This is how you respond to a group text

Posted on by 20poorandfabulous

 

human

If you’re a human being with cell phone contact to the outside world, you’ve surely come across a group text. You know, the kind between your roommates updating each other on visiting guests or griping about how dumb it is to pay rent. Or the ongoing thread between close friends where you share ridiculous posts of people you used to go to high school with. But there’s another kind of group text out there lurking behind the matrix: The Event.

The event group text is something you get informing you about-DUH-an upcoming event. Maybe your friend is coming back in town and has texted you along with 9 other numbers that are foreign to your phone’s contact book and thus your IRL social network. There’s nothing wrong with sending or recieving a group text like this: the sender wants to get a quick, informative message out to a select number of people. Efficiency at its best in the modern age. However, it’s how the recipients act that can make this particular group text a pleasant stroll in heaven or a boiling soup of textual hell.

group text

Most of the time, it is an unwritten rule that you don’t have to respond to a group text of this nature. “Hey everyone. Party tonight. 11pm. My place. BYOB. PEACE SUCKAZ” is pretty straight forward. But there’s always a couple of dinks who responds to the entire anonymous group of folks with either a useless “wooooo” or a vacant “k”. Stop it. Stop it now. You’re flooding the inbox of people you don’t know with useless responses, and setting them up for the falsest hope we could ever imagine in this cold, dark, dependent technological world.

When I hear my phone sound off with a text, it sends me into endless possibilities of heavenly plans. Maybe it’s that sexy beast asking me out finally. Maybe my mom sent me a picture of the family dog. Maybe my friend Jeff is finally out of his existential funk and wants to get some cheese fries! But no. It’s still the empty responses from the group text sent an hour and a half ago about the party that had all the information possible in the lead text. The same empty group texts that transform faces around the globe from sheer excitement into gray-tinged smart phone-induced disappointment.

Of course it’s not the end of the world to recieve these kinds of texts, but that doesn’t mean it’s not annoying. If anything in this world full of murder, chaos and Kim Kardashian: Hollywood addicts, lets try to bring the daily annoyances down a little. Who knows, you might save a murder someday by refraining from texting “k” to a group of strangers. So next time you get a group text, do the right thing. Either accept it with a symbolic nod of your IRL head, or open up a new little text to the OT (original texter) and send your jubilations or follow up questions there. You could be saving a life.

 

This is cool: OKCUPID ENEMIES

Posted on by 20poorandfabulous

So we’ve really resorted to making fun of lonely people trying to find love? Okay! I feel only a little bad. But if you’re gonna be super weird and bring up precum on the internet with a bunch of strangers, then you’re pretty much doin this shit to yourself.

Check out the rest of these boneheads at OKCUPID ENEMIES.

Activism: Elderly woman bullied by kids; donations for her vacation via Indiegogo

Posted on by 20poorandfabulous

OH my god. Kids are the absolute worst. Seriously. This woman is a bus monitor who gets paid $15,506 to monitor some of the biggest fucktards on the planet. And they berate her by calling her fat and poor. Way to respect your elders and thank them for looking after your safety, kids!

I’m so glad for the internet. A) Because society as a whole can shame the kids who are making fun of an old lady. B) Nice people understand she has a lame job and needs a vacation.

You know what, I understand that parents can’t control absolutely everything their kids do. But seriously? Being disrespectful to the elderly is right up there with animal sacrifice and hearts made of coal. This is a problem.

Moreover, anyone working with shitty fucking kids should get paid. A LOT. MORE. Because kids are shitty (especially the shitty ones) and they don’t know anything. Fact.

Lets Give Karen -The bus monitor- H Klein A Vacation! — Indiegogo.

Black Harvard student kicked out of bar for being black; Social media to the rescue!!!

Posted on by 20poorandfabulous

Being racist is fucking lame. Jonathan Wall, a Harvard man who happens to be black, was kicked out of a bar in Raleigh, North Carolina for being black. Yes this happened, yes this is 2012, and yes social media is kicking the shit out of this bar and racism in general. YAY!

