You know what I'm talking about. We all see them--these pictures of quotes shared by family and friends all over social media. They come in the form of uplifting messages, reminders to not let the haters get you down, or general advice about putting yourself first. And these can be great! I'm sure I've shared a few of them here or there throughout my decade plus of social media activity.
But we all have at least one friend who no longer knows how to express themselves--they can only post the words of others in picture form, and they somehow manage to find several dozen or so a day to share. And we ask ourselves how this person has found so many pages to follow and share these things from, and how much time a day they spend filtering through them trying to decide which are worthy of a share. Beyond that, they mostly post the picture-quotes that lean negative, and offer only commentary without resolution or a call to action. And it's these folks I'm concerned for. Have they lost the ability to form thoughts of their own?
Listen. I just got my degree in English Literature. I know that words are powerful, and I know how amazing a feeling it is when we find something of ourselves in the worlds of others; when a quote just fits our mood and feelings of the moment, and is phrased in a new and beautiful way we never would have thought of on our own. It is an awesome thing that makes us realize we are not alone in this crazy world.
But as a lover of words, I can tell you, not all quotes, for simply being compositions of words strung together in a way that makes an impact on people emotionally, are worthy of note. Not all quotes are inspired/inspiring, useful, uplifting, helpful, or even remotely good.
So please: do continue sharing inspiring words you come across that really mean something. But don't simply share every quote you see. Think about what that message is really saying. Think about how sharing that particular message makes you look to others. If you're not a writer yourself, it doesn't mean that all people who put words on paper are geniuses worthy of acknowledging.
With that said, I would like to share several picture-quotes that I have seen shared by various people--and on more than one occasion--and explain why they exhibit flawed thinking, terrible messages, and do nothing good for anyone.
What in the hell does this one even mean? That having tons of money implies that you've become a powerful woman? Or, you need money to become a woman? I mean, I guess that's true. Insurance companies aren't great about covering what they consider non-essential surgeries.
That's good. Go through life just not giving a shit about anything. Great advice, picture-quote.
They say it's impossible for a person to lick their own elbow, but I found once I dislocated my shoulder, it became possible!
In general, I get irked with this kind of messaging. Sure, there are things that were once thought to be impossible, but through the power of great minds in collaboration, became possible. Space travel, for example. But people are often facing real struggles, to which there is no viable solution, and it sucks to deal with. Try telling a cancer patient with a terminal prognosis that a cure isn't impossible; a solution just hasn't been found yet. It won't help their current predicament.
That is the exact mentality of a pre-teen, overly hormonal goth kid. I'm not knocking on that--I'm simply saying it's a childish way of looking at a lot of things.
This quote is acceptable when it's coming from some sort of social movement. "Oh, a black man will never be president!" YEAH?! WELL GUESS WHAT!? That kind of thing. But the folks I've seen share this, or words like it, are more the rebel without a cause type. Not inspirational. Not a good excuse.
There is so much inherently wrong with this.
First, I really dislike when people refer to other people as "fake." I get what the implication is, but there is no such thing as a "fake" person. Disingenuous people? Sure. People who live their life in a way you don't agree with? Absolutely. Jerks? You know it. But they are still people. Don't worry about insulting people you don't like. They probably don't like you, either. It doesn't help the situation.
Furthermore, the message about the penny is one of the stupidest things I've ever read. Pennies are two-sided; not two-faced. There is only one face on a penny: Abraham Lincoln's.
And while pennies are worth less and less every year, they are still worth something.
GTFO, flawed picture-quote.
How about having nothing and feeling sad, you entitled jackass?
And who is this quote even helping? Depression is depressing. We know. There isn't even an uplifting ending to this disaster. Thanks for reminding us that life sucks and there's nothing we can do about it.
That's called assault, bro.
This might be the least helpful thing I've ever heard. I get what this is meant to mean; that our attitude, whether positive or negative, impacts what we can accomplish in life. But what about people who are down on themselves naturally? Even if they can do good things.
Maybe you're an asshole?
Cool. So does this excuse those in the service industry from getting fired? Because I can guarantee no one is passionate about cleaning the public toilet, so by this logic, they just shouldn't do it.
At least none of these are those inaccurate Marilyn Monroe quotes. I almost died of annoyance when those were making the rounds.
Anyway, this is just my two cents on this trend. I don't mean to alienate anyone. But for real, think about what you're putting out there. And by all means, keep posting about the positives! And, better yet, work to become inspiring, yourself! If you've got some thoughts that you feel are powerful, meaningful, and might help someone, go ahead and quote yourself.
