Anatomy of a meme: leftist virtue signalling on social media

[Metaphor]

In a different thread, Elixir shared this in a post: https://iidb.org/threads/snowflakes...-world-and-the-consequences.25575/post-975982

Elixir called the child 'precocious', whilst Arctish, laughing dog, Worldtraveller and ZiprHead 'liked' the image, and Jarhyn responded with a 'mind blown' emoji. Jarhyn also claimed "This is one of the most powerful, straightforward, and prescient observations on the topic that I have ever seen.".

When I examined this meme, it seemed an obvious concoction. I was accused of being so cynical that I could not believe a nine year old could come up with something so 'insightful', as if I had said the reason it was a concoction because the sentiment expressed was too sophisticated.

The sentiment is not sophisticated. The plain meaning of the words, in fact, are ridiculous and evil. The plain meaning of the words is 'if you feel uncomfortable reading about atrocities committed by white people and you are white, you want to repeat those atrocities'. It's an evil and racist thing to say.

I was then accused of being autistic for not understanding the real meaning of the words. The real meaning, I was told, was that 'the only people who don't want to teach about atrocities committed by white people are people who want to commit the same atrocities'. Even if I believed that--and I don't--(reading about atrocities can simply be triggering for people and they want to avoid the feeling of psychological distress)--that is not what the meme says.

The meme is obviously fake. And by 'fake', I mean none of it really happened the way it is portrayed, if anything happened at all. All the markers point to this. A Twitter handle of 'happyqueer', the invocation of the 'Emperor's New Clothes' wisdom of childhood, the insertion of an attractive child smiling, radiant with her antiracist street cred. And the literal meaning of the quoted words being utterly repugnant is of course no barrier to the meme serving its purpose: an act of piousness, displayed to the faithful elect, to be 'liked' and 'shared' so that some of the dimmer but reflected glory can be appropriated by fellow believers. And for the infidel pointing out how evil the words actually are, that is a sign only that they don't have the spirit to invoke the True Meaning.

 

[steve_bank]

I recently heard the term virtue signaling for the first time. Stock and trade for politicians

 

[blastula]

I give no special consideration to what children say and especially when they are carrying signs at protests, but see nothing obviously fake about this, especially if her mother expresses those kind of ideas around her, which seems likely.

I clicked on this thread thinking there would be some kind of debunking but all you've done is say you don't think it's real with no proof of anything. What a thread fail.

The sentiment is not sophisticated. The plain meaning of the words, in fact, are ridiculous and evil. The plain meaning of the words is 'if you feel uncomfortable reading about atrocities committed by white people and you are white, you want to repeat those atrocities'. It's an evil and racist thing to say.

And this is nonsense. There's nothing obviously wrong with the what was said, without twisting it a certain way.

Here's the original tweet and thread.

 

[Metaphor]

And this is nonsense. There's nothing obviously wrong with the what was said, without twisting it a certain way.

Excuse me? The words are in the OP. I will repeat them, here:

"I think the only white people that feel bad or mad or uncomfortable reading about the stuff that white people did in history are the people who want to do it again".

There is no "twisting". There is a plain meaning of the words. How on earth is that not an evil and racist sentiment to express? Have you read the words?

 

[blastula]

There is nothing wrong with the plain meaning, to call it evil is absurd.

Everything is so high dungeon with you. Go get some air or something.

 

[Metaphor]

There is nothing wrong with the plain meaning, to call it evil is absurd.

What the fuck? Can you possibly be reading the same words I am?

Nine year old (white) girl: I've been reading this book mum, and it made me sad reading about enslaved people.
Her mother: You felt sad about what happened? Why do you want to enslave people?
Nine year old: what? I don't want it to happen again, it's very sad.
Her mother: You do want it to happen again. People who feel sad about the situation want to repeat it.

 

[blastula]

And obviously that is not what she is talking about. This is too stupid to waste any more time on, bye.

 

[Metaphor]

And obviously that is not what she is talking about. This is too stupid to waste any more time on, bye.

That is the plain meaning of the words. The fact that you cannot admit that is sad but not surprising.

 

[Swammerdami]

There is nothing wrong with the plain meaning, to call it evil is absurd.

What the fuck? Can you possibly be reading the same words I am?

Nine year old (white) girl: I've been reading this book mum, and it made me sad reading about enslaved people.
Her mother: You felt sad about what happened? Why do you want to enslave people?
Nine year old: what? I don't want it to happen again, it's very sad.
Her mother: You do want it to happen again. People who feel sad about the situation want to repeat it.

I'm afraid I must award the round to Mr. Blastula. The girl spoke of "bad or mad or uncomfortable." Even if Mr. Metaphor's inference that the girl is "sad" were valid — it isn't, the girl is smiling — "sad" isn't bad, mad or uncomfortable.

