My cousin in Ohio made me rethink why I share banned memes at all

I was at a family cookout last month in Columbus and my cousin, who works in HR, asked why I get so worked up over a pixel joke. She said 'you're not changing anyone's mind, you're just yelling into the void with memes nobody sees.' That hit different because she wasn't mad, she was just curious. It made me wonder if I'm really fighting for free speech or just posting for the rush of getting something taken down. Has anyone else had a normal person make you question your whole deal like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_beth2d ago

Doesn't it feel like we build up this whole rebel identity around it, then a regular person just asks a simple question and it all falls apart? I had a buddy ask me once if I'd ever actually changed someone's mind with a banned meme, and I couldn't point to a single real example. That pause taught me more than any argument ever did, so take that for what it's worth.

taylor3052d ago

Ha, man you're totally right and it kinda stings, doesn't it? @the_beth hit me right in the feels with that story about his buddy. I've had that same exact awkward pause more times than I'd like to admit, like all that online fighting just evaporates when a real person asks you to back it up. It's weird how we can craft these elaborate defenses in our heads but the second we're put on the spot we just kinda sputter out. Honestly that moment of silence is more humbling than any argument I've ever won or lost, it just shows how much of it is just noise.