Of course, this happened in North Carolina, the SOUTH, where they don’t care about much except hating everyone who isn’t white, christian and toothless being a total drag.

Not to say that EVERYONE in those states is like this; there are racist people everywhere regardless of geography, gender, race, etc. However, it’s to a much higher degree in the states like North Carolina that really wanted to keep slavery and unequal societal statuses for everyone!

I feel sad for racists and homophobes. I pity them. Carrying all that hate in your heart is bad for you. Carrying hate for anything is bad for you. There’s no excuse!

Black Man Kicked Out of Racist Bar: Cops Dont Help, But Social Media Does.

Social Butterfly: The Voicemail

Posted on by 20poorandfabulous
Quit leaving voicemails, and stop wearing that hat. Image via ehow.com

Somewhere between the shift from phone calls to text messages died the use of the voicemail.

I admit, I am sometimes guilty of leaving a voicemail here and there. After all, they aren’t totally useless if you need to get some excitement or personality through in your message, that sometimes text messaging just can’t do.

However, I will never understand the type of person who leaves 6 voicemails that say the exact same thing, only changing the fake severity of each message as time goes on. “I need to talk to you, call me back.” “I really need to talk to you. Call. ME. BACK.” “I’m going to shave your eyebrows and make you eat them the next time I see you. CALL ME OR YOU and everyone you know will DIE.”

Voicemails can be confusing. When is it appropriate to leave a voicemail? Here are some situations that might help guide your next voicemail decision in this increasingly text-y world.

Voicemail Appropriate:

  • You got a new job and are REEEEEEEEAAAAALLY excited about it. Excited voicemails are always fun to listen to. Just no screaming right into the mic plz.
  • You just came up with the best comeback ever, and said it to your arch nemesis. You’re on a high from being so awesome, and you gotta share it with your BFF. Or your nemesis if you have their number, so they can relive the humiliation FOREVER.
  • There’s a deal on sun hats at Target.
  • You’re stoned, and you feel like explaining your homemade taco to your college roommate. Just like old times!
  • Somebody hit your car and ran. You’re pissed. Gotta let off steam. You’re saying “fuck” every other word and out of breath from yelling. You’re threatening everyone around you, even the baby in the stroller and the yippy dog barking at your from the comfort of it’s window perch. You’re totally gonna “kick somebody’s ass.” Empty threats are voicemail gold.

These, not so much:

That shit is creepy. Image via innogage.com
  • Breaking up with someone. Seriously? No. If this ever happened to you, thank the lord of the galactic universe that he/she did, because that shit is LAME and they need to erase themselves from your fabulous life like, yesterday.
  • The “just to chat” voicemail. It’s obvious you were calling to talk. I’m not above it though. I totally do it. When I’m really bored on a long drive, I leave these sometimes to feel like I’m talking to someone so I don’t go nuts. Caffeine and driving equals PHONE CALLS TO CHAT. Chat chat chat. BAH!
  • Someone died. What a horrible message to leave!
  • Any kind of bad message, like “Hey just calling to let you know I broke your French Press and took a shit on your pillow. Have a nice day.” True story. Just kidding. Only the second half is true.
  • Calling someone to let them know they need to call you back. Yeah. That’s what that whole ‘missed calls’ section on your telephonular device is for, genius! (Mom’s are reeeeally guilty of this one. But we can forgive them. They are Moms, they get a free pass for almost everything. ALMOST!)

The Demise of Guys: How video games and porn are ruining a generation

Posted on by 20poorandfabulous

“…We are in a national, and perhaps global, Guy Disaster Mode that needs to be noticed and solutions advanced to fix a totally novel phenomenon, which will only increase in intensity and breadth without the concerted efforts of educators, gamemakers, parents, guys and gals. It’s time to press play and get started reversing these trends.”

via The Demise of Guys: How video games and porn are ruining a generation – CNN.com.

Netflix nightcap: Saved by the Bell

Posted on by 20poorandfabulous
The whole, crazy SBTB gang. Image via wikipedia

Saved by the Bell has recently become available on Netflix instant. From all the mornings before school watching this show, I thought I’d give it another chance as a learned adult. Here are a couple of thoughts concerning early 90s programming gold.

