Last night, as I was trying to get some sleep, I checked my Facebook page. Figured I’d comment on what some of my friends were up to.
Oh look, here’s one of my friends from college, whom I just “friended” on Facebook a few months ago. Interesting… She’s posted a few things about her life, about upcoming events in her neck of the woods, about how proud she is that her child has achieved success.
And last night, she posted, out of the blue:
I think I’m going gay.
I’ve seen messages like this being posted before. Sometimes people decide to make announcements like this on social media. As far as I’m concerned, whatever your sexual preference or sexual orientation is, that’s your business. It doesn’t matter if you’re gay, straight or mediocre. And sometimes people post messages like this as a veiled clue for something else. Maybe they’re using the word “gay” as part of a reference that they’re performing in a Gay Nineties revue. Or that they just bought a boxed set of Marvin Gaye’s greatest hits. You know… that borderline between posting and vaguebooking, to entice you to comment on their page.
So I did. I said to her, “So you’re going to the 90’s?” Then I followed up with, “Or are you meeting up with Marvin?”
You know… my usual harmless snarky response.
Until I woke up this morning and checked my Facebook page… and got a response from my friend. And here it is.
More like, i got punked and so did you! Stupid fun. Sorry…Gotcha.
You should have never liked or commented You fell int.o the trap. This is a game. The person who likes/comments has to choose one of the following to post on his/her timeline. 1. I’ve been in 42 relationships 2. I think I like someone, what should I do? 3. My mom arranged me for a blind date 4. Someone invited me to be a prostitute, what should I do? 5. I forgotten to wear my underwear today 6. I am gonna confess, support me 7. I still love my ex 8. I just got me some good good 9. I think I’m going gay 10. I’m pregnant 11. I want another baby Note: you should not explain anything, just post and leave it for at least a day.
I know it’s silly and I’ve never done this before!
Oh. Really. Ahem.
So … let me get this straight. No pun intended.
By simply responding to a comment on a Facebook page, this is supposed to be the equivalent of changing my profile picture to a giraffe for three days because I couldn’t instantly figure out what gets opened first, my eyes, the door or my kitchen pantry? And we all have fun with this, ha ha ha?
This could be the equivalent of a harmless Facebook diversion, you know, the kind where you mention that you’re craving strawberries as a veiled reference to your birthdate …
But here’s where I get angry about games like this. One of those choices – in addition to “someone invited me to be a prostitute” or “I still love my ex” or “I’m pregnant” – Facebook statuses that could cause friends some concern or worry – is “I think I’m going gay.”
Again, let me reiterate this. A person’s decision to announce his or her private preference should never be considered a part of a game. Stuff like this was déclassé in middle school, and now it’s part of this inconsiderate Facebook status-sucking postable that is designed as part of a “Facebook trap” status game.
And don’t tell me I’m being over-sensitive about this. No. I’ve seen people in several of the secondary schools I’ve attended get beat up, teased, taunted, demeaned and ostracized on just the assumption that the person is gay. Ask Erin Davies about the vandalism to her car, just because she had a rainbow sticker on her car windshield. Believe me, I’ve said it before, there are people in this world who have this twisted belief that anyone who is gay is homo inferiorus. And whether anybody wants to admit it or not, there’s still plenty of gay-bashing and homophobia in this world.
And to use this kind of post as part of a game to get people to comment on your Facebook wall… I’m sorry. That’s just crass.
And as for keeping silent about playing games like this… Oops… I’m sorry.
You want to play a Facebook game?
Sign up for Candy Crush Saga.
And don’t participate in games like this, where the results are demeaning and insensitive.
Chuck The Writer 
Very well said. As annoying as the giraffe thing was, this is far more dangerous a “game.”
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one more reason to just stay away from facebook.
email or pick up the phone.
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This is yet another reason why I don’t “do” Facebook.
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facebook can be good for a lot of other things just ignore those stupid games and like he says above play candy crush saga
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Francine – I couldn’t agree with you more – I don’t “do” Facebook either. I’ve said what you just said a thousand times everytime I read any TU blog regarding the ridiculous facets of Facebook.
Grrrr….
