Purely a Matter of Relevance: Go Out of Your Way to Be a Friend to Those in Need or Happy Birthday, Britt

This originally was going to be a really long blog post, but instead I’m going to use my time to keep it short and sweet and spread some positivity.

Today is Britt’s birthday and although she isn’t here I want to take a moment to celebrate. “Celebrate you say?” Yes. Celebrate the life of someone who has and will continue to touch the lives of many.

So do me a favor. Text a friend. Share a kind word to a stranger. Everyone is out here dealing with issues that most will never be aware of. Remind those people they are not alone. That they don’t have to battle their demons on their own.

It’s much better to take a moment out of your day to brighten up someone else’s. So here’s to you Britt and to the masses out there fighting the good fight.

This was purely a matter of relevance.

Purely a Matter of Relevance: Social Media Meme Farmer Wrongfully Incarcerated or Why Does Zuckerberg Hate The Pixies?

Hey there boils and ghouls. Noticed an absence over the last 24? Yup, you guessed it. I was in FB jail. But for what you ask? What lewd content did Reese share? What ass eating analogy pushed it over the edge?

It was a song.

A goddamn song. I shared “Where Is My Mind?” by The Pixies yesterday while listening to it on Spotify. I hit the share button, I didn’t even add any text. I just hit post. Shortly thereafter I tried to open my FB app and I was greeted by this (*see attached screenshot*). I filled out a reply as you could see and hit send. The very next screen then tells me I have been banned for 24 hours.

Now I sat on this and thought long on how this came about. There was no nudity, no profanity, hell, there wasn’t any text that went along with link at all. I have deduced that only a handful of things could have transpired:

1. Someone really fucking hates the ending of Fight Club.

2. Zuckerberg was preemptively banning me before I could do something actually worth chastising.

3. A friend, follower or some random asshole reported my post which instead of actually doing any due diligence, FB hit me with a banhammer.

3 is the most likely of these scenarios.

Listen, I post a lot of polarizing and down right atrocious stuff and have never been banned (besides that one time I made a school shooting joke, whoops 🤷🏾‍♂️). Even in that case it was a light hearted poke at a meme that obviously ruffled someone’s feathers.

The point I’m trying to make is that if you feel offended you have every right to flex your keyboard muscles and report someone. I don’t think it’s the best resolve but it’s your life and you have that option if you so choose it.

But if you’re salty at me for my posts or opinions, voice them. Or actually report a post that is in violation of some rule. Miss me with that shit reporting a goddamn song link that I wanted to share with the world.

I run a business and 3 podcasts through FB which I am constantly fielding messages and comments, I don’t have time for your games. I’m just trying to keep you kids smiling in the face of this sick sad world, nothing more nothing less.

If you have something to say, say it, if not, bye Felicia. This has been purely a matter of relevance.

Purely a Matter of Relevance: The Savage Meme Manifesto or When Did I Become That Guy?

Very recently a close friend of mine called me out for my ridiculous memes I post. My gf although being somewhat indifferent wholeheartedly agreed that my posts are over the fucking top and somewhat uncalled for. I even have a couple people recently ask why I even do this. When did I become that guy?

If you haven’t noticed, I do a lot of shit online. A store, 3 podcasts, a blog, an all but deceased band and even acting like I’m gonna get into stand up. So I’m marketing myself on the internet on a constant and daily basis. Nothing is better for marketing than traffic. Each view, like, comment or share is increasing my organic reach and it shows. I’ve had these people ask why don’t I start a page so it’s not on my FB profile so it’s not a reflection of me.

Firstly, I have created pages for numerous ventures. MULTIPLE pages. I have invited my entire friends list to those pages. Sadly, it just doesn’t work that way. I have 3,000 friends, I send out 3,000 invites, and my pages only have anywhere from 100-300 likes on each of my pages. I post from those pages and it gets hidden by FB’s algorithms or pushed down for paid content. My organic reach from my personal page is simply stronger and better equipped to entertain people.

Secondly, none of your FBs are a true reflection of you. If you see something on FB and your first reaction is to judge whoever posted it based on the life they uphold on social media, I think that’s a problem within itself. All of our social media personas are just that; personas. If you want a prolific true representation on the internet of someone get off of FB and used LinkedIn.

Thirdly, it’s funny. Shock value is an amazing tool that brings multiple eyes to my page through my creating, sharing and reposting of savage memes. Is it stupid? Sure. Is it ethically questionable? Sure. Does it work though? Absolutely.

I’m writing all of this as less an explanation for why I have become this over the top meme farmer and more as a declaration to anyone that is questioning my actions or feel disgusted by them. I’m sorry if your friends or family have to witness the awful things I post but I do it because someone’s going to do it anyway, so I might as well use it as a device to generate traffic to my page, which when pushing a product that is literally just yourself, my page gaining attention of any type is a positive in the end.

