Isn't what's going on in Libya important too? I understand that everybody reads the Mare's Nest, but if you were that close with them or they were that important to you, wouldn't you have some sort of outside contact with them? I mean, people over there are being killed, and their corrupt government is getting away with it, and then some people are worrying about a trio's blog being down?
I'm worried too, but I'm pretty sure they've had other mini-hiatuses as well, although not this long. But other times they've been down this long, they've severely owned and damaged some troll reputations. Maybe this time, it's Jarsie's turn?
I'm reading some Libyan tweets and they're horrible. They're being killed and they can't do anything about it. According to this article, you can't even mention their leader's name without attracting attention and discussing national policy with foreigners can imprison someone for 3 years. I understand that Sims 3 blogs are escapes, but still. It's not like one URL is going to change what's on my mind.
While I understand your point, I have to point out at the same time that I follow RL matters just as much as Internet matters.
ReplyDeletePlease don't assume that just because someone blogs about The Mare's Nest being down that they don't keep up with other matters or feel for other matters.
Agreed with AE. Look up Nirvana fallacy. It's like, how can you waste time playing The Sims when there are dying children in the world? How can you sit at that computer knowing that somewhere in the world, there's a poor person who desperately wants a computer? How can you enjoy an episode of Degrassi knowing that right now, at this very moment, people in America are growing fatally obese? We can't let the big things override the small things. What's the point in being affected by anything in life when there's always a huge tragedy somewhere in the world that we should be thinking about instead?
ReplyDeleteWell, by the way the general blogosphere and other websites have responded, it seems that Libya doesn't exist.
ReplyDeleteAnd @anonymous: Isn't one blog a 'small thing'?
What I was trying to say was that if blogs and Simming are supposed to be relaxing/hobbies/etc, then why are we so distressed about it? I mean, when I watch Degrassi, I don't go like 'Emma needs a hug' always, and I watch it for entertainment. When I play Sims, if one of the elders die, I don't go into a personal mourning period. I know that at the end of the day, they're hobbies and they shouldn't be stressing me out.
And I know I can't feed every hungry person in the world, and I can't give everyone a computer, but I can blog for awareness or not be depressed over one blog missing.
But look at it this way: Would TMN want you to mourn their absence or try to cope without them?
Let's just say that I agree with you, Armenian Twin. I like TMN too, but there's other important things going on.
ReplyDeleteOh, and if someone wants to watch Degrassi, then that's their business. That's a little different than worrying about someone's blog. So, AT95 has a right to watch TV. *rolls eyes*
ReplyDeleteJMO!
Look up Nirvana fallacy.
ReplyDeleteI get your point sort of, but when has an important world issue that affects thousands/millions of people ever stopped Simmers from talking/ranting about the latest troll in the simming world? I mean when Egypt started with the protests, wasn't everyone just ranting about ruthlessk being an awful mod or was it them talking about Alexurt? It's not that surprising that most people haven't blogged about it.
ReplyDeleteBut like AE said, just because someone only blogs about the simming world on their blog, it doesn't mean that they don't care about world issues in their real life or feel for people being affected. Most simmers don't blog about important world issues, but that doesn't always mean that they don't care about the issues. I rarely put down my thoughts in writing and blog about actual issues, but that doesn't mean that I don't care about the issues in RL.
But I do get the point you're trying to make with this post. All simmers should at least post about a real world issue once in a while. They don't have to post about every rl issue, but they should at least do one or two every month. Which sounds funny coming from me because usually I only post about my petty rl problems.
So to summarize all of that, just because simmers don't blog about every issue doesn't mean that they don't care, but they could at least blog about an issue once in a while.
As for the Mare's actually being down, I get why *some* people are upset about that. Some people were close to them or whatever, and maybe they feel worried about them leaving without any notice. But it's ridiculous that people who The Mare's Nest barely ever mentions are blogging about them being gone. Hopefully this post made sense, I've been sick with a fever/cold for like 3 days, and I'm just getting over with it now.
The Mare's Nest is a simple blog, yes. However, there are real people behind that blog, and it's fairly worrisome that the entirety of the blog has gone private/offline/what have you with no warning, no words, nothing.
ReplyDeleteSome worry because they fear something might have happened to one of them, which isn't some little petty thing to worry about. To some, yes it may mean that they can't get their gossip fix, but for me? I'm genuinely worried. What if one was in Libya at the time, or Christchurch where the large earthquake just hit? That's why I chose to post about it on my own blog. It's not petty, or small to me. These are real people and something might have happened to them, just like there are things happening to people all over the world.
