Oxymoron
Recently, there was a protest outside Facebook and Instagram HQ’s. A group of people got naked, lay down on the street and covered their genitalia with images of blow up male nipples. One story says that it was sponsored by an artist who feels like he is unable to represent himself properly on these platforms because they do not allow nudity. A lot of people volunteered for this. People volunteered to lay down naked in the streets of New York so they could have the right to show their genitalia on Facebook and Instagram.
I’m sorry, but what the hell?
I’m not defending Facebook or Instagram. They’re terrible - they listen to our conversations, steal our data etc. Somehow we have accepted that this level of invasiveness is okay, but if they say “No boobs”, there’s a protest. Seriously, what the hell?
You know how many sites, platforms and other ways of media exist? If you really want to show your genitalia, why not just use those? You’re saying less censorship, but you’ve already given them access to all your data. Is it really so important that you show your genitalia, specifically on Facebook and Instagram, that you lie down naked in the dirty streets of New York? Do you know how dirty those streets are? Aren’t there bigger issues that you are passionate about that may be a better use of your protesting time?
One thing has become really really evident in the process of trying to write: I’ve been super conscious of the things that are written down with a slight nagging fear that I should not offend anyone. Ufff, it’s difficult. Everyone seems to be ready to be offended and outraged about almost anything.
In a previous post, I had talk about the idea that “Whether conscious or not, we seem to have a tendency to think of ourselves as fitting into categories that we use to define ourselves to others.”
My categories: I am a Pakistani-born Canadian Muslim, Shia, Female “Creative” who was educated in Texas.
Fitting into many minority categories is not so rare for those who live in North America, especially in the larger cities. We’re all from different places, practice different religions, carry different mindsets, all living together in this big mess. A lot of us were brought here by our parents, hoping for a better life, trying to escape unstable environments to give their children better futures.
All of us, literally all of us (this is the land of Native American tribes, no matter how many excuses exist), came to this continent to participate in the rat race that is the “North American Dream”. Since “The New World” was “discovered” people came with the idea that this is a place of “freedom”. A Capitalist concept of “A Land of Freedom”. No matter who you are, you can come here and join the rat race: as long as you are productive - or try to be - you are welcome. But, in order for us to work as hard as we can to gain as much monetary worth as we can (and achieve this “North American Dream”), the environment in which this happens needs to be quite stable. How can you run in a marathon unless there is a calm street to run on?
Because we would like to be respected and have a fair chance as we participate in this race, we have to respect others’ differences as well.
So, we’re all running around trying to achieve this so-called “dream”, living in a land that is not ours, working our jobs and going about our privileged middle-average lives. All the while aware of our differences and trying to be respectful of each other (a peaceful-enough environment, in which all our essential differing principles are not attacked). If you live in North America, how many different types of people do you meet every day? Specifically different genders, ethnicities, religions? It would take a real jackass to see this extreme variety of human variation in their normal day-to-day and still somehow be arrogant enough to try to be offensive.
Since we all came here to live in a land of “freedom”, and things are mostly okay, we closely monitor that no one infringes on any of our “rights”. A lot of us fit into such a variety of minority groups that there is a feeling - a need - to defend ourselves constantly. All these people, from all these places -- obviously not everyone will have the same opinion. Maybe this is why people seem to be loading words like bullets into imaginary guns while in conversation, ready to answer before they begin listening. Stressed about work, bills, and in addition - our own identities, our place in the race. Always vigilant in making sure that nothing offensive is said, and no restrictions hinder my “free-ness”. That would be against the rules, an outrage.
I want to be respected, we all want to be respected. But maybe, we’ve come to take ourselves a bit too seriously? Maybe we’ve become so used to defending ourselves that we don’t know how to stop being offended? Every single thinig is offensive to someone.
Okay.
This may all be true to particular people, but is it really such a good use of your time?
Is Instagram really so important to your self-expression?
If it is, then would you acknowledge that they - just like you - have the freedom to govern their company as they please? That if they don’t want nudity associated with their platform, that is their prerogative?
If so, aren’t you infringing on their rights by protesting? You’re using their platform but also telling them to change it so it better serves you?
Again, I am not defending Instagram. I’m all about body positivity. I am just trying to understand why a group of people would do this.
What exactly are they so offended about? If Instagram does change their policy and allow for nudity, what did this group actually win? Will it change their lives in any significant way? Will they become better people because of it? Was it really worth their emotional energy and hygiene?
I highly doubt it.
We’ve become willing captives of this rat race, suffocating in our “freedoms”, almost always offended.