Meghan Trainor’s New Least Favorite Song

Want to take a guess?

In case you live under a rock or don’t have any social media, the #metoo has been more than viral. It was started several days ago by actress Alyssa Milano, who theorized that if women posted the aforementioned hashtag, it would bring attention to the massive number of women out there who have been sexually harassed or assaulted.

Is it effective?

In my opinion, yes and no.

First, the counterpoint. It’s gone from being powerful to losing a lot of meaning, and I feel like it might be stopping conversations rather than starting them, in a way.

Second, the point. It gets people talking, and the number of celebs and regular people who’ve said it is striking and at the same time worrisome, if you think about what our society may be coming to.

On the whole, weighing the pros and cons, I think that yes, it is effective. It’s getting people’s attention, which is what it is supposed to do; it’s cathartic to some, helping them open up; and to others, if they’d like it to remain their own, have the freedom to say “acknowledge me, but the details are mine to share if I want.”

Terrible People, Part 3: #Hashtaggers

#Annoying.

This blog post has been brought to you by the hashtag, otherwise known as the most annoying Internet trend of the 21st century.

It started on Twitter, as a way of linking posts on common topics. I heard about it then, and thought “gee, that could get annoying,” even though it did serve a purpose. (I do not have a Twitter account, that being one of the reasons). But then, it shifted over to Facebook. And now real life, from advertising to clothing to everyday speech.

And I’ve had just enough of seeing and hearing it everywhere.

It’s lost its original purpose. Now, a hashtag is just an excuse for someone to say more unnecessary things, because we live in a world where everyone a) talks too much, and b) doesn’t value or understand the meaning of silence. Take a break once in awhile, people. You’re not that great, and your multiple hashtagged Facebook posts aren’t helping anyone or anything; they’re just cries for the attention that you probably don’t deserve. You could say the same pointless thing with words with capitalization, punctuation, and correct spelling soidonthavetospendtenminutesfiguringoutwhatthehellyouretalkingabout.

I know it sounds a bit harsh, but here are some of the more ridiculous hashtags that have popped up on my Facebook feed in the recent past (as in the past three hours, capitalization provided for emphasis):

#LevelUp

#CantTouchThisDananana

#TenStaples

#AfternoonWalk

#CrossingTheLake

#TinyBallerinas

#TheResemblanceIsUncanny

#WhereDoWeCashIn

#MaybeDukeNeedsAGirlfriend

#SpookyFaggots

#AiportSwag [sic]

#FlexForChrist (seriously?!?!)

And the absolute worst…

Drumroll please…

The people who hashtag THEIR OWN NAMES.

I really, really wish I was kidding. But I’m not. So far I’ve seen two people do this. The first, a girl hashtagging her rap name to promote her new album, is more on the understandable side but still not quite there. The second person is a guy who hashtags his own name, among a sea of other random hashtags, several times a day. I’m pretty sure that he’s single, but deeply in love with himself.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is what humanity has come to in 2015.

You, sir, are a Terrible Person.

No, not a #terribleperson, but an actual Terrible Person.