As for blogs, some of these people blog about their RL or Simming stuff only, and who's to tell them that they can't? It's their blog and they'll blog about what they like. It doesn't make me an ass if I choose not to blog about world events and I don't like being made out to feel like one for not doing so either. I don't blog about any crises in my own country. I try to keep my main blog on a happier note, and on occasion, will send out best wishes to people affected by something.
@Anon - I don't think anyone was saying that Armenian shouldn't watch TV. I think they were just making a point. 0_o
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ReplyDeleteI decided to delete my novel and say I agree 100% with AE last comment. It was waaaay too long! Trust me. 0_o
ReplyDeleteI did take offense to it though as I'm not some heartless prick who only cares about what's going her internet life. I can blog about anything I want though and I refuse to mix such serious subjects into sim lair.
I'm just gonna make a separate comment for each person so I won't leave anything out or this post won't become too mixed up.
ReplyDelete@Anon: I watch Degrassi, but it's a hobby, not a priority. And I'm sorry if I came across as 'more holier than you', but genocides are a sensitive topic for me. I never said you can't worry about TMN or said that watching TV was more important than worrying about them. I just said that people are treating it like a disaster when it's a blog.
And I did look it up, but the same could be said for TMN. Why should anyone else enjoy blogs when TMN is private?
@IlovetheSims: I hope you feel better!
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, I'm not saying anyone needs to turn their blog into a Libyan tweet feed or a current event blog, but people are acting like the worst thing going on in the world is one blog missing. And it's not like I can check any of your search histories to know if you've been on CNN.com or anything, so I wouldn't know what you're doing unless if you told me. People don't even have to post about current events because I said so or anything. But just a reminder that 'Look, you have Internet connections, shelter, clothes and food. You can read this, you're healthy, and the government doesn't hate you. Be lucky and accept that' or something. I'm sad that TMN is gone too, but I know that my life is still good and one blog disappearing isn't the end of the world. Just people remembering that Internet connection is a PRIVILEGE, not a RIGHT would be nice too.
@AE: People seem more worried about the blog than the people.
ReplyDeleteAnd your post is/was great and one of the better ones I've seen. Some people make it sound like they're lost somewhere in the Atlantic and can't go on without them and make it feel like they miss the blog more than the people.
I never said you can't not talk about the real world and if you don't, you're a jerk. But blogging is infinite, and I've read other blogs (on Tumblr, but still) that have a balance between IRL stuff and what they blog about. It's not like you can only make one post a month or something.
@ Vidkid: I'm sorry that you were offended and I never said that you were a heartless prick who only cares about what's going on in her Internet life. But some people made it sound like they're lost in the Atlantic and without the blog, they can't possibly survive.
ReplyDeleteIt's not like you need to post pictures of Libyans or anything, but even just saying 'Good luck Libya' could raise awareness and you wouldn't even have to stop blogging about Sims.
I don't think people are acting like TMN disappearing is the end of the world. But you have to consider that you're reading Simming blogs, so people will blog about The Sims and the community surrounding the game (which TMN is a part of). TMN's disappearance just happens to be a hot topic in this community right now because it happened recently and a lot of people want to discuss it because they're confused. It doesn't necessarily mean that people in the Sims community don't care about what's happening in Libya or that TMN is all they can think about in real life. They just happen to be talking about TMN because their Sims blog is the place to talk about that sort of thing. People can talk about Libya in their Sims blogs too, but it's not to be expected in a blog about a game that's an escape from real life for most people.
ReplyDeleteBut I do respect that you're passionate about it and real world events, and I get what you've been trying to say, and it's respect-worthy that you're using your blog to get that point across. I guess what I'm trying to say is, people tend to be aware of their audience, so they typically won't talk about serious non-Sims stuff on their Sims blogs, even if it is of huge importance. They may talk about it on their serious blogs where their audience is ready and willing to discuss serious matters, but they won't trouble people with it on their video game blog, which is for entertainment purposes.
Thanks :)! I feel sort of better. It was really bad though. I felt like dying lol, but on to your response:
ReplyDeleteI do get what you meant by this post, and I do agree with it personally. It would be impossible for someone in the Simming world to constantly blog about every issue they cared about, but they could AT LEAST do one a month. Having it 30:70 would be even better. Just because a blog is in the Simming world or whatever doesn't mean that you can't blog about real world issues in addition to forum drama, EA's latest stupid move that pisses everyone off, or life issues. Of course, you don't have to blog about rl issues, and no one's forcing you, but it would be nice. If you don't, it doesn't make you a horrible person though.
