On Christmas Eve a friend I don't see often - he lives and works in Canberra now although he's originally from here and we used to work at the same place - called in during his visit home for Christmas. It was lovely to see him and Pisces and I had a very enjoyable catch up and chat. In the course of conversation he mentioned that he reads my blog. I was delighted to hear this because, although my stats (helpfully supplied by Blogger) show that people read my blog, they rarely comment on it so who they are is a mystery for the most part. I do link to the blog on Facebook and get responses and comments there but it would be nice to know who outside my circle of Facebook friends reads it.
To that end I'm going to finish setting up the writer's page I've been fiddling with on Facebook and never quite getting around to finishing. Then I'll try sending my little blog out into the wider world via links on that - and among my New Years resolutions (AKA the100 Day Goal challenge) is the plan to write/post a blog post at least once a week.
If you've never heard of the 100 Day Goal (which I think I wrote about earlier in the year) and you are a born procrastinator like me I highly recommend it. The idea is that you achieve big things by micro-actions and it really does work. It's free, too. I also belong to a small, closed Facebook group of fellow participants and that I find is very helpful in keeping me accountable. The next challenge begins on January 1 and if you want to learn more about it this is the link to the website.
Monday, December 30, 2019
Friday, December 27, 2019
So I've Been Thinking About Social Media
You know the thing keeps getting all the bad press because well, you name the problem. It's all down to social media. Among other things it's responsible for mothers not paying attention to their children because they no longer interact with them apparently. An Australian cartoonist recently caused a furore by drawing a cartoon of a woman glued to her phone who hadn't noticed her baby had fallen out of the pram she was pushing because, of course, mothers who engage even momentarily with anyone else or anything in any way are neglectful. Makes you wonder what he thinks mothers with more than one child, doesn't it. Then there's the pile on that can happen when people express dissenting views and the way everyone is supposedly being led along by fake news and the social media companies which kindly offer us 'free' services in exchange for our data so their algorithms can target us with advertisements. and put us in a 'bubble' with like-minded folk.
The thing is this is all true to some degree. There are mothers who for whatever reason get distracted - by another child, their phones or books or television or - well you name it. They probably have an eye or ear open at the same time though and if little Johnny was to slip off his seat and start to wander they are likely to notice it and take action. Then there's the fake news - yes, it's everywhere and people do fall into believing it for all sorts of reasons but mostly because they don't fact check which is the first thing you should do when something controversial comes up.
I'm not forgetting the way the social media companies use the data they collect on either. It does happen and we need to be vigilant about what we give them to work with but that's down to us, isn't it. We need to be aware of what information we're making available and that we are at risk of manipulation if we're not careful. That's easy to say, though, and sadly not everyone is savvy enough to protect themselves. There are areas where we should hold these companies accountable and it's a failure on the part of our governments that rules have not been put in place to protect the users from this.
Then there's the pile on. It does happens and it can be truly awful. Anyone who's been on line for even a short time will have heard 'Don't read the comments' and 'Don't feed the trolls'. There are some horrible people out there and hidden in the anonymity of Facebook or Twitter they can and do say things they would never say to you face to face. Women are threatened with violence of all kinds from rape right through to murder for daring to say something that someone disagrees with. And it's not only women - threats of violence including threats to the family are a regular feature when anyone dares to lift their head into the public arena. It's not pretty.
These are all the reasons why I have a very carefully restricted number of 'friends' on Facebook and they are only people I care about. That doesn't mean we all always agree - life would be pretty boring if that was the case - but I expect them to show me the same courtesy I show them.
And that's why I came to write this post. I sometimes post things on my Facebook page that I know some of my 'friends' will either not like or will disagree with and I don't mind that. They can post comments and disagree as long as it is civil and they show the same civility they would if they were guests in my actual home. So I got somewhat miffed at what happened when a while back a disagreement between some of my Facebook friends started to get fiery and I asked people to stop commenting on that particular thread. This is my virtual 'home' and I don't want people getting into fights there anymore than I would want it happen in my real home. The majority backed off as I asked but some continued on bringing up the things that had been causing the heating up of the topic and it ended up with my getting terse with them and feeling disrespected.
So is it the fault of social media? I don't think so. Social media is only a platform and is not responsible for how we behave. It seems to me that it comes down to good manners which are basically just consideration of others. That means the same rules of behaviour should apply to virtual spaces as they do to real life spaces. Sadly though in many ways people don't see these spaces this way. Why? Well that's a difficult question but at least in part it comes down to the way social media provides anonymity on public platforms like Twitter and that leads to confusion in more private spaces. Let's just be aware of this and understand and differentiate between a civil disagreement and a 'flame' war. If you wouldn't say it to my face maybe you shouldn't say it on social media either.
