Sidewalk chatter...

Well, as I was out roaming around town, enjoying some time off and “stay-cationing” it up. I saw something that I wanted to share.

I was out, enjoying one of my favorite day-off treats on Lower Queen Anne, Breakfast at Peso’s.

For those who are familiar with the place, you probably know it’s a popular bar (and a bit of a meat market, at that). But I don’t go there for the eye candy or margaritas, I try to get there before 10 AM.

Not that I am raging alcoholic, but because they serve an amazing breakfast which is pretty much half-off before 11 AM.

It’s an enjoyable dichotomy- raging bar by night, mellow and delicious-food-serving by morning. I am finding in my old(er) age, that bumpin’ clubs are less and less inviting and a chill spot with good food is much more my speed.

So I enjoyed some good food, with a good friend and proceeded to head-out and continue recovering from the overindulgences of the night before.

When we came across a gentleman, who inspired me to pound away at this very keyboard.

It was a very quick interaction, no more than a minute or two. But it was a minute that meant a lot to me. Themes of kindness, patience and the tenacity of the human spirit were all brought front and center.

I spotted the fella crossing the street about a block away from me. He was an older gentleman, who seemed to be dealing with some sort of a muscular disorder: multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy. He was doing his damnedest to cross the street as quickly as he could…all the while his body seemed to be fighting his desires with every step.

I saw the fella and honestly, took pity. I am not proud to admit it, but it’s the truth.

Then I thought to myself- How would I do were I placed into his situation? And the answer was not one I liked.

Eventually, the gentleman made it across the street and our paths crossed. When he muttered something our way.

My buddy and I, both still admittedly foggy and hung over, did what most Seattleites would do, kinda nodded towards him and started on our merry way.

Then the gentleman, reiterated his muttering. And the look in his eyes stopped me in my tracks.

He wasn’t crazy. He wasn’t trying to bum money. Turns out, he was just looking for directions to Bartell’s.

I could see in his face, which was slightly contorted from the betrayal of his own muscles, his eyes beamed with an expression that said he just needed a little help with a simple request.

So after the third time of placing his request, I discerned what he was saying and was able to direct him to Bartell’s, which was only 2 blocks away.

I still remember the look in his eyes, it reminded me of seeing recent interviews with Mohammed Ali. There was a brightness, a sharpness and an intensity. You can see that the mind is as sharp as any, even if the body won’t allow them to express the thoughts they want to share.

This gentleman was likely just as quick and rational as anyone I’ve met. And to his credit, he was patient with me. Although he did seem to be a bit frustrated with my inability to comprehend what he was asking, I couldn’t tell if the frustration was directed at me, or the situation.

But, and here comes one of the lessons, he was patient enough to see the interaction through. And I’m glad he was.

He headed on his way, as did my buddy and I.

We got back to the car and circled around the block, catching-up with the gentleman who was now crossing the street near where we’d just been speaking.

It had been a good few minutes since our interaction, and this fella had barely made it a quarter of a block. Yet, there he was plogging along, placing one awkward foot ahead of the others, doggedly trying to speed his way across a very busy intersection.

Again, I pondered how I would do were I placed in his shoes. But this time my answer was a bit different.

This experience had altered my perception. The example of patience and perseverance that this fella exhibited really did a lot to remind me of how indelible and amazing the human spirit can be.

He just needed to get to the store. And he was going to make that happen, even if it meant slowly navigating a busy neighborhood or spelling things out for a couple of hung over yahoos.

Never ceases to amaze how something so little, can lead to such a big realization. 

Liking ain't quite Voting...

So I must admit, I am a social network fiend. I love me some Facebook. I am addicted. I check it far more than is healthy and/or reasonable. That said, I think social media is given a bit more credence in society than I think it is due…Let me ‘splain myself.

I enjoy the social media. It’s a great way to keep tabs on those I care about (a group no larger than 25 peeps) and those I kinda like keeping tabs on, but could honestly could do without (the rest of my 200+ "friends" on Facebook).

