Monday, June 13, 2011

Experiments in Embedded Video - that I can do with time I don't need on doll message boards any more !

Current Mood : Unsettled.




Done with doll message boards. On a good day, I'm lucky if they only bore me, lately they've gotten ridiculous. Read one today wherein someone cross-posted a message from an absentee member, who's admonishing another group for letting him/her vanish without asking where he/she was. They knew he/she was having problems, yet not one admin wrote a note asking about him/her. So here was a nice big flounce, something everyone needs on a Monday.


Um, when I'm upset, I withdraw. I need some time to m'self to figure things out, and most people will give me that space. Of course, it's rare for me to make it my business to announce updates about ongoing personal issues on the very boards I'm criticizing now, but I'm not most people, I guess. Could be the folks he/she is admonishing for not giving him/her the attention he/she so desperately needs and deserves are simply doing the same thing. Far be it that he/she think well of someone, when it's more fun to accuse and flounce. I'm done. I don't need drama llamas, attention wharves, wanna-be regents, and barking acclaim hounds that only see everyone else as a source of free, unlimited praise and attention, lest they feel unappreciated and ignored. Crap, I don't get that kind of dedicated attention every day from my family, what makes this person expect it from strangers on doll discussion boards ?


What's funny is, back when I was a participating member of this board, I ignored Mr./Ms. Flouncer. His/Her preference in dolls wasn't mine, and I just never found any of the numerous photo-laden posts interesting. White draped backgrounds. Big ballgowns on a doll style I've never liked. Four to six poses - if you count the camera moving, since the dolls never did - two or four times a day. Nice enough, not my bag, better to say nothing than hurt someone, I always say. He/She had her fans, a cadre of 'em, but even when my stuff did get attention - and it was little to none - it was nice, not necessary to my psyche. I knew not to expect anyone to prop me up, or depend on anyone there to control my mood and self-esteem issues. I confess, this took time, and I did get flouncy when some posts from others got endless acclaim and mine got nearly ignored, but at least I was smart enough to keep my flounce to m'self. And move on quietly without tantrum-like scenes.


Couple this with more of the 'everyone who doesn't have every new Monster High thing yet, be patient !' from those who bought at least two of everything this weekend just pushed me right on over. I get so hungry for news and some companionable chatter that I lurk, but it always ends the same, even when I don't post. There's better ways to spend my time. If I could just stay awake a few hours...


In vastly more interesting Barbie news...Mattel's caught the ire of Greenpeace a few weeks ago. Seems they're dealing with an Indonesian company that greatly enjoys raiding rainforests for paper packaging supplies. Greenpeace's first salvo was slightly creepy, but interesting...




But I found the follow-up far more fascinating. The signs are identical to the Toy Fair '11 'Ken wants Barbie back' publicity stunt, but those smiles are definitely turned upside down. The hot-pink Mattel-logo Barbie Bulldozer, piloted by a lycra-clad blonde actress claiming to be Barbie, was a bit of genius, too.



 


According to Greenpeace.org, the arrests are real. All ten Mattel HQ protesters, including 'Barbie', were booked on charges from trespassing to conspiracy. Similar signs were unveiled in London and an online campaign in China has begun. A similar campaign in the US has stalled, Mattel's claiming copyright violation on the 'It's Over' signs, which isn't at all a surprise.


As for where I weigh in - like it matters - I'm still doing the research. But I do enjoy a well-run, well-planned, focused ad campaign, which is exactly what Greenpeace is running here. And I know darn good and well if Mattel's using rainforest paper products on Barbie packaging, it's being utilized for MH boxes, too. Every MH doll box I own says the dolls are made in Indonesia, it stands to reason the boxes are created and printed there as well. Something else to consider...


One day, I'm gonna have to start working on my magnum opus, 'The Politics of Liking Something - And Why You're Wrong to Enjoy Your Own Blasted Life', but I'm not quite bitter enough to begin. Give me another week or two. 




UPDATE: Mattel has already cut Asian Pulp & Paper from their supply chain, saying they never dealt directly with 'em in the first place, but have since directed their subsidiaries to stop doing so. They've also issued a new Sustainable Procurement Policy to said subsids, to avoid this in the future, adding that they already use 95% recycled paper sourced worldwide. Nice. 


Now I can admit it - I hated the 'Ken wants Barbie back' publicity stunt, and was glad to see Greenpeace steal it. Way I see it, he's too good for her and her playgirl ways anyhow. 

1 comment:

  1. Gasp! I know who you're talking about! And when I read that post my eyes automatically rolled. It was such a drama seeking post. And quite personally I didn't miss him/her's posts either. They lost me as fan when they posted a contest on the bored then made a post admonishing all the people who entered the contest who didn't post enough to meet their standards. And honestly, that was a reason why I stopped posting on that board for a while. I felt I didn't belong there because I couldn't post photos there as often as other. It wasn't until I heard that they were taking a break that I felt comfortable to come back.
    (P.s. Did you know a lot of that person's stuff is totally photoshopped, like even the clothes? That may sound snarky, but it's true.)
    And what was with that note? "I am not God"? It was just a total demand for attention, and I don't understand the need to post it on that other site, since they're not connected. And I will say that the person who posted it had some drama go down a while back themselves.
    What was it you said about people who collect toys acting like children?
    Agreed.

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