*off soapbox*
‘Kay. I feel better.
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Still not as bad as a post that says “Today’s blog is another CollarWorld story.” #ChuckIsSappy
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And since when does someone “go gay”. Like its a choice you just make when you wake up one day? Ugh. Ignorance at its finest. Makes me so angry!
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What a stupid “game.” Way more dumb than the giraffe game, which I actively ignored.
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I foolishly commented on someone’s status (it was about a mouse) and later received the message about the game. I’m not playing.
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People who think that “games” like this are fun or worth posting on their page are precisely the people who will get banned from my news feed. It’s not only annoying and demeaning to make fun of groups of people like that, it’s also childish and shows a lack of maturity, decency and common sense.
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Do people on FB realize how stupid they look when they do things like that? Like a coworker of mine who did the whole Giraffe thing. You are a grown man with kids and a good professional job and you put stuff like that on FB? How dumb can you be?
Aside, the whole gay thing is just wrong and pretty distasteful. De-friend or block them. They are not worth your time.
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I don’t get the FB thing – it seems like it’s for people who got time on their hands, who have nothing better to do, who think their “friends” are interested that their toilet was plugged today (and the cutesy “ugghhh” that follows such declarations) or that they got a new cat (and the cutesy ‘aahhh!!!’ that follows such declarations) – or who are high school or college kids – who, BTW, are drifting away from FB… (Note to “those of a certain age” – sell your FB stock and get off FB and start dissin’ it now so you can appear as ‘kewl’ as the kids…).
FB – YGBKM.
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Thank you for blogging about this! People are morons.
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It’s useful for helping animal causes. Other than that, FB is c-r-a-p.
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I agree with comments 2, 10 and 11. Grown adults who have so much time on their hands that they have to invent imbecilic nonsense to annoy other people like an ill-behaved 6 year old? Rally? It’s exactly this kind of nonsense that makes me hope, in my more misanthropic moods, that some huge solar storm produces enough flares and radioactivity to disrupt the ionosphere and shut down “Crackbook” and other electronic diversions for weeks or even months. The sheeple would probably lose their minds.
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Mickey – it’s not FB, per se, it’s these juvenile, and occasionally offensive uses. FB is neutral. Can be used for good. I got on because it was the way I keep up with my eldest niece’s singing gigs. It’s the ONLY way I can reliably contact some people. I’m not ready to bash the whole thing.
On the other hand, I did see some event that supposedly only happens on the calendar every 823 years, when in fact it’d happened thrice this century, so it’s also a source of misinformation that’s WAY too easily passed on.
I DO think we need to come up with a universal response to the Gotcha! clan though, Something along the lines of This Is Stupid – I’m Not Playing (TISINP). OK, I’ll work on the acronym. Or Chuck can.
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Roger – I’m thinking PLONK. Not so much an acronym, but I do remember “PLONK” as a word used when you wanted to block someone on a message board or in one of those old DejaNews newsgroups.
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bla bla Look mister miller I will not let facebook or by you or anyone .. I know that he has damaged the audience like YOU BLOG other media .. people stopped writing .on it. you do not have even half of the audience I had the past years .. why criticizes
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Huh?
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Mike – TISINP
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I like that, Roger–TISINP indeed.
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Well said, Mikey, well said.
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I liked some of the other facebook games, the giraffe, the music artists, the “things you didn’t know about me.” Some I participated in, some I didn’t. I think it’s a neat way to get people more engaged with each other, reconnect with friends you don’t talk to much. But I agree, this one is bad. One of my friends’ MOTHERS posted ” I think I like someone…what should I do?” How do you think her husband is going to react when he sees that? People confuse “stupid” with “funny” sometimes.
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Thanks for posting the rules 1-11 some have been changing them, these are the original and be kept from these choices lol
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I don’t understand why people feel like the “have to” participate. It’s asanine, grow up people. Just say no! I have for several of these. Nobody’s going to compel me to take part in some 5th grade fantasy game. Geez….
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The problem is not Facebook. The problem is being friends with idiots.
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Good to know lol looked suspicious.
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Maybe facebook started this, something to make facebook alittle more interesting.
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