And you're right, we are lucky that we have all of those things, and more people should appreciate those things.
The Mare's Nest going private isn't more important than people dying for their natural rights in Libya. Of course, I wish them the best if they are having health problems, and my thoughts go out to them if that's the case, but I'm not going to make a post claiming that 'I miss them soooooooo much and that I'm dying without them' because I'd be lying. Sorry if that sounds mean and heartless, but it's the truth; I don't know them personally. I only knew the fact that there were three of them and they ran a blog. I get why some people made posts about them because some people were actually close to them, and it's hard for them to lose them without any notice. Other people just seem to miss the BLOG itself, and NOT the people like you said.
I mean if I just suddenly made my blog private and fell of the face of the Simmingverse without warning, I would think that only you, SS, Jen, and a few others would care; the people who knew me. Shouldn't it be the same in this case? That might sound rude and cold, but it's the way I feel. Sorry if anyone gets offended by it, but I'm not changing it. It's just stupid that people who don't even know TMN are making posts that say they miss them as if they were their best friend IMO.
I do get what you meant by making this post, and I get that it wasn't just you trying to dictate what people blog about. And I'll say it once again, some people do have a right to worry about them. The ones who knew them have that right. Others seem like they just miss the blog itself, and they're just making those kinds of posts because they just miss their fix of gossip and simming humor.
The anon above me sort of has a point, but just because a blog is in the simming world it doesn't mean that rl issues have to be excluded. I mean we include our specific rl problems in our blogs, so why not occassionally include an issue in the real world that affects someone else? We don't have to, and if we don't then it doesn't make us a bad person, but still.
And sorry if this post doesn't make sense either, but I'm still feeling sort of dizzy.
(Re: the second-to-last paragraph) Thanks, I agree. People should feel free to post about non Sims-related things in their Simming blogs, especially when it comes to important real life issues. But still, there's no reason to be upset or disappointed at people if they don't. It's just an option they have, but it should be perfectly fine if they'd rather blog about The Sims or The Sims community since that's what their blog is mainly about.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's a matter of people thinking they shouldn't mix RL world events with Simming. I for one, choose not to. It's my preference, and others have different preferences.
ReplyDeleteEvery now and then, an event will linger with me, and I'll post about it, but as I said, it's not that often mostly because it seems that every other day, something in this world starts going to hell. Unfortunately, events like these in these areas are a reality. Plenty of countries don't have freedoms, or a democracy. Some have dictators, but that's sadly, the way it is. Should it change? Yes. But will it? That's a harder question to answer. These countries have been like this from their inception, for centuries. Other countries that now have more freedoms started out the same way. Persecution based on what people felt were heresy. The English persecuted and executed Lutherans for heresy, because it was not the belief of the Church of England. I mean, yes, what is going on is awful, but the sad truth of the matter is that it has always been that way. We see so much of it now because of the media, because of the internet, and some seem to forget that before TV, before Yahoo and Google, this was always happening. People were being denied freedoms, being denied their right to believe or speak freely.
Is it awful? Most certainly. Is it surprising? Not really. The Israelis and Palestinians have been fighting over one little area for years, decades, centuries. If another big fight breaks out between them, would I be surprised? No. They can't seem to come to an agreement, just like some assbag can't give freedoms to his people, or like Idi Amin or Saddam Hussein, will just commit genocide on them. Or some jerk will persecute Jews, and the list goes on.
There are wolves in the world. Wolves in sheep's clothing. They will always be there. Just like terrorism. You can fight all the wars you want, you can drop as many bombs as you want, but there will always be at least one terrorist. You can't weed them all out.
Okay....this was a novel. I apologize.
Guys, if we each write one more comment, we can be the next Harry Potter. :P
ReplyDelete@Anon: I understand by what you mean for the whole audience thing, but on blogs, audiences are different. If I wanted to find out about the next Sims EP or a new patch, I'd go to an Sims website. But I follow blogs for the people, even if they talk about stuff I don't care about. Like my blog is about a person who happens to play Sims, not someone who plays Sims who happens to be a human being. I've talked about Disney and Degrassi, Simming and School and of course, my own life. This blog is for my own self expression and if I have an audience, that's a bonus.
