More 'Meme', Less You

     Not so long ago, I saw what many young people refer to as a 'meme.' For those of you not in the know, a meme is a gimmick of the internet, usually consisting of a picture- often some easily recognizable image from popular culture, but animals making silly faces are also frequently utilized- and some words. The image and words are usually somehow tied together, generally for the purpose of amusement, but sometimes they are created as a shallow means of conveyance for some message or opinion. Usually, these messages or opinions are harmless and vapid enough, their content rarely going beyond the insignificant, like how this one deity is love, or happiness is a choice, or cats, or whatever.
     The one I saw on this particular not so long ago really gave me something to think about though, and that, friends and neighbors, is why we're here today. Without sinking so low as to actually reproduce the image here, allow me to describe it briefly: The image was a fairly close up picture of what I believe was a young woman's only half covered buttock. Underwear was visible, and the dress, which had been pulled aside to reveal said cheek, was what some people might refer to as 'short.' The text, which was written over the image in some cursive font or another, read thusly:
      The more a woman shows, the less she has to offer.
     Oh, what words of wisdom! What pearls, what unparalleled insight! What a truly gifted visionary the creator of this digital masterpiece must be or have been! To take the philosophy behind those who throughout history have stoned women to death for showing their faces in public, or have shamed them for having ideas about, well, anything really, and reduce said philosophy to the succinctness of a picture and sentence! Truly, standing on the shoulders of giants, this one is.
      First and foremost, I have to ask if this means that a man in cargo shorts is less worthwhile than a man in a fully legged pant? What about short sleeve shirts? If I see a gentleman in a tank top am I to dismiss him as a worthless person based on that factor alone? I mean come on, I can see his shoulder!
     And yet, such a meme, I have not seen. Nothing in the way of say, "If you can see pit hair, there must be no brain there."
     Also, in the ensuing social media argument (because of course there was one) the person who posted the meme made it clear that he (surprise) was only expressing his opinion, which he is constitutionally allowed to do. This is correct. The problem is that said opinion supports the stereotyping of a group of people, which is not only wrong, but blatantly stupid, particularly when we consider the obvious hypocrisy on display.
     Which we will do. Starting now.
     Take a moment, or two if you'd like, and mull over how people tend to register images before they read and comprehend words and sentences. What this means is the first thing people are going to see when they encounter this 'meme' is the half naked buttocks of some faceless, anonymous woman. I don't care who you are, when you're scrolling through what so many people so foolishly refer to as a "news feed", and you see a partially naked person, it's going to get your attention, for one reason or another. Maybe you weren't expecting a half naked butt to just show up on your screen (although it is the internet, after all. Butts are everywhere, and I recommend you keep your guard up.) Or maybe you notice this half naked butt because you like butts. Perhaps you're a rapper with a predilection for plus-sized posteriors and a disability to deceive.
     Either way, what has happened here is that our genius and model citizen has used an example of the very thing he claims to shun in order to get his idea across. The sentence could just have been posted, or tweeted, or whatever, without words, but our hero has chosen to amplify it's attention getting ability by reducing a woman to just a body part for his own purposes.
     If I understand this correctly, what this means is that in order to deserve this stallion of virtue a woman must be modest, but in order to properly express his philosophy, we are going to need that butt.
     Look, opinions are all well and good, but when your opinion involves deciding how other people should behave, or what they should wear, or how valuable they are based on same, then it's not referred to as "having an opinion" anymore.
     It's referred to as "being a dick", and the internet already has plenty of those, too.
     So, please understand that while you are entitled to your opinion, you are just as entitled to think it through, convey it better, consider how it betrays your lack understanding, and of course, shut up.
     You're always entitled to shut up.
     Tune in next week, when JohnCo. returns with another exciting new product!
-John