In fact Mr. Metaphor's interpretation seems so confused and/or confusing, I'd ask him, respectfully, to elucidate. Use small words, please. Focus on the girl's words and your words, not words you might have wished someone had thought or said.

There is nothing wrong with the plain meaning, to call it evil is absurd.

Everything is so high dungeon with you. Go get some air or something.

Nitpick: The word you seek is "high dudgeon".

Mine eyes are made the fools o' the other senses,
Or else worth all the rest. I see thee still,
And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood,
Which was not so before. There's no such thing:

 

[Metaphor]

There is nothing wrong with the plain meaning, to call it evil is absurd.

What the fuck? Can you possibly be reading the same words I am?

Nine year old (white) girl: I've been reading this book mum, and it made me sad reading about enslaved people.
Her mother: You felt sad about what happened? Why do you want to enslave people?
Nine year old: what? I don't want it to happen again, it's very sad.
Her mother: You do want it to happen again. People who feel sad about the situation want to repeat it.

I'm afraid I must award the round to Mr. Blastula. The girl spoke of "bad or mad or uncomfortable." Even if Mr. Metaphor's inference that the girl is "sad" were valid — it isn't, the girl is smiling — "sad" isn't bad, mad or uncomfortable.

Okay, replace every instance of 'sad' in my exchange with 'uncomfortable'.

Nine year old (white) girl: I've been reading this book mum, and it made me uncomfortable reading about enslaved people.
Her mother: You felt uncomfortable about what happened? Why do you want to enslave people?
Nine year old: what? I don't want it to happen again, it makes me feel uncomfortable.
Her mother: You do want it to happen again. People who feel uncomfortable about the situation want to repeat it.

Or, exchange it with bad.
Nine year old (white) girl: I've been reading this book mum, and it made me bad reading about enslaved people.
Her mother: You felt bad about what happened? Why do you want to enslave people?
Nine year old: what? I don't want it to happen again, it's bad.
Her mother: You do want it to happen again. People who feel bad about the situation want to repeat it.

Or, exchange it with mad ( I assume the sense of mad meaning 'angry).
Nine year old (white) girl: I've been reading this book mum, and it made me mad reading about enslaved people.
Her mother: You felt mad about what happened? Why do you want to enslave people?
Nine year old: what? I don't want it to happen again, it's makes me feel mad.
Her mother: You do want it to happen again. People who feel mad about the situation want to repeat it.

In fact Mr. Metaphor's interpretation seems so confused and/or confusing, I'd ask him, respectfully, to elucidate. Use small words, please. Focus on the girl's words and your words, not words you might have wished someone had thought or said.

I have elucidated above and completed the cloze passages for you.

 

[Swammerdami]

But she did not say "mad." Or "uncomfortable," or "bad."

Why not replace each instance of "sad" with "flippant," "bemused" or "hungry"?

 

[Bomb#20]

When I examined this meme, it seemed an obvious concoction. I was accused of being so cynical that I could not believe a nine year old could come up with something so 'insightful', as if I had said the reason it was a concoction because the sentiment expressed was too sophisticated.

The sentiment is not sophisticated.

It's on an intellectual level with "The people who have a problem with Senator McCarthy are communists and fellow travelers."

I give no special consideration to what children say and especially when they are carrying signs at protests, but see nothing obviously fake about this, especially if her mother expresses those kind of ideas around her, which seems likely.

^^^^ This. ^^^^ An awful lot of left-wingers make en masse accusations like that one on a regular basis against their political opponents, and small children are a species of parrot.

 

[laughing dog]

When I examined this meme, it seemed an obvious concoction. I was accused of being so cynical that I could not believe a nine year old could come up with something so 'insightful', as if I had said the reason it was a concoction because the sentiment expressed was too sophisticated.

The sentiment is not sophisticated.

It's on an intellectual level with "The people who have a problem with Senator McCarthy are communists and fellow travelers."

I give no special consideration to what children say and especially when they are carrying signs at protests, but see nothing obviously fake about this, especially if her mother expresses those kind of ideas around her, which seems likely.

^^^^ This. ^^^^ An awful lot of left-wingers make en masse accusations like that one on a regular basis against their political opponents, and small children are a species of parrot.

Using children to make a point is not restricted to one end of the political spectrum.

 

[Metaphor]

But she did not say "mad." Or "uncomfortable," or "bad."

Are you taking the piss?

The girl spoke of "bad or mad or uncomfortable."

 

[Jarhyn]

It's interesting how metaphor SEES "mad" in context to the teaching of a thing, and interprets it as "mad it happened" rather than the clear interpretation that everyone here except metaphor seems to understand which is "mad it was taught".