I know I'm sounding really annoying right now, but if I wanted to talk about the Sims all day, I'd make a fansite or something more Sims related. The reason why my username and blog name are ambiguous is because I want to have flexibility in what I talk about.
@IlovetheSims: I agree with you. I'd miss you more than I miss them because I actually talk with you. And some people seemed to join the 'trend' of missing them just to get comments. I hope they're alright and all but I remember that other things are going on in the world, too.
ReplyDeleteAnd didn't they have a post about Egypt last week? Sure, it was about an Egyptian Simmer but if they could casually mention current events and stay on topic, others can too, I guess.
@AE: Yeah, you can't make the world a utopia. But shouldn't we at least try? I mean, after 40 something years, the Libyans are standing up for themselves. Shouldn't they be rewarded for their courage? Or at least be aided, instead of being met with deer-in-headlight looks?
ReplyDeleteAnd I know about genocides before modern media. Ever heard of the Armenian genocide? In 1915, the Ottoman empire massacred 1.5 million Armenians because of our Christianity. I've seen pictures, documentaries, and my grandmother has stories about how her father escaped from Armenia with his family, but guess what? The US doesn't accept it because Turkey has American troops and whatnot so we need them for military and strategic purposes. So I don't want another Armenian Genocide to happen. People always talk about forgetting the Holocaust or Rwanda, but most people haven't even heard of ARMENIA, let alone the Genocide to forget about us. Hitler even said
'Our strength consists in our speed and in our brutality. Genghis Khan led millions of women and children to slaughter—with premeditation and a happy heart. History sees in him solely the founder of a state. It’s a matter of indifference to me what a weak western European civilization will say about me. I have issued the command—and I’ll have anybody who utters but one word of criticism executed by a firing squad—that our war aim does not consist in reaching certain lines, but in the physical destruction of the enemy. Accordingly, I have placed my death-head formation in readiness—for the present only in the East—with orders to them to send to death mercilessly and without compassion, men, women, and children of Polish derivation and language. Only thus shall we gain the living space (Lebensraum) which we need. Who, after all, speaks to-day of the annihilation of the Armenians?'
about who remembers the Armenian Genocide. So by forgetting Genocides, we're letting these leaders win and forgetting many people.
And yes, being Armenian does make me extremely sensitive on this topic, so yeah. Excuse me for rambling.
I haven't really seen people talk about TMN as part of a trend or just to get comments. For the most part, the blogs I've read about TMN have seemed sincere. It might just seem like it's trendy because it happened recently, so as a result a few Simmers posted blogs about it around the same time. But I think it's more that there really is no universal place to discuss it or find out more information (since not everyone posts on the same forums, and TMN posts get deleted from the official site), so people turn to their blogs to talk about it.
ReplyDeleteAnd if you think about it, really the reason so many of us are networked to each other is The Sims; I mean, almost all of the blogs on your subscription panel to the right are Simmers, for example. So of course the people on that list are gonna talk about not-so-serious things like The Sims and recent events in the Sims community. It's nothing to be frustrated or disappointed by if they don't talk about other things, but of course it is always welcome if they do.
The fact is, there are a lot of more effective outlets for discussing real life issues, like in school, with family, friends, co-workers, or other social groups (even activism groups) that people might belong to. Some people may choose to write in their blogs about it to a small audience of Sims players, others may have other outlets and reserve their blogs for more light-hearted matters. Just, when it comes to The Sims and each other, this is generally where we talk about events pertaining to that: on our blogs. So pretty much just expect it because it's expected: stuff happens in the Sims community and Simmers with blogs write blogs about it. Doesn't mean they don't care about anything apart from that, or are just being trendy and attention-seeking or whatever. They're just doing what they do in the place where they do it.
Harry Potter
Of course, if there is something you wish that people would talk about, the best way to start a discussion about it is to write a post about it, like this one. But it's a little unreasonable to expect everyone to talk about it on blogs that are thematically more about entertainment. It would be like (just as an example, hypothetically) being disappointed at the creators of Degrassi if they didn't make an episode about the Egypt internet shutdown; the show is thematically not about those kinds of issues, so they don't. The same goes most Simmers' blogs.
ReplyDeleteArmenian, I'm in no way suggesting that we shouldn't try to make the world better, or that any of the awful things that have been done should be forgotten. Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
ReplyDeleteI made those points because of the posting. If I wanted to post about each and every single horrifying event, I'd be posting something every five minutes. The fact that it's awful doesn't override the fact that it is also commonplace, which is very unfortunate.