Cuz I’m saved by the be-e-elllllllll

I love that in the first episode of season 3, titled “The Prom,” that Kelly’s hard-hitting decision of the day is to choose who she wants to go to prom with. Problem is, Zach AND Slater both want to take Kelly to prom. God, to be in 1990 again.

Yeah, because it’s what all the cool kids do, DUH. Image via loldrugs.com

Also, many of the episodes are not even trying to hide the fact that they have a political/social agenda. For example, during the same episode, Kelly’s father gets laid off from a job at a defense company due to “growing world peace.” PUKE!!! The next episode in season 3 also mentions growing world peace during an ROTC visit to the school, that ends with a wary Zach deciding the Army is like, totally cool. Yikesssssss. Talk about some war propaganda during breakfast. I’d hate to live in a world where ‘growing world peace’ is seen as a bad thing. I guess the threat of nuclear war and a corporate 1% dystopia (yo what up Hunger Games!) is a sunnier world than people worried about the reality of world peace. YUCK.

DAYUM GURL! This is some straight up early 90s softcore porn. Image via popstar.com

The kids also tell us on numerous occasions to “not smoke dope.” I mean, it’s annoying, but do you remember high school? It was chock full of “abortion kills” bumper stickers, pledges to not drink alcohol until 21 and threats that weed would murder your soul and your family, instead of just make you hungry and giggly. Then you got to college and smoked the first thing someone handed to you, and realized that high school was a tiny bubble of fascists just trying to fit in. Awwwww.

The SBTB kids listen to tapes, fight over Paula Abdul vs. Janet Jackson, and can actually afford snacks at the movies. Jerks!

There’s also a lot of diversity that isn’t stereotypical. Lisa is a fashionista black girl and Slater is a iron-pumping latino who both don’t fall into the all too often played racial or cultural stereotypes. Granted, I haven’t seen every episode of this show. But it does suck to notice that 2 decades later dumbass stereotypes haven’t been erased. Somehow, I blame Dick Cheney.

The role of Mr. Belding is also interesting to watch. After a Bush decade of education budget cuts, a terrible generation of children and general educative tomfoolery, I could NEVER see a principal act the way he does with students as Mr. Belding did. Granted, it was a TV show. But any principal on TV nowadays would probably be some portrayed as a huge asshole who’s fucking some “slut” teenager for drug money. So bleak. I wish we were bored with world peace again. In the 90s, Zach offers to wash Belding’s car to get out of detention. In this day and age, students’ parents would sue Mr. Belding for ‘abuse.’ God I hate people.

On a lighter note and shying away from apparent societal (tv) decay, the fashion is AMAZING. I want Kelly and Lisa’s wardrobe, and Jessie’s for when I wanna workout/lounge around. Screech has some pretty amazing outfits too.

Jessie is a staunch feminist. And it is fucking AWESOME.

Dream couple of the early 90s. Zach is pretty awesome though. Maybe the best while male teenaged character of all-time. Big heart, quick made-for-squeeky-clean-tv vernacular. Brilz. Image via popstar.com

All in all, I’d say put it on in the background at parties, or in the background of an afternoon on the internet. In terms of observing American television from the late 80s/early 90s, it is a fascinating look into what the world on television was like when we were babies.

 

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Just do it. Zach would. So would Kelly. 

Forever Young: The Pope

Posted on by 20poorandfabulous

OMG, the Pope recently rallied against gay marriage. I’m so outraged! JK. Is that really news anymore? Isn’t it more like, someone’s sweet, old racist grandpa talking and saying things that we don’t agree with but we think it’s nice he’s still around to tell us what life was like in 1910? Oh Pope, you’re so silly. Stop being rude or we’ll steal your gold hat and we won’t give it back.

Image via vatican.va

That’s a pretty sick hat though.

Be nice Pope! Maybe in 200 years the pope will love gay marriage. Girls can dream.