The thing is this is all true to some degree. There are mothers who for whatever reason get distracted - by another child, their phones or books or television or - well you name it. They probably have an eye or ear open at the same time though and if little Johnny was to slip off his seat and start to wander they are likely to notice it and take action. Then there's the fake news - yes, it's everywhere and people do fall into believing it for all sorts of reasons but mostly because they don't fact check which is the first thing you should do when something controversial comes up.
I'm not forgetting the way the social media companies use the data they collect on either. It does happen and we need to be vigilant about what we give them to work with but that's down to us, isn't it. We need to be aware of what information we're making available and that we are at risk of manipulation if we're not careful. That's easy to say, though, and sadly not everyone is savvy enough to protect themselves. There are areas where we should hold these companies accountable and it's a failure on the part of our governments that rules have not been put in place to protect the users from this.
Then there's the pile on. It does happens and it can be truly awful. Anyone who's been on line for even a short time will have heard 'Don't read the comments' and 'Don't feed the trolls'. There are some horrible people out there and hidden in the anonymity of Facebook or Twitter they can and do say things they would never say to you face to face. Women are threatened with violence of all kinds from rape right through to murder for daring to say something that someone disagrees with. And it's not only women - threats of violence including threats to the family are a regular feature when anyone dares to lift their head into the public arena. It's not pretty.
These are all the reasons why I have a very carefully restricted number of 'friends' on Facebook and they are only people I care about. That doesn't mean we all always agree - life would be pretty boring if that was the case - but I expect them to show me the same courtesy I show them.
And that's why I came to write this post. I sometimes post things on my Facebook page that I know some of my 'friends' will either not like or will disagree with and I don't mind that. They can post comments and disagree as long as it is civil and they show the same civility they would if they were guests in my actual home. So I got somewhat miffed at what happened when a while back a disagreement between some of my Facebook friends started to get fiery and I asked people to stop commenting on that particular thread. This is my virtual 'home' and I don't want people getting into fights there anymore than I would want it happen in my real home. The majority backed off as I asked but some continued on bringing up the things that had been causing the heating up of the topic and it ended up with my getting terse with them and feeling disrespected.
So is it the fault of social media? I don't think so. Social media is only a platform and is not responsible for how we behave. It seems to me that it comes down to good manners which are basically just consideration of others. That means the same rules of behaviour should apply to virtual spaces as they do to real life spaces. Sadly though in many ways people don't see these spaces this way. Why? Well that's a difficult question but at least in part it comes down to the way social media provides anonymity on public platforms like Twitter and that leads to confusion in more private spaces. Let's just be aware of this and understand and differentiate between a civil disagreement and a 'flame' war. If you wouldn't say it to my face maybe you shouldn't say it on social media either.
Saturday, December 07, 2019
A Bit of Music
I needed cheering up and I went to find some to find something to lift my mood. So here are some links to a few favourite music videos by Celtic Woman from their official website.
First here is Amazing Grace
This time it's Tír na nÓg (this is in the Celtic Otherworld which translates as Land of the Young). Tír na nÓg is not the safest place to visit because time passes there very differently from the human world and you might suffer the fate of Oisín who finds what he thought was only three years was in fact three hundred. That aside the song is lovely.
And finally here is Níl Sé'n Lá
Enjoy.
First here is Amazing Grace
This time it's Tír na nÓg (this is in the Celtic Otherworld which translates as Land of the Young). Tír na nÓg is not the safest place to visit because time passes there very differently from the human world and you might suffer the fate of Oisín who finds what he thought was only three years was in fact three hundred. That aside the song is lovely.
And finally here is Níl Sé'n Lá
Enjoy.
Monday, December 02, 2019
Ethical Fashion
Until my hands got bad I used to make many of my clothes. I still have a fabric stash that I'll eventually work my way through although these days it's harder work. That said when I went to YouTube following a link on the Donald Trump impeachment hearings I did not expect to find something about sewing or for that matter fashion related.
What happened was the link I had followed was interesting so I had a look at the list of other supposedly related videos that YouTube kindly provides on the side and a couple of videos down I found this video Buying a Knockoff of My Own Dress. In it Bernadette Banner, in the most educated, civilised and lady-like way possible, talks about the mass manufacturers who rip off clothing designers and artists by detailing her own experience.
Describing herself as an historian with an interest in historical clothing, she found a knockoff copy of a very lovely medieaval gown she had made with the seller even using the Instagram image of her wearing the dress on their website. Having bought the knockoff for comparison she then proceeded to point out the poor quality of the copy before going on to rant - her word - about the way so-called fast fashion has led us down a path that is ethically problematic and environmentally irresponsible.
It was interesting that I found this now because recently Facebook - whose algorithms obviously don't have a clue about most of my interests (and I intend to keep it that way by not providing them with any more data than is absolutely essential) - has been sending me ads for a clothing company which makes just this sort of rubbish. Goodness knows why but then they also often send me fashion ads. It’s pretty pointless really because, given my view on clothing shopping - that it is pretty much the last thing I ever want to do - I never even click on them.
