I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand those little posts that go around Facebook. You know the ones I mean.
“A mother is the one who will love you even when your house is a mess and your sweatpants have blood stains on them from that murderous rampage you went on. Click like and share if your mother is one of the most important people in your life.”
Ok – I’m paraphrasing, but you get the idea. The thing is, I DO love my mom, I think she’s swell and I don’t mind telling the whole world about her. I just resent the hell of being nudged to follow the herd and post what everyone else is posting, lest it appear that I hate my mother (or sister or cousin or have no heart for whatever the cause du jour is.)
Why do I have to click in order to stand in solidarity with other people who like their moms? Or to demonstrate that I really do care about whatever the cause of the day is? It feels like blackmail. And truth to tell, I always eye the posters of such things a little in askance. Do you REALLY need me to stand up and say AMEN to whatever it is you’re posting?
When it comes to the old click like and share, I’m not a joiner. Or at least I haven’t been in the past.
The thing is… I just did it. And more than that, I changed my profile picture in response to a message from the Human Rights Campaign.
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on two historic cases for marriage equality this week. Hollingsworth v. Perry, the challenge to California’s Proposition 8, was argued today, March 26. The case challenging the Defense of Marriage Act, Windsor v. United States, is scheduled March 27.
The HRC is asking everyone to use a red equality logo in order to show support for the notion that everyone in America should enjoy the same civil rights as everyone else.
A sea of red logos popping up as profile pictures on facebook is a visible, graphic way to demonstrate that we’re ready to stop marginalizing a whole segment of our society.
I can’t imagine NOT demonstrating my solidarity with fellow human beings who are being denied this very basic right. I can’t imagine NOT showing my support for this cause. And I can’t imagine NOT thinking fondly of my fellow facebookians who choose to do the same.
Equal rights for all. Can I get an AMEN?