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Even if it's fake that doesn't change the basic idea.

 

[Bomb#20]

I give no special consideration to what children say and especially when they are carrying signs at protests, but see nothing obviously fake about this, especially if her mother expresses those kind of ideas around her, which seems likely.

^^^^ This. ^^^^ An awful lot of left-wingers make en masse accusations like that one on a regular basis against their political opponents, and small children are a species of parrot.

Using children to make a point is not restricted to one end of the political spectrum.

Nobody said it is; the fact that it isn't doesn't affect my point* at all; and aren't you the same guy who was just criticizing others for whataboutism?

(* My point was that it's perfectly plausible that the kid really said what's attributed to her, but if so she was probably just repeating what she heard the adults** around her saying.)

(** The paedomorphic*** adults.)

(*** It's a juvenile sentiment, but not a nine-year-old's sentiment -- more like a sentiment from the mentality of a fifteen-year-old.)

 

[Swammerdami]

@Metaphor — If Metaphor were to write "Some liberals don't even think Biden is a Communist." would it be correct for me quote that and say "See? Metaphor doesn't think Biden is a Communist"? Never mind whether you actually think Biden is a Communist or not: This is a simple exercise to see if you understand how the English language, logic and quoting work.

Asked my 9 yo how she felt reading this book, as a white person; she said "I think the only white people that feel bad or mad or uncomfortable reading about the stuff that white people did in history are the people who want to do it again.”

Oh my. Let's proceed with baby steps.
@Metaphor — as shown above, the 9 yo actually said "bad or mad or uncomfortable." But who allegedly feels bad or mad or uncomfortable? Is it the 9 yo herself?

Nine year old (white) girl: I've been reading this book mum, and it made me uncomfortable reading about enslaved people.
Her mother: You felt uncomfortable about what happened? Why do you want to enslave people?
Nine year old: what? I don't want it to happen again, it makes me feel uncomfortable.
Her mother: You do want it to happen again. People who feel uncomfortable about the situation want to repeat it.

@Metaphor — Do you believe your quote here is a direct quote of the 9 yo? Or were you showing a hypothetical? Never mind whether the actual 9 yo did or did not actually feel uncomfortable; we're just trying to understand how the English language works.

Take your time.

But she did not say that she herself felt "mad." Or "uncomfortable," or "bad." [edited for clarity]

Are you taking the piss?

The girl spoke of "bad or mad or uncomfortable."

I am sincerely befuddled. You appear to be "taking the piss"! What am I missing?

 

[Metaphor]

Oh my. Let's proceed with baby steps.
@Metaphor — as shown above, the 9 yo actually said "bad or mad or uncomfortable." But who allegedly feels bad or mad or uncomfortable? Is it the 9 yo herself?

No. The Antiracist Childlike Empress is talking about:
* white people who read about atrocities committed by white people; and
* feel mad, bad or uncomfortable reading about those atrocities.

Any such white person must want to commit the same atrocities, according to the Antiracist Childlike Empress.

@Metaphor — Do you believe your quote here is a direct quote of the 9 yo?

Do you mean, my clearly imagined hypothetical conversation?

Or were you showing a hypothetical? Never mind whether the actual 9 yo did or did not feel uncomfortable; we're just trying to understand how the English language works.

It is clearly a hypothetical. The character was initially going to be called 'little Johnny'.

I am sincerely befuddled. You appear to be "taking the piss"! What am I missing?

[removed ad hom] You edited your own post after I had responded and now you have the fucking balls to accuse me of taking the piss.

I never, not anywhere, not in this thread or on this board, or in real life, or in my dreams, in the past or in the future, in this universe or another, nor in heaven, hell or purgatory, said the girl from the meme said she herself felt bad or mad or uncomfortable.

I don't know what the girl in the meme felt when she read the book she was displaying in the post, or what she felt reading any book. I know when I was nine years old and I read about atrocities I would often feel uncomfortable, but then, I'm not a sociopath and I have human emotions.

 

[Swammerdami]

Oh my. Let's proceed with baby steps.
@Metaphor — as shown above, the 9 yo actually said "bad or mad or uncomfortable." But who allegedly feels bad or mad or uncomfortable? Is it the 9 yo herself?

No. The Antiracist Childlike Empress is talking about:

@Metaphor — Do you believe your quote here is a direct quote of the 9 yo? Or were you showing a hypothetical? Never mind whether the actual 9 yo did or did not feel uncomfortable; we're just trying to understand how the English language works.

Take your time.

No. It is clearly a hypothetical.

So you DO understand that it was YOU "taking the piss"?