After the horrific start to the year, the second week of 2015 makes it feel like this might not be the worst twelve months of our existence yet, with some light breaking through the grim clouds of current events. Which isn’t to say that this was a week free of (deserved) outrage, of course; this is the Internet, after all, and there were Oscar nominations to be announced. Nonetheless, it wasn’t all doom and gloom, as you’ll see below. For once, here are some genuine highlights (and important lowlights) of the last seven days on this wild web we all call home.
Jessica Fletcher Gets It (Eventually)
What Happened: The “classic” (read “old”) detective show Murder, She Wrote got a master edit that brought out the “Too Many Cooks” in Angela Lansbury.
Where It Blew Up: Twitter, blogs
What Really Happened: Really, we’re not sure there’s too much to add to the experience beyond… well, just watch (above). This supercut is the work of Isaac Royffe, a filmmaker who’s worked for MTV, Pitchfork, and Ghost Robot (you can see some of his less, uh, Angela Lansbury work here). Quite why he felt the need to unleash this upon the world, we don’t know, but it’s one of the more weirdly hypnotic and unsettling things we’ve seen in quite some time. Who knew that Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast could turn out to be quite so disturbing when edited in a certain way?
The Takeaway: Suddenly, we have the strangest desire to binge-watch all 12 years’ worth of Murder, She Wrote, if only to find out if there’s any more context to these scenes. When will someone do the same for all those “Just one last thing” scenes from Columbo? Isaac…?
#JeSuisCharlie (Reprise)
What Happened: The first issue of Charlie Hebdo since the terrorist attack that killed 12 staff members at the magazine was published, with another controversial cover.
Where It Blew Up: Twitter, blogs, media think pieces
What Really Happened: This week’s issue of Charlie Hebdo was already primed to be an event, with 5 million copies printed to meet the increased demand following the tragic attack on the magazine’s offices Jan. 7. The magazine’s choice of cover for the issue—again featuring a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad holding a sign saying “Je Suis Charlie,” the meme that showed solidarity with the magazine in the wake of the attack—prompted a lot of discussion, unsurprisingly.
Cartoonist Tom Humberstone wondered if the cartoons were too clumsy in their satire, while French journalist Guillemette Faure suggested the magazine was being unfairly lauded in response to the attack. Cartoonist Luz, responsible for the new cover, explained that his image was “aimed at intelligent people, who are much more numerous than you think, whether they’re atheists, Catholics [or] Muslims,” but not everyone was convinced. The cover was condemned by many countries with majority Muslim populations (Turkey even banned website pages showing it, while African newspapers have apologized for printing images of it).
The Takeaway: Somehow, a jokey “well, satire is supposed to make people uncomfortable, right?” feels not only unworthy, but also offensively trite, given the context. This is an extremely complicated and loaded issue, with no “right side” beyond “Hey, maybe killing people because of a cartoon is a horrific overreaction.” Free speech is important, as is the freedom of satire and comedy, but when dealing with such important, sacred images, there’s surely a responsibility to ensure that the comedy is as sharp (and respectful) as possible to ensure that those offended are the targets of your derision. What happened to the Charlie Hebdo staff was a tragedy, but given the attention they’ve received as a result, they have a duty to step up and try to become satirists worthy of the the canonization they’re currently receiving from those defending their cause. Of course, that’s hardly likely to be an easy, or fast, process.
Nobody’s Happy With The Oscar Nominations
What Happened: The nominations for this year’s Academy Awards were announced, and almost no one was happy.
Where It Blew Up: Twitter, blogs, media think pieces
What Really Happened: Thursday saw the announcement of this year’s Academy Award nominations, which of course triggered an immediate reaction from … well, everyone who wanted something else to be nominated, instead. It wasn’t just outraged tweets that ended up resulting from the snubs, however; they also provoked a number of think pieces analyzing their impact. None of this should be a surprise, mind you; every single year, there is upset over who and what got overlooked by the Academy. You’d think, by now, we would have learned to accept that the Oscars denote little other than the tastes of a very specific (albeit, amazingly influential) audience, and do not actually reflect on the quality of those nominated or snubbed, and yet, every year, we find ourselves outraged and upset that stories about white men’s struggles are celebrated over almost anything and everything else.
The Takeaway: Really, this tweet from Transparent creator Jill Soloway probably puts it most succinctly:
So. Anyone up for starting our own, alternative Academy Awards next year?
Candy Everybody Wants (But Not Like That)
What Happened: British sweet manufacturer Cadbury decided to make some changes to the recipe and packaging of their (admittedly, almost iconic) Creme Eggs, and this was apparently the last straw for many.
Where It Blew Up: Twitter, blogs, media think pieces
What Really Happened: The beloved institution that is Cadbury’s Creme Eggs is under attack. Well, more like “it’s being changed slightly, with Cadbury deciding to redesign the packaging and change the recipe for the chocolate shell in the UK,” but apparently even that is enough to send people into a sugar-rush-fueled panic, with news reports of a “nation in shock” as a result. “Our favorite chocolate has been ruined,” tweeted one fan, while the Guardian newspaper called the new egg “nothing less than an abomination”. There is, of course, a #CremeEggGate hashtag on social media in response, because the Internet.
The Takeaway: People, it’s only chocolate. And more importantly, it’s only gross chocolate. Yeah, we said it. Also, we’re in the US, so these changes don’t impact us in the slightest. Hell, change the whole thing! Make the eggs square! Fill them with candied ginger! Actually, that might make them worth eating.
More Than 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
What Happened: Someone created the Twitter hashtag #FiveWordsToRuinADate. Hilarity ensued.
Where It Blew Up: Twitter
What Really Happened: An Irish DJ is claiming credit for the meme that overtook Twitter this week, and given how enjoyable the results ended up being, let’s be generous and grant him the plaudits. It’s a premise so simple that the hashtag fully explains it: what five words could someone say that would ruin a date? Well, let’s see…
Many, many more can be found here.
The Takeaway: Could this be a social media meme that actually worked? That can’t be right; we have almost no doubt someone will have managed to destroy the goodwill of this one by the time you’re reading these words.
Twitter Finally Lives Up To Its Potential
What Happened: If you’ve ever thought “If only someone would create a Choose Your Own Adventure game on Twitter, where you jump between accounts depending on what choice you’ve made…” then this just so happens to be your lucky day.
Where It Blew Up: Twitter, blogs
What Really Happened: Last weekend, a Twitter account called “A Dreadful Start” appeared, and posted one tweet:
It was the start of something wonderful: a Choose Your Own Adventure game that ran across multiple Twitter accounts, offering you the chance to make some (admittedly, pretty basic) decisions about what to do in case of emergency. It turned out to be the work of Terence Eden, who explained his process here. Understandably, people were entranced, and soon lots and lots and lots of people were taking notice. They should; it’s endlessly entertaining.
The Takeaway: We’ve seen longform Twitter essays and longform Twitter fiction, so why not longform Twitter multi-path adventures? For something as short as it is—there are only 23 “decisions” to be made—this is kind of genius … and also an easy way to waste even more time on Twitter. Sorry.
No comments:
Post a Comment