Someone dies every second, someone is born every second, someone's in a car wreck every 30 seconds, etc. etc.
I keep an eye on the news so I know what's going on, but I'm not going to post my well wishes on my blog unless I absolutely feel I must. I send my thoughts, I wish them well personally, but that's really as far as I take it. I'm under no obligation to post anything, no, not even once a month. Nobody is, and sure, it might be NICE to do so, it's not and shouldn't be expected or required of anyone, Mike.
If that makes me an ass to somebody, than so be it, I'm already thought of that way anybody, and I'm cool with it. Not saying anyone here sees me that way, but I know of a few people whose toes I have stepped on since I've been blogging, and really couldn't care less about the bucket of them. Their view is their view, and mine is mine.
Anyone fighting for their right to believe, their right to speak freely, always always ALWAYS have my support, whether I blog it or not. My husband FIGHTS for that freedom for me, and the citizens of my country, so I would be a close-minded idiot to not wish the same for someone else in another country. But at the same token, I don't blog on those topics very often. I had been considering blogging a piece on Pat Tillman and the cover up of his death overseas by our own government and military, but I decided not to. I may reconsider, because I feel strongly and passionately on that topic, but I try to avoid those things, among other things, especially when it comes to politics and religion. That's simply my choice, and I stick to it firmly.
Like I said, on occasion, I might post about some world event and my thoughts and well wishes to those involved, but for the most part, I stay away from it because I blog what I want to blog about. If I don't want to blog about it, I don't blog about it.
About your latest post about the laptop, no need to worry about any "I told you so's" coming from me (the Anonymous who's been posting here). Some things happen on a large, worldwide scale and some things happen on a smaller more personal scale, but the thing about blogging is that you're free to talk about whatever's on your mind 'cause it's yours after all.
ReplyDeleteAnd about this post in particular, thanks for being patient and willing to discuss things, even with people who disagree with you. There are many people who would just delete those kinds of comments rather than respectfully engage in conversation with them, and that's an exceptional quality to have. Kudos!
No "I told you so" coming from me either. This is what blogs are for. Posting for your heart's content, no matter the subject, issue, or topic.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the laptop charger, that certainly sucks. Hey, you never know, it may show up, or your folks could surprise you with one. Stay positive and positive energy will follow you!
Yeah...that last bit sounded corny, but if I'm walking around the house all ticked off, I tend to stub my toe or trip on something, which makes me think that because of my negativity, I have some negative karma following me just to make it worse. >.>
Keep your chin up!
@ Anon: True, good point(s). There's nothing I want to add on to write more novels, but I feel bad for writing just this much when you wrote paragraphs. Maybe I need a new blog? :P
ReplyDelete@AE: To be honest, I didn't even know about the Pat Tillman death cover up incident. But because of your comment, I wikipedia'd him and now I'm a bit more educated on him. And it probably took you less than a few minutes to type that. So with one comment, you spread(ed?) awareness on an issue and your website didn't change to be all about him. I understand why you and others won't blog about real world stuff, though.
I commented late because I didn't just want to write 'Yeah I agree' or some other two second response, but I guess that's how it ended up.
And for your second comment:
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'll try to go out and stuff to avoid staring at the broken laptop. :( Maybe I can catch up on writing the legacy and homework and stuff. :)
It's tough isn't it? I didn't really get into computers and internet until I was 17 or 18 years old. Now, I'd practically die if I lost it, even though for a decade and a half, I was just fine without it. My mom's the same way now. She just got into it a year or two ago, but if the internet connection drops, or something goes wrong with her laptop, she freaks out and I have a remind her "You're nearly 60....you spent almost 60 years without internet, Mom."
ReplyDeleteFunny what how not having internet makes us feel, or not even having access to our computers.
If you ever get a chance, I dunno if you'd have the opportunity, they made a documentary type film called The Tillman Story, which is what caused me to want to post on it, which is a good watch. I posted about it on my Facebook, as usually that's where I'll post on stuff like that, but I did want to go more in-depth, but still don't know if I want to do it on my blog. It's just one of those things I'm juggling my thoughts about.
LOL, I know. On vacations, by the last few days I just want to go online so badly that I'll be ruining it for everyone else. Same for camp. :P I've been Internet Dependent for like 3 years now. D: And I think I'm converting my Mom into one, too. She just uses Facebook and YouTube, though.
ReplyDelete