaining about someone disagreeing with them on something offensive. White supremacy was only one aspect that this woman was talking about. She also mentioned sexism, homophobia and anti-semitism. She has not said all memes are like that, but to watch out for those that are - the ones kids are drawn into when they find them among the harmless funny ones they originally went looking for. They go looking for a joke about Chuck Norris or raiding Area51 and are led down a darker path.
Being triggered is not about being annoyed, it's about being catapulted into what is often a very bad head space by someone's racist, sexist, or other offensive and frightening words or behavior. Or, if you're a veteran with combat experience, it's fireworks or a gunshot putting you right back in the very thick of your worst nightmares from service, or a sudden awakening making you lash out at the nearest person because, again, you're stuck in the very physical manifestation of your past bad experiences. It can be so intense that you are completely unaware of your present situation. This is not fun for anyone. It's no joke and can be very dangerous for the people around you, especially for those who have combat experience and lash out and hurt or kill their loved ones. https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/06/guide-to-triggering/
The word triggered used in a derogatory manner is almost solely the domain who sling around words like snowflake to describe someone. It goes with a general culture of insensitivity, rudeness, and far, far worse things. Usually a culture of misogyny, racism, and those who minimize the humanity of others to make themselves feel better. That culture is toxic, and using the word triggered is generally an indicator that they've been exposed to it and have, to some degree, been indoctrinated. No one thinks all memes are bad, but there does exist a kind of meme that is totally devoid of humanity, and unless you are heartless, aren't even funny.