But I digress. What this video reminded me of (apart from the blatant theft of intellectual property of a creative person which seems to be a business model for some companies these days) was how pervasive the idea is that clothing should be cheap and pretty much disposable. I was buying a few essentials at a local department store recently and I had to go past the women's clothing section on my way to what I needed. Pisces swerved into it hoping that I might be tempted to buy some much needed clothing. I'm afraid he was disappointed because although there was much 'stuff' at ludicrously low prices - $3 T-shirts for example - the trade off for cheap was poor quality and the knowledge that they were all almost certainly made in sweat shops and I’d prefer not go that route. I’d rather buy fewer clothes that are better quality and will last. I’ll let you into a secret here - I even mend things and that’s something I’m told is rare these days.
The thing is as a society we’ve fallen into a trap of wastefulness with a feeling that everything is cheaply replaceable and Banner goes on to talk about how in the past clothing was meant to last. It was mended and cut up to be repurposed or made over into other garments or for other textile uses like curtains or quilts. Patchwork quilts are a perfect example of careful use of what you had because originally they were not made of new purpose bought, carefully matched fabrics as a hobby for those who like me enjoy creative sewing but were a thrifty way to use up any scraps that could be salvaged from worn clothing or leftover cut offs from making garments. The same applied to children's clothes which were almost always made from older adult garments. It wasn't only the poor who remade clothes either as this link shows.
Coincidentally I came across this link on making do as I was working on this post and it made me think about how being thrifty has become an almost forgotten part of living. I know we're busy but truth be told people - apart from those lucky relatively few who could afford servants to do the work - have always been busy and time poor. I suspect that it's as much to do with availability of so much and the distractions with which we live as much as lack of time. Maybe it's time we tried a new/old way - a way where we carry over the KonMarie idea of only keeping that which sparks joy into what we buy and at the same time learn the pleasure of a less waste filled life.
What happened was the link I had followed was interesting so I had a look at the list of other supposedly related videos that YouTube kindly provides on the side and a couple of videos down I found this video Buying a Knockoff of My Own Dress. In it Bernadette Banner, in the most educated, civilised and lady-like way possible, talks about the mass manufacturers who rip off clothing designers and artists by detailing her own experience.
Describing herself as an historian with an interest in historical clothing, she found a knockoff copy of a very lovely medieaval gown she had made with the seller even using the Instagram image of her wearing the dress on their website. Having bought the knockoff for comparison she then proceeded to point out the poor quality of the copy before going on to rant - her word - about the way so-called fast fashion has led us down a path that is ethically problematic and environmentally irresponsible.
It was interesting that I found this now because recently Facebook - whose algorithms obviously don't have a clue about most of my interests (and I intend to keep it that way by not providing them with any more data than is absolutely essential) - has been sending me ads for a clothing company which makes just this sort of rubbish. Goodness knows why but then they also often send me fashion ads. It’s pretty pointless really because, given my view on clothing shopping - that it is pretty much the last thing I ever want to do - I never even click on them.
But I digress. What this video reminded me of (apart from the blatant theft of intellectual property of a creative person which seems to be a business model for some companies these days) was how pervasive the idea is that clothing should be cheap and pretty much disposable. I was buying a few essentials at a local department store recently and I had to go past the women's clothing section on my way to what I needed. Pisces swerved into it hoping that I might be tempted to buy some much needed clothing. I'm afraid he was disappointed because although there was much 'stuff' at ludicrously low prices - $3 T-shirts for example - the trade off for cheap was poor quality and the knowledge that they were all almost certainly made in sweat shops and I’d prefer not go that route. I’d rather buy fewer clothes that are better quality and will last. I’ll let you into a secret here - I even mend things and that’s something I’m told is rare these days.
The thing is as a society we’ve fallen into a trap of wastefulness with a feeling that everything is cheaply replaceable and Banner goes on to talk about how in the past clothing was meant to last. It was mended and cut up to be repurposed or made over into other garments or for other textile uses like curtains or quilts. Patchwork quilts are a perfect example of careful use of what you had because originally they were not made of new purpose bought, carefully matched fabrics as a hobby for those who like me enjoy creative sewing but were a thrifty way to use up any scraps that could be salvaged from worn clothing or leftover cut offs from making garments. The same applied to children's clothes which were almost always made from older adult garments. It wasn't only the poor who remade clothes either as this link shows.
Coincidentally I came across this link on making do as I was working on this post and it made me think about how being thrifty has become an almost forgotten part of living. I know we're busy but truth be told people - apart from those lucky relatively few who could afford servants to do the work - have always been busy and time poor. I suspect that it's as much to do with availability of so much and the distractions with which we live as much as lack of time. Maybe it's time we tried a new/old way - a way where we carry over the KonMarie idea of only keeping that which sparks joy into what we buy and at the same time learn the pleasure of a less waste filled life.
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