03-08-03 @ 11:01 am EST

So much for March being a good month for Skew. >_<

I was just editing this to include a new sig in the description, and thought I might as well add an entry since it'll be popping up in the listings again anyway. I could either spend this entry complaining once more about how nobody reads this journal (when I joined the ring I honestly thought that was what the members were going to do, check in from time to time at least on others' journals, but to my knowledge even though I have R&R'ed a few of theirs, none of the other members have even peeked at mine), or I could share an opinion I just formed on something else. I opt for the something else. So here is my entry:

I think it's rather silly and/or stupid, this new trend of putting political statements in one's handle on this site. Maybe I'm wrong but it just smacks of juvenile competition. I'm willing to bet that it started out as one member, who felt sincerely about this, changing their handle to reflect their political views. Then another member who saw that and disagreed changed their handle as a sort of way of smugly showing up the first member. THEN the friends of the first member likely showed up, saw the second person's handle change, and in a show of support for their friend, changed THEIR handles to gang up on the second person. Then the friends of the second person showed up and saw all the new handles and changed THEIR handles to agree with the second...etc. etc....until everyone has handles that are screaming "Go Bush!" or "Bush Sucks!" or "War Is Great!" or "War Is Bad!" It's like everybody drew some stupid line and you are either on one side or on the other, because of COURSE everything is black or white.

I always thought our handles were a way to show who we are personally. A way to express ourselves when we are happy or worried or just feeling silly. Did you notice that, except for September 11th, I do not change my handle anymore? Because every time I try out a new appellation that hints at my emotional state, I feel I am being manipulative. I admit that the one time I changed my handle to "Tehuti Is Lonely," I was trying to gain someone's attention. I felt lonely, so I was hoping somebody would notice my handle change and comfort me. Well, it worked back THEN, but I know for a fact it would not work now. Because, for the most part, it seems people just aren't as involved in community around here anymore unless you are part of a select group. I'm not part of one of those groups, and I would rather that people know me well enough that they can tell from the tone of my writing that I'm sad, so they come to ME to comfort me without me having to emotionally manipulate them into doing it by changing my handle. It doesn't usually work that way, granted, but at least I would not feel I had manipulated them into coming to my aid, just by changing a few letters.

Do you see the point of all that babble above? Changing handles doesn't seem to be about expressing oneself anymore. It seems manipulative. "Hey look, I'm anti-Bush! C'mon and gimme your best shot!" Or even "Hey look, I'm pro-Bush! You gonna do something about it?" These aren't statements of who we are or how we're feeling. They're attempts to manipulate others into feeling anger or resentment.

I bet it really DID start out as one member expressing what they really felt, what really did concern them (unless they were trying to get a rise out of somebody else first?), but with the number of handle changes I have seen today, I think it went a little overboard. Everybody jumped on the political bandwagon here...how come I have yet to see a handle anything like Tehuti Feels Neither One Way Nor The Other About The Iraq Situation? Why don't I see any gray? Don't people have daily-life things to worry about? I really doubt all these people are thinking about Bush 24/7. For God's sake, his speech was on THURSDAY. Why all the handle changes today?

(I only know his speech was on Thursday, BTW, because it preempted CSI. You see where my current concerns lie? Perhaps I should change my handle to All Bush N No CSI Makes Tehuti A Dull Girl.)

I used to think our handles were a little reflection of our daily lives, but lately they just seem like banners used to show off political agendas. And I know from experience that most people are NOT willing nor able to be openminded about political or religious issues when you decide to share your opinion about them, and so...that is the reason why my handle is not changing. And the reason why you will not ever find out if Tehuti Thinks Bush Rocks or Tehuti Thinks Bush Sucks.

I wish everybody would resume their regularly scheduled handles already.

Time for me to go as I bet I've pissed somebod...ah, screw it, they don't read this anyway. Tar...