"93% won't copy and paste this"

This is a meme that seems to be making the rounds on Facebook status updates these days
Please put this on your status if you know someone (or are related to someone, or are someone) who has AUTISM. My wish for 2010 is that people will understand autism is not a disease; people with autism are not looking for a cure but for ACCEPTANCE...... 93% won't Copy and Paste this, will YOU make this your status for at least one hour?
Now for the most part I agree with the sentiment expressed. Autistic individuals are not broken or diseased and for the most part do not want a cure. Many in fact find the implications of curing something that is such a significant part of who they are to be quiet disturbing, as do I. Autistic individuals do, however, want to be treated with respect same as anyone else.

I want to comment though on that last little bit of the status update, "93% won't copy and paste this." It's a common feature with these kinds of status updates that often ruins a perfectly good status update for me. It always makes me think of grade schoolers on the playground daring each other to go up and touch the fence of the neighborhood curmudgeon's house. Who comes up with these "X% won't copy and paste this" claims? Makes me think of the saying, there are lies, damned lies, and statistics. Slap a number on that bad boy and all of a sudden it looks more official, more compelling.

I hope there is a grad student somewhere working on a dissertation on the manipulation of people through status updates on Facebook. That would be a fascinating read.

Comments

  1. the whole 93% thing kinda reeks of nanny nanny bo bo bet you can't get me, on the playground type taunting. When the status got to me through friends I guess someone had already nixed the 93 per cent part becasue I didn't even see it, just the rest.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It annoys me because I reveals people whom I know as being gullible twats

    ReplyDelete
  3. 93% of you won't comment on this blog post.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Looks like you're probably right.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I posted just that phrase as my status and at least one person made it his or her status.

    I then asked for the origin and was pointed to your site.

    Well said!

    ReplyDelete

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