There are five stages to a viral event:
1. The event itself
2. The firestorm of social media jokes
3. The hashtag or meme
4. Fatigue about the topic
5. Reaching for think pieces
Solange kicking Jay Z in an elevator has reached that fifth circle of hell where think pieces on domestic violence, Jay Z as villain and Black rage are turning a pretty innocuous in-family scuffle into a thing that has to mean something.
My favorite of any type of think piece that comes out of these events is the inevitable: "why are you paying attention to this when there is something else way more important going on?"
Did I say "my favorite" because I meant, "the thing I hate the most in this world.
As many of you know, more than 200 girls are being held captive in Nigeria by terrorists.
It's easily one of the most sickening, horrifying, tragic stories we'll hear all year at least.
It breaks my heart.
However, I'm a human being with a mostly- functioning brain.
Which means I have the ability to
think about two things over the course of a day.
Hell, I can think of two things pretty much at the same time sometimes. It's a perk of evolution.
Which is why certain think pieces drive me crazy. For example, this article titled "5 Shocking Jay Z
And Solange Pictures You Have To See."
Of course, once you click on the article, it directs you to pictures and facts about the girls in Nigeria.
The point of the article is to ridicule those of us "obsessed" with Jay Z and Solange, thus,
somehow in turn ignoring the girls in West Africa.
This is dumb, high-horsed better than thou Internet preaching that drives me insane and is counterintuitive to getting anything done.
Instead, the article – and I hate to single this particular article out because I'm really talking about
something way more widespread – creates a line in the sand, forcing those of us playing the dozens over an in-law fight to get defensive and feel singled out as if our enjoyment of something funny is taking away from our awareness of something
serious.
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