Point of note: I signed up for a content strike. I did not sign up for an LJ usage, no reading boycott. I said I wouldn't be contributing any of my writing. And I haven't. But I have been reading it, in certain places, because like I said, social network. It's like my MySpace account. I get the occasional God of Shamisen track. That's about it.

It's my opinion that a lot of the people who aren't participating are being overly rude about it. Okay, so you didn't decide to do it? That's nice. Can you move on, please? I realize that the Internet Fuckwad theory is in constant effect, especially on the few remaining Web 2.0 sites that don't have your face plastered all over them, but a site that I usually go to for fun has become the textual equivalent of Xbox Live for the duration of the strike. Way to show your true colors, dudes.

I don't want to join in on the "everyone supports the banning of underage porn" bandwagon. O rly? Once again guys, that's nice. But last time I checked the search results thing wasn't specifically directed at underage porn. Sure, post cleanup, the U.P. stuff is what stayed dead. But that's not really the point, is it? They eliminated search terms in a way that was decidedly heterocentric and in other ways damaging. Not cool.

I pointed out to a friend in the interim that SUP has stumbled upon Fandom while the bruises linger from other toss-outs, such as but not limited to the Gamespot/Eidos debacle. Perhaps on the surface the two are unrelated. I'll grant the connection is tenuous. It was based on the equally nebulous assertion made by several protest-protesters that Fandom wants to be normalized and exposed to the light of day and dubious internet fame. It's true that some fans aspire to this, and thus want jobs at places like Gamespot as bloggers. I articulated it poorly.

Again and again, the protest-protesters are saying shit like, "They're reacting so personally, it's a business," "They're drama queens," and "Why don't you do something productive, like writing letters of complaint." I don't know what gave them the idea that those participating in the strike weren't doing those things, too? There's also the assumptions that everyone protesting is on a Basic account, and that protesting by denial-of-content is somehow troublesome for engineers. Nope, I'm paid through April. And I'm pretty sure the chunk of us not around are not clogging up the site for the software engineers to have to iron out.

Also? Posting a hundred (or 9000) witticisms taunting people who won't even post back for at least 24 hours? And they say Fandom is wanky? Wau. Who's taking what personally again?

All it says to me is what I always said about LJ before I closed up shop over here: it's not any good for blogging.

It's good for making connections, I've made a few really great friends over there, and it's good for grouping. The roleplaying we have done in my writing comm has been a source of great delight for me, not to mention how many times Customers_Suck has made me appreciate my job, or the news I've gotten from Metaquotes before it even showed up on Reuters.

But right now? I'm a little frustrated, and a little tired. The content strike is over as of ten minutes ago. And what have I learned? Mm, not much. I can live without LJ. Knew that already. LJ is full of self-important preachy wankers. Knew that too. Fandom takes a lot of hate, even from people who don't think of themselves as mainstreamers. Knew that too. Boycotts and protests and strikes accomplish very little in small doses. Yeah. I didn't see this as, you know, the 1968 stuff, or anything.

I probably won't leave LJ over this, just because I still have people there. I've updated my little nest at Diaryland, and I may start crossposting again. :)

LJ will always be full of opinions and asshattery. That's what makes it LJ. I just hope that my fellow boycotters remember that whole bit about defending to the death the protest-protesters right to wank, and nobody holds a grudge.

/echo ~(-.-)/* /recast