I just wanted to say that I think the placing of a person's favorite Cartoon character in place of their regular Profile Picture on Facebook as a campaign against Child Abuse was a great idea. I dont know who came up with the idea but I felt it was unique and original and plus, what better way to stand united on the internet (and beyond for that matter) than via something that both children and adults can identify with in a positive, effective manner? Over the last few days, I've seen several posts where individuals have condemned this particular campaign, which I think is totally ludicrous on their part and I will tell you why - as long as it gets an important message out - that Child Abuse is an inexcusable crime against humanity - and it does not harm or offend any individual, what the hell is the big deal, ya know? Now dont get me wrong, I do realize that other such campaigns before this one came under heavy scrutiny, such as the Purple Ribbon campaign to help bring awareness to the terribly high suicide rates of GLBTQ youth in the last few months, but even so, if it somehow brings people together in a unified front against crimes and any forms of oppression of any nature, regardless if its on the internet, in real life or a combination of both, why have some people become extremely irrational over it? My suggestion is that people need to get a hold of themselves and just accept for what it is. Damn.
For myself, personally, no, I did not participate in the Cartoon Pic campaign - I didnt know what else to call it but I think that phrase accurately describes it - because I chose to be part of it in a different way. Anyone who knows me knows how much I adore children and how fervently I will always stand up for their safety and welfare. So I wrote a piece about 3 little brothers in Michigan who at the time of this writing are still missing because I personally am infuriated by the circumstances regarding their disappearance and in addition, standing up for the safety of children everywhere is most definitely one of the reasons for the Cartoon Pic campaign in the first place. In addition, I will be re-autoposting that particular piece about the 3 missing boys before I get off work tonight.
Plus, quite frankly, I personally would've felt very awkward attaching a fictional Cartoon character to the name HivSpice. Oh I know, I know, it doesnt matter who you are, anyone can post their favorite cartoon character, it's a non-issue in every sense of that word; however, to me it just wouldnt have felt right, period. I mean, I altered my original logo for my Profile Pic during the Purple Ribbon campaign and I wish I would've never done that because in that particular situaiton, it mighta been an internet awareness campaign but guess what? In the long run, it did not do a damn bit of good, for several more GLBTQ youth went ahead and offed themselves anyways. So let's face it, it was not only totally redundant to participate in it but as much as it may have been begun with good intentions, it failed horribly. Just my opinion guys.
And who knows whether or not the Cartoon Pic campaign will be successful where the Purple Ribbon campaign was not, but for a person who loves kids as much as I do, for me personally, it made me smile. It actually made me glad to know that I'm not the only member of the greater overall GLBTQ community who realizes and acknowledges that Child Abuse is unacceptable and must be deterred at all costs. I've been writing and preaching about this very issue for months now and I'm actually thankful that someone else came up with an ingenious idea which helped carry the torch even further.
I have thoroughly enjoyed all the wonderful cartoon character pics I have seen in the last few days, but especially the ones which struck a personal chord with me. Though I have tons of favorites, the ones that stuck out the most for me were Dafffy Duck and Top Cat! Both bring back alotta good memories for me. I've always loved and totally identified with Daffy Duck because if you have noticed, Daffy is always having a crisis about something, or something is always backfiring on him, every single friggin time! The same with me! Not that either of us are jinxes but trust me, everywhere Daffy goes, trouble or drama is always close behind, it practically plagues the little guy whether he wants it or not - this is so true of my own life and yes, I find that sad too! But still, it's all good, you just roll with the punches and somehow survive. I know, isn't it disturbing when a human life mirrors that of a cartoon character?
As for Top Kat, I will always adore him because when I was living and working in Connecticut, the job I had then involved working many 2nd shifts, so when I would get home late at night (the commute was a bitch, let me tell you) I would make a late-night snack, brew a pot of coffee, flick on Adult Swim on Cartoon Network and watch until Top Cat would come on - him and his crazy adventures. I've always been more of the Merrie Melodies and Looney Toons type of cartoon lover, never much of a Hanna-Barbera-like viewer but when it came to Top Cat, he was always the exception.
I know a few folks commented that Child Abuse and Cartoon characters have no correlation whatsoever but those folks who claim that are literally full of shit. Trust me, when you're getting the shit beat outta of you, or for those more mild times when you were lucky enough to scrape by with just 4 to 6 giant welts on your back from the belt your Dad had flying all over the place, those cartoons were a major means of escape from the trials and traumas of such abuse. They literally diverted your mind and psyche away from alotta the mental damage that such actions always created deep within. So if you wanna call a spade a spade, I can vouch that yes, cartoons can be extremely important and meaningful to those of us who were at one time abused children. Plus, creating a vast, continous display of all those Cartoon character pics was like saying "Hey, we adults know what it's like being a kid and we are proud to foster solidarity via a medium we all share a connection with." Yes, true, it does take more than just an internet campaign to combat against Child Abuse worldwide but damn, it's a start, it's an acknowledgement and also, as I always tell folks, better to do something than nothing at all. Plus, it doesnt matter what you do - whether it be volunteering an hour here-n-there at a local women's & children's center, or even making a simple tiny donation here-n-there, as long as you're doing something, I think that's all that matters. And if anyone, anyone at all, ever criticizes you for making a contribution, whether minute or magnanimous, do what they do in Ireland folks - just tell them to "Fech Off!"
As I mentioned earlier in this piece, I will be re-autoposting the piece I wrote regarding the disappearance of Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton of Michigan. They have NOT resumed the search for those 3 little boys and it still pisses me off to no fucken end. I know, I know, everyone out there is gonna say "Well, they cant keep searching for them forever!" And why the fuck not??? Dont any of you out there tell me it's because they cant afford it or dont have the manpower because as the Universe as my witness, I swear that if those 3 little boys were any of you folk's kids, you'd be going outta your minds like a bat-outta-hell in trying to find them too, You sure as hell would not want anyone giving up on them. Victims of Child Abuse. Yes, the way it looks now, those 3 little boys are victims of the most severest of forms of Child Abuse of all - not being able to survive it. Oh, I do pray to God that they are safe-n-sound and doing okay but as the latest authority reports imply, it just doesnt look good.
All children deserve to be saved from any and all forms of Child Abuse, not just the Skelton boys, not just me, not just all my friends who are survivors too, but everyone in this world. My hat is off to the creator(s) of the Cartoon Pic campaign on Facebook and the internet and I do sincerely hope that your campaign did more than just struck a personal chord with me, but rather influenced many folks to wake up to the fact that we all need to join forces and make a difference in preventing and/or stopping Child Abuse worldwide. To the creator(s), I commend you for your efforts. To everyone else out there, whether you have any spiritual beliefs or not, I'd like to ask each and every one of you out there to take perhaps 60 or more seconds of your time before you go to bed tonight and please say a prayer or senda good thought for the Skelton boys. If you dont wanna, for whatever reason, that's your choice but I hope you will because maybe, just maybe, it just might make a difference. Thank you for reading.
No comments:
Post a Comment