You saw it, I saw it. It's the picture that rocked a billion monitors today. A TMZ "reporter" is probably asking someone irrelevant about it right now.
Seems like everyone and their hairstylist has an opinion on Renee's new face and we've been plastering them on Twitter and Facebook all day. Everyone has forgotten one very important detail, though: Set delightfully in that "new" face are two pairs of eyes... Eyes that belong to a person who reads.
"But she should have known that part of celebrity life is being scrutinized," they say.
If you talked about Renee Zellweger on social media today, if you commented about her appearance or took a jab at her for getting a bad surgeon you're basically the equivalent of that girl who told the whole class you got your period in 7th grade. Renee will probably never see your comment, but the people who know and love you for being a caring, compassionate person sure did. Your mom saw it. Your cousin in Quebec saw it. Maybe your daughter saw it, too.
For a split second people in your life saw you talk about another person in a way that de-humanized them. Why do we feel like we have the right to discuss other people's choices anyway? I've certainly done it myself in the past. For the record, I'm very sorry, Heidi Montag!
My point to all of this is if we have any expectations of the internet being a better place someday, instead of the troll-infested death pit that it feels like at times, then we need to have higher expectations of ourselves. Before you write something nasty about a celebrity, a business or your mother-in-law, think about Renee Zellweger's face.
Think about the fact that every day Renee Zellweger has to get up and look in the mirror and think about the time the whole world wouldn't stop talking about her face. A face that she chose to alter after one-too-many people had one thing or another to say about. A person who works in an industry that, for some reason, the general public is encouraged to poke and prod like cattle for their own enjoyment. Renee Zellweger might be a good, compassionate, caring person just like you, but it doesn't matter because you'd rather talk about her face.
The internet isn't the problem, we're the problem with the internet.
(mic drop.)
Your flight has just been delayed for a third time and you're frustrated, waiting to head toward the runway you tweet out the status of your departure for friends and family to see. Suddenly, you're being asked to leave the plane. It sounds impossible, but it happened to Lisa Carter-Knight on her flight home from Philadelphia.
Already frustrated, since her flight had been delayed twice already, and finally having boarded the plane, passengers were expecting to take off quickly when a misunderstanding happened. A fellow passenger made a joke about the pilot being intoxicated, which caused a misunderstanding and further delays. Due to federal laws, the pilot needed to take a sobriety test to ensure that the jokes didn't hold any truth. It was at this point that Lisa Carter-Knight, a mother of three in her late 40s, decided to tweet out the current status of the flight.
What happened next Lisa could never expect. Once the flight was cleared to take off the plane's crew asked that Lisa leave the flight and report back to the gate. “I was told the pilot did not want me on the flight,” she said.
Eventually Carter-Knight found her way home the following day, but the frustration with the reasoning behind her removal from the flight and then the airline has yet to feel right in her mind. Yesterday, she tweeted "Jet Blue FLT 760 staff where asked a specific question: "why am I being denied service? unruly behavior was not answer #philyjetblue760spin"
Do you think Jet Blue has a right to refuse service to customers for tweeting about the airline? Is this a case of censorship or taking things out of context? Would the impact of her tweet gone unnoticed, had they just kept her on the flight?
Have you been thinking about starting your own blog? Maybe you see posts being shared around on Facebook and think “I could do that,” or maybe you are interested in learning how so many bloggers always seem to get free stuff. To help you out, I’ve created this super awesome and completely non-scientific quiz to help you answer, once and for all, that age old question: Should I be a blogger?
Please choose one answer for each of the following questions.
If you got 3 or more A's:
You have a voice and you want to be heard! Self-publishing online seems like a great fit for you. It sounds like you could be a blogger that enjoys storytelling. Read as many blogs as you can and take notes on what you like and don’t like about them, this will help you find your voice. Remember, if you do start a blog, send me a Tweet so I can read it! ;)
If you got 3 or more B's:
It sounds like you are a creative person who would resonate well with readers online. If you think you’d like blogging, you might want to hone your photography skills for doing projects or sharing your creations. We have a sense we’ll be seeing you around here more often! (And don’t forget to share your content in the YMC community, you never know when a post will hit it big!)
If you got 3 or more C's:
You like your family and your me-time, and would probably do just fine to keep being a blog reader instead of a blog writer; however, if blogging is something you’d really like to try, just remember to be consistent with your approach. Blogging is a great way to connect with people online, but you can only connect with people when you’re there.
If you got 3 or more D’s:
You’ve got a lot of stuff going on, and that’s okay. Not everyone in this world was meant to be a blogger. After all, if we all blogged there would be nobody left to read them. If blogging isn’t your passion, or even really an interest, then its probably not worth pursuing. But who am I to tell you what to do? If you seriously think you could be the next Bloggess, then buy yourself a domain name and get writing!
One of the top Canadian bloggers shares 10 tips to build and grow your blog.
Parents: This is a good conversation starter with your kids. What teens need to know before they begin blogging about their lives.
If you want a great bio, you'll want to hit all "5 Ws" and never, ever break this cardinal rule.
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