Ship of Fools: The Worst Hashtag

Thread: The Worst Hashtag Board: Hell / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by anoesis (# 14189) on :

I don't know if anyone's called a hashtag to hell before. I've been pondering doing so for a few weeks now, and I'm feeling all daring and avant-garde for some reason, so I'll give it a go.

I hereby call #nohomo to hell for being ridiculous, pointless, regressive, anxiety-inducing, and just plain #allkindsofwrong. While I'm here, I may as well call whoever thought the fecking thing up to hell also, for being a massive, insecure, jerk, and I wave a stern matronly finger at all those currently propagating it, for not having the courage or the insight to call it out for the idiocy it clearly is.

A bit of background: A month or so ago, looking at a friend's Facebook page, there was a post about her eldest son having just returned from some overseas trip for some high school sports meet. I had a look at his Instagram page, and sure enough, there was a lovely group photo of some happy teens in team kit, returning triumphant, etc., etc. And the comments - they went like this: Well done, bro./ So proud of you #nohomo / Aww, missed you #nohomo / You guys are awesome #nohomo / You're the best, man #nohomo / Great to have you back #nohomo - aaaand I'm sure you get the idea.

What is with this stuff? It's so stupid I can hardly find words to express my disdain for it! If it's any kind of a joke, I have to say I've missed the punchline entirely. It seems like, so far from collectively getting over ourselves and getting on with our lives, leaving other consenting adults to do as they wish with their dangly bits, we're looking to find new ways to be layering on the gay panic with a trowel! And once one insight-deprived idiot has added the tag, of course all those who follow must do so too, unless they're courageous enough to make a point of not doing so, and [sadly] willing to offer themselves up as an object of derision in pursuit of that point. (Not a phenomenon I observed, as it happens).

So stupid. So unnecessary. To all the young men out there in the world - whatever your proclivities - you're allowed to have close friends, guy friends, friends who mean a lot to you, who you care about. You're allowed to tell them that, and I'd really like to think that neither I, nor any other rational human being, is going to blink rapidly and assume you’re gay, simply because you expressed a positive sentiment about a mate, and failed to append a hashtag-no-homo disclaimer on the end, because you shouldn't have to explain it, justify it, or qualify it, because it's a completely normal thing to do!

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :

If it's what it looks like, then absolutely yes, it's awful.

I'm not on social media. But ISTM hashtags aren't always easy to figure out. Is it possible this one has a different meaning?

FWIW.

Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :

Let me Google that for you

Posted by Adeodatus (# 4992) on :

Speaking as a homo, and one who has made extensive study of all things homo, let me assure you that behind every "#nohomo", there's something a little bit homo.

Posted by Alan Cresswell (# 31) on :

#WorstHashtagEver

Posted by Rossweisse (# 2349) on :

I'm hard put to think of a worse hashtag.
[Roll Eyes]

Posted by Ricardus (# 8757) on :

I thought the point of the hashtag was that if I add #ChalcedonianChristology to all my posts, then other people who are interested in Chalcedonian Christology can find them.

Are there people out there who seriously imagine that other people actively go searching for #nohomo posts? As in 'I wonder what non-homosexual things some random strangers have been doing today - let me search Facebook for #nohomo'?

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :

Oh, it's so stupid. It's everywhere on YouTube, where I think its general use is to reassure YouTube content creators that thecompliments, etc. are not being given by a stalker.

Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :

Couldn't one just as easily and infinitely less offensively use #platonic ?

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :

Good idea, mt. I wonder if a lot of people just aren't familiar with the word?

Posted by anoesis (# 14189) on :

quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
Couldn't one just as easily and infinitely less offensively use #platonic ?

They could. They could also, quite reasonably, assume that the inclusion of a term like 'bro' makes the nature of their comments fairly clear. Better still, they could just not buy into the whole thing, given it seems such a self-perpetuating phenomenon. Fewer guys pre-emptively proclaiming themselves non-gay means fewer guys have to chime in and follow suit, lest they appear gay by omission, or gay by default, or any other similarly ludicrous thing.

Posted by Rossweisse (# 2349) on :

quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
Couldn't one just as easily and infinitely less offensively use #platonic ?

Perhaps being offensive - or "non-PC" - is part of the point for some people.

Posted by sabine (# 3861) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Kelly Alves:
Oh, it's so stupid. It's everywhere on YouTube, where I think its general use is to reassure YouTube content creators that thecompliments, etc. are not being given by a stalker.

You're right, it is stupid. And it fails by assumption (ie, stalkers are gay).

sabine

Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :

There are several which come to mind, which are the worst and best at once, because they make a point.

#nigga to reclaims the N word, #vanilliISIS further describes the #shitleryouth who march with tikki torches.

In the midst of this hurricane blitz, #ExxonKnew refers to the suppression by this large oil company of the data about climate change, its continued funding of denial and its propaganda politicizing of climate change.

Posted by Jane R (# 331) on :

...what this hashtag says to me is 'I am the kind of person who will assume that anyone paying me a compliment wants to have sex with me.'

Nice of them to identify themselves. Makes them easier to avoid.

[ 12. September 2017, 08:59: Message edited by: Jane R ]

Posted by Erroneous Monk (# 10858) on :

So what hash tag do you attach to a post if you want to point out to your Mo (or to a mofo) that you're no ho?

Posted by Jane R (# 331) on :

Why do you need a hashtag at all for something like that? You don't do it in normal conversation.

"Good morning John! Hashtag just hello I'm in a hurry to get to work hashtag don't have time to stop and talk."

"Nice hairdo, Amy! Hashtag not sexually interested in you hashtag prefer men actually"

There is NO NEED to index something that is not there in the conversation. Rookie indexers often make this mistake.

Posted by Ricardus (# 8757) on :

quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
Couldn't one just as easily and infinitely less offensively use #platonic ?

'Kissing Agathon, I found my soul at my lips. Poor thing! It went there, hoping--to slip across. #nohomo'

Posted by churchgeek (# 5557) on :

quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
Couldn't one just as easily and infinitely less offensively use #platonic ?

Philosophers could have fun messing with that one.

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