In summation, I’ve made my peace with my mother and my god for the things I post. I don’t wish you to unfollow me or unfriend me over it, but I can’t make everybody happy all of the time so I might as well not try but I do apologize in advance for the crazy shit you’re going to see when you follow me.

What do you think? Should I stop? Should I create another page to be lost in the sea of thousand of others? I want to know your opinions. Just remember as always, this was purely a matter of relevance.

Purely a Matter of Relevance: People Get Offended Too Easily These Days or No, People Have Been Offended For Years And You’re Just Now Listening

Purely a Matter of Relevance: People Get Offended Too Easily These Days or No, People Have Been Offended For Year’s And You’re Just Now Listening

Perspective. It’s one of the key elements of daily living. Even down to its most basic form. Without light bouncing off of objects and refracting in our eyes we wouldn’t be able to see anything and would walk into walls and off of cliffs like lemmings to the slaughter. In its more advanced forms perspective is what gives us the ability to have empathy and look at situations in a light you might not have considered prior.

So in the time since my last post some instances have arisen that bring things like perspective to the forefront. Nothing can create a better chance for perspective to come into play like when discussing topics that touch the nerve of many individuals. 

I gaze towards the pachyderm in the corner. His name tag reads racism. Let’s acknowledge him.

If you have a pulse, an internet connection and don’t reside under a rock then you are well aware at this stage the marketing faux pas H&M made last week. If you’re unfamiliar, the ad in question viewed a young black child wearing a hoody that read “coolest monkey in the jungle.” Now before I get too far into it and let me state that no, I was not offended by it. Alas, I know many people that might very well be, and justified in their reasoning for it as well. In wake of the ad I have seen the example of short sighted perception rear it’s ugly head. “People get offended too easily these days,” or comments akin to “sad little snowflakes are getting their panties in a bunch.”

First off, if this is how you view the world at large, let me point something out; You are part of the problem. I’m sorry buddy, people haven’t just recently become offended by every little thing. People have been offended by these types of systemic racism and insensitivities for quite some time now. We live in an age where everyone’s reactions and thoughts have become center stage, and now people’s views and opinions are able to be viewed under a microscope on a global scale. Personally, I am grateful for it. No longer must we be forced to live in the dark and not know how our fellow men and women are affected by the inequalities of our society. Social media has created a forum for discussion of these topics and by way of this an ability to learn and understand the issues and plights those less privileged than yourself must go through.

Open your eyes and ears but more importantly, open your hearts. Only then can we as a people move forward to a more peaceful tomorrow, but ay, what do I know?

This has been purely a matter of relevance.

PURELY A MATTER OF RELEVANCE: New Year, Same Black Dude or The 2017 State of the Union

Well the calendar has changed. We rang out the old year and dragged in the new to much fanfare and joviality. As we make our coffees and fry up our chicken embryos to help shake the cobwebs of last nights indulgences, I will take the opportunity to reflect on the last 12 months.

What a shit show it has been. Not nearly as many tragic celebrity deaths as the year prior, there were still a multitude of negativities and moments of distress that blanketed the majority of 2017. From the politics, to the terrorism. The hurricanes to the blatant and out right racism. This was the year where Rick and Morty fans made it hard to publicly want to claim you are a Rick and Morty fan.

Talk about depressing.

My personal hardships even tried to break me; the loss of my grandmother, the ending of a 12 year on again off again tumultuous relationship, and that time I was inches away from death. It’s been a wild ride, smooth at very few times and bumpy at best for the most part.

In spite of all these lingering issues and tragic happenings, the light of joy and vitality that burns within me will never stop glowing. I made some choices that have already begun to brighten my path. Cut some problematic people from my journey, went full on head first back into podcasting, writing and comedy, met an amazing person who is completely ok with me being an awkward 15 year old child, as well as even opened my own mildly successful online clothing store. As the Chuck Palahniuk quote goes, “it's only after you have lost everything that you are free to do anything.”

So as I finish this cup of coffee from my amazing R2-D2 mug, I look forward as to what 2018 has to offer. Both of my occupations are moving forward into bigger and better realms and I am having a hand in the progress of both. Establishing an even bigger internet presence as I push forward to produce and star in another podcast and get back into doing stand up. New music from my all but defunct metal band. A vacation to Austin, TX for SXSW. Shit guys, this may even be the year Reese finishes his novel (THAT’S LAUGHABLE).

All jokes aside, I thank you guys for reading these posts, watching my shows, liking my jokes and tagging me in those ass eating memes. I have an insatiable urge inside of me to entertain and if it wasn’t for you guys I would just be dancing and singing into a mirror to a one man crowd that didn’t want to come out in the first place and would rather be home in pjs watching anime. The past year I’ve learned a lot and now I’m ready to make even more mistakes so that I can learn that much more from the running gag we call life.

I love you guys, all of you. This was purely a matter of relevance. Happy New Years!