Like so many people, much of my interaction with my fellow human beings now happens on social media. I know, the problems and issues with that statement could be called legion, for they are many. Anyway, in particular – since I’ve been trying to not follow politics quite as closely (more for sanity/burnout than anything else), I’ve been spending more time looking at the online Godzilla community, particularly those folks who choose to be active on Facebook.
I know this may sound strange coming from what is essentially an online editorial, but people like me should not replace your consumption of new media and new opinions – like ever. Much talk has been made of opinions, some of which I disagree with (namely I don’t hold to the ridiculous notion that opinions are all equal). That said, there has been a rising industry that deals in opinions, editorials, and other subjective viewpoints, some of which pose as objective fact.
To help promote stronger online literacy, I’m dedicating this blog post to helping spot second-hand opinion, and knowing when and how to deal with too much influence in your thought process. Remember, an independent brain is a terrible thing to waste.
Recently, you (like me) may have been surprised and saddened by how much once-beloved rags-to-riches Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has been attacking trans people through uninformed and often hateful rhetoric on the internet. Now I don’t know if it’s a case of she can’t communicate well online (not like Twitter is a platform of incredible social discourse) or if she’s just a bigot and frankly I don’t care. Her actions are emboldening hateful people and she’s causing damage to an already oppressed group of human beings – that’s what matters.
But to counter that, I was even more surprised (but delighted) by this:
This charming stop-motion short was tweeted by the official Godzilla Twitter page, along with the message along with the message “Happy Pride.” So, whereas J.K. Rowling surprises with bigotry, the LGBTQ community and its allies can count Godzilla as a friend.
Colin McMahon 