While I find it pretty cool to see what that guy I used to skip 5^th period Spanish with, has been up to. I think my life would probably go on without knowing how delicious this acquaintance from high school found a VooDoo Donut. 

*Way to state the obvious, VooDoo is delish!

So I was a lil off-put by a story I found in a (usually) reputable stalwart of journalism, Time magazine.

The title of the article was “Meet the 22-year-old who defeated Bank of America’s debit fee.”

On the surface, the preface was cool enough. A gal, PO’d with big banks (whom collected government hand-outs) charging fees for a service that was previously free, decided to say ‘Enough is enough,’ and started a social media campaign against Bank of America’s new debit fee.

The story (which you can read here) goes on to talk about how the gal used social media to coalesce a group and create an online presence to illustrate how the majority feels on the matter.

Now I am no mind reader, so I cannot be certain of the assertion to follow, but…

Clicking ‘Like’ or ‘I agree’ does not a wholehearted act of support make.

While a form of democracy, joining an online movement takes no real effort or thought. If something strikes you at the moment, all you need to do is click a mouse and ‘make a statement.’

I think such gestures are hollow. And rather lame.

Submitted for your approval, the case of JR’s fake engagement. -- 

I once left my (unpasscode protected) cell phone unattended at a bar…my bad.

Someone grabbed my phone and updated my Facebook status to: “I love my Fiancé!”

Now, I am not currently, nor have I ever been engaged. But I thought it was pretty funny, so much so that I even told the gal I was seeing at the time, that she should like the status, just to make it look believable. 

(Oh what an impairment alcohol is…)

After 30 minutes and double-digit “likes” and/or “Congrats, I am so happy for you” comments, I decided I should put an end to the charade. So I commented, ‘Sorry to disappoint…someone grabbed my phone at the bar. I am not engaged. Yet.’

What blew my mind, and has since shattered my confidence in social media as a voice of the people, were the responses that followed my comment noting that I was not engaged.

At least, 10 more comments and 5 additional likes followed as people didn’t read into what they were liking and just clicked a button.  

Sure, I didn’t help matters by taking steps to make the status look legit. But I think this story illustrates a few things.

First, “Liking” a status is not the same as voting or joining a movement.

Second, the ease with which someone can “like” something devalues the strength of that like. Let me illustrate, think of how much more receiving a text means versus simply getting a “Happy Birthday” comment on your wall on Facebook.

My thought process is like this, “Wow, someone took the time to compose and send me a text, and they may have honestly remembered my birthday.” As opposed to, “Welp, they saw the reminder on the Facebook homepage.”

Third, affecting real change takes action.

I am not devaluing the megaphone power of social media and the internet. But at some point, actors must step away from the keyboard and enter the real world.

While the power of the internet to affect the real world is very strong (see online bullying for example) I worry that people mistake liking a charitable organization with actually volunteering for said organization.

Again, here’s another real world example…

Election season is upon us, and while surfing the Seattle Times web site, I came across a pop-up ad that I really was impressed with- “Getting Married is so Gay. It’s About Time. Redhook supports Marriage Equality November 4^th.”

I immediately shared that ad on Facebook and got more likes than usual and even a share. Which is great, as I was able to leverage social media to share a point of view that I agreed with.

However, that ad was in relation to Referendum 74, which is a ballot measure to legalize Gay marriage in Washington State. So although I have shown support for the cause, to make it a reality requires me to step offline and actually vote. Sure, my post on Facebook may influence others to vote…but there are a couple keywords in that last sentence to pay attention to “may influence others”…the only concrete result from my actions on social media would me my voting for that referendum on election day.

All the likes in the world won’t make that referendum law.

And I guess that is the takeaway from this diatribe- Leverage social media and have fun, but don’t forget to take real effective action when necessary.

And be sure to get out and vote on Nov 4^th!