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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Fake Book...


...seems to be the fad of the day, with just about everyone but me living out fantasies of meaningful reconnections and spit-polished lives. Yes, I called it "Fake Book" because, in my jaded way, that's what I believe it to be.

Case in point, the pictures. Nobody, and I mean nobody, posts a picture of their true selves. Instead, they post only the very best pictures that have ever been taken. In some cases, dare I say, photo shopped dream shots which don't display the following:

bald spot, nose hair, crows feet, dangling ear lobes, bloodshot eyes, gray roots, adult acne, stained crooked teeth, fat butt, pasty white skin, sagging breast... OK, you get it.

So in a conversation I recently had with Caryn Kirk, she threw down the gauntlet. "If your so sure that's what people do, then why don't you take a lousy photo of yourself and post it", she said. And of course, as is common with Caryn, her suggestion was brilliant. And so the post, "I Welcome Your Comments", below. I have even inspired to post a few more, showing an end of the spectrum rarely seen... the worst of my reality. And if "Fake Book" displays the best, I imagine that we are all somewhere in between.
Do you have the guts? I dare you.

7 comments:

George said...

Ewww. We didn't need to see your Camel Toe!

Rick said...

You've evidently not been on/in/through FB enough. Yes there are the good photos, but for lots of folks (too many folks) it's all out there, good bad and ugly.

It's a tool like anything else. Maybe populated by tools, but a tool nonetheless.

Not agreeing with your reality, substituting my own. Cheers.

Alan said...

Rick, you may actually be the only one who is honest online (I've seen your pictures :-)). My point is simply that on-line lives allow for a certain amount of editing. Besides, I threw out a challenge which I don't think anyone has taken me up on... I am close to resting my case and substantiating my reality. Who's got the guts?

Rick said...

That's almost my point - I might concede on photos, but FB statuses are notoriously full-of-all-the-bad-let-it-all-hang-out. There needs to be more editting, not less - or maybe better counselling available.

FB is the connecting tool, but I hope we're not tools using it, that's all. Don't worry - I'll let Leslie know on FB if we need ya.

James said...

You have a fascinating point. FB allows people to put their best foot (face) forward. But what if poeple posted the real truth about themselves at the moment? "Sitting on the can with my iPhone." "Just left my boyfriend's apartment, rushing home before my husband gets off work." "Picked up the prescription cream for my rickets." "Picked too much this morning and ruptured a capilary in my left nostril." "Gotta give up crack before I have to pawn my kids' XBox.""On my way to the store for some Preperation H."

James said...

Full disclosure: that last line was lifted from a Ben Folds song. You see? I'm not even posting original material.

Ferdlings said...

That picture is funny on two levels: I bet it's not the worse pic of you ever taken and it looks like you've never been to the beach before. Or even in the sun.

Most horrendous photos posted on FaceBook are posted by other people. I can vouch for that. There ought to be a law.

skicar - that's a pretty cool one! Is it a ski? Is it a car? It's a Skicar!