Privacy | ERINLEECARR

Just got back from a full day following OWS madness.

Taji Ameen took some great photos at Canal while I hung around Zuccotti Park to see what would go down between the increasingly sleep-deprived cops, the pushy tourists, and the hyper-aggresive media people. Most of the occupiers had either been thrown in jail or had left the area.

Zuccotti Park- Cleared out

It turned out to be seven hours of chopper noise and humming. There were a few attempts at the now infamous “people’s microphone,” but in all the times I’ve been down there I’ve never heard it so quiet. It was eerie to stand among 100 or so demonstrators and have it still be so subdued. The crowd marched from Foley square, shouting out “Whose streets? Our streets…” but mostly their voices had been broken by sleeping on the ground, 10,000 rolled cigarettes and the fact that it was day 60 of the Occupation.

"Come down and Join Us" OWS'ers act as Rumpelstiltskin

Noise finally erupted when the NYPD allowed protestors back into the park at 7pm with the caveat that “they are not allowed to lie down.” All of the protestors became joyous, smiling and waving their huge American flags around, but part of me remained cynical. Yes, we had won the blow, but had we even won the battle? People were allowed back into the park but with no gear, tents or “occupy” materials of any kind.

How is #OWS to move forward? (Read More)

Also: a subject we’ve been following since Day 3 is AWOL, we assume he was thrown in the clink during the 1am raid last night. We hope to meet up with him on Thursday, which promises to be the biggest turning point yet, they have named it the Day of Action.

Helicopter (Media or NYPD?)

Want a recipe for loneliness and jealousy, but in a good way? Booze not doing the trick anymore? In my current role as Associate Producer for Motherboard.tv I spend a lot of time on the internet, and when I say a lot I mean it—you’d think my ass would be permanently adhered to this miserable office chair by now. As such, my eyes sometimes glance upon a certain website that most of us simply cannot live without.

Facebook and Internet culture in general have drastically and lastingly changed the way we know, date, friend, poke and relate to each other. By the way, poking someone means you want to have sex with them right?

Wait. My crush isn’t listed on here. Poking me back. Poking me at all. Could this mean he/she/it doesn’t want me?

When you meet someone, what’s the first thing you do? Come on, you know you start stalking them on the Internet. Scoping out profile pictures, relationship status and if they have any of the Facebook red flags, which I’m wont to say are universal, but am willing to consider are not. Ubiquitous or otherwise, a glossary of relative principles seems essential to say the least. I’ve provided my own list as a guideline.

FACEBOOK TURN-OFFS

Less then 10 profile pictures.
Pictures with babies. Nobody wants to date a baby momma/daddy at this age.
General stupidity with special regard to bad grammar.
More than 5 status updates per day.
Pictures of your ex(es). Are they hot Liz Lemon lookalikes or are they scary, obese ogre trolls that smile bleakly from behind their 10th red cup of generic beer? Either way, deal breaker central.
Number of friends: -50 = bad, +2000 = just plain weird. Who knows that many people?
An overwhelming number of pictures featuring cats or other animals (excluding weasels) in them.
Music: Nickelback/Creed/Staind = bad. DJ Marcus, any dubstep (excluding Cragga or Nightspitter) and the killer of all potential relationships, Dave Matthews Band = horrible .
I hate same-facers. Need I say more?
Photos that belong on softcore or hardcore porn sites as your profile picture.
If the book section is left blank or says something like, “I don’t read too good”. Umm, thanks. Try again. Wait, on second thought, please don’t.

Picture of a Facebook friend who moved to Florida to work in the adult film industry. Yes that is a giant needle poking through her face.

FACEBOOK TURN-ONS

Professional photographs of yourself because you happen to be friends withHalston Bruce.
Gummo, Pink Flamingoes, and/or Freaks in your favorite movies category.
Your pictures and/or general content has something/anything to do with weasels.
Music section includes Funk from the 60s and 70s and This American Life (check out the best ep.)
Your interests include: “Masturbating Violently to Antiques Roadshow.” This is an actual group.
Links to your blog so I can stalk you more

If you’re saying to yourself: “Jeez Erin, kind of judgmental, don’t you think?” Well, you can shut your hypocritical mouth. We all do this. It’s part of our depressing quest to find a mate. Facebook provides a reasonable platform from which we should all be screening potential partners. Welcome to the future or whatever. Where studies can prove how annoying you are to everyone; how jealous you are and how to rig your profile to attract people.

How has facebook helped my social communication? Well it hasn’t. Instead of calling or meeting face to face, we text or poke or some other such vapid form of “staying in touch.” I’ve wasted countless hours on this god forsaken website. But will I stop? Fuck no, my FB stalking skills are razor sharp, thank you.

One more thing: engagement photos. Jesus. I went to school at the University of Wisconsin and it looks like the goal for graduates is to get married as soon as humanly possible. These people were once smart, capable, and somewhat sane in my book. Now at 23 they’re throwing 40 large down the crapper and promising themselves to someone for eternity. Why? And don’t even get me started about the kissy pictures at sunset on a dock or whatever. Excuse me while I vomit all over my keyboard.

ERINLEECARR

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