Sunday, January 8, 2012

In Response to Beaky's NY Times Editorial: The Repost

The following is a respost of an old entry that was originally on Livejournal, but had to be deleted by community moderators in response to empty legal threats from defensive, misinformed wannabe goons.

So here is my response to an editorial in The New York Times, which was itself a reaction to an article in Rolling Stone magazine. The reason that I bothered to write this in the first place, was largely because I felt that many young girls looked up to the Girl In Question, without realizing how frighteningly bigoted she is. You will realize what I mean momentarily. I'm not talking about offhand comments or off-color jokes that could be interpreted by a sensitive person as being offensive. No, I'm talking about blatant homophobia and unapologetic racism, of the type one might not even expect coming from anyone born after around 1930.

Without further ado...
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I finally got around to writing this.It's totally informal, just a typical efagz post, and certainly not of the caliber of the editorial to which I'm responding.

Also, this post is rather massive.


Recently, in the wake of a recent article in Rolling Stone about longtime efag Kiki Kannibal, someone wrote about her situation, more briefly and, frankly, in a more neutral fashion, in an editorial in none other than the New York Times. (The link redirects to the efagz post about it, which includes Kiki's amusing reaction to it).


The editorial paints a picture of a tragic, lonely little girl, describing Ms. Kannibal as “a young teenager who got mauled by the some of the worst forces of the information age”, who “didn’t understand the consequences of her [sexual] appeal”; a victim of “death threats” and “mob-like behavior” on the part of legions of spiteful Internet denizens who said cruel things about her. Although I think that the article is dead-on in its appraisal of Kiki as an unfortunate example of some rather disturbing cultural trends, I thought it was a bit over-sympathetic toward Kiki’s case. I feel like a piece of the story is missing. Kiki is a very troubled young girl, this is certain; but I think that she has some very nasty and highly narcissistic attitudes—- I might even go so far as to say malignant personality traits. This in itself is sad— stuck-up and self-centered, reveling in self-glorification, I’m sure on the inside she’s more lost and broken than she lets on. But quite often—- more often than not, perhaps—- these pathological attention-seekers are, well, not the nicest people, and I think that this applies to Kiki. I think it’s a mistake to “blame society” in full for what happens to girls like this. These individuals can often be extremely rude, self-centered, and self-aggrandizing people, a far cry from the editorial’s implication of a lonely, insecure little girl who did what she did because all she ever wanted was a friend.
There’s more to the case of Kiki Kannibal than other, often anonymous people being aggressive toward her. These kids like Kiki aren’t always so helpless and naive as one might think, and I feel that this needs to be taken into account in order for these recent cultural trends to be properly and accurately assessed and understood. I think that it’s important to note that at least some of the people who are drawn strongly to this kind of Internet popularity exhibit narcissistic and/or histrionic traits, tendencies toward excessive self-aggrandizement, and the kind of rudeness and unpleasantness one often finds in such individuals. It’s not always that shy, socially inept girl who turns to the Internet for attention; sometimes it’s an individual who is manipulative and who enjoys power. Online attention-seeking isn’t always a matter of remedying an atrophied sense of self-worth, but can often be just the opposite: a way to further engorge an already bloated ego.


I'm not just slinging mud here. Ms. Kannibal, who has been an internet presence on various social networking sites that have come and gone over the last four years or so, has repeatedly shown herself to hold attitudes so disgusting, so vile, so appalling, I actually felt a little nauseous watching these videos in preparation for writing this. Kiki isn't some sweet, shy, doe-eyed girl. She makes fun of disabled people. She ruthlessly mocks people who are "ugly" or "fat". Anyone she deems inferior to her own amazing and infallible self, she subjects to ruthless, cruel mockery. For someone who complains so much about being on the receiving end of the snarky comments of "haters", she herself is one mean bitch.

Don't believe me? Then let's get to The Evidence.

The following are three videos, involving footage that I think was recorded from Stickam. I included transcripts below them. However, I recommend watching the videos themselves, if possible. Kiki's not the most eloquent individual, and written out as a transcript, I think one misses the full effect of what's being said.

Video the First: Making Fun of the Disabled and Laughing at Car Accidents

"She fell asleep at the wheel and her car rolled down the hill three times! [laughs] She crashed into somebody and her car rolled over three times! [more laughter] This [unintelligible] fat girl in a wheelchair, who won't shut the fuck up, like, she's like [grotesque animal noises, laughter], like she's about to eat a chair or some shit. Ewww, Logan, you're a gay bastard. She's gonna like, gnaw on her like, headrest, like [grotesque animal noises], like she's so fucking angry [laughter, unintelligible comments, and more grotesque animal noises]. Here's one picture of her... [snickers]... because she's such an ugly bitch! [more laughter] Oh, my god. There's so many, like, retarded people. He's hunched over like this, like [grotesque, rather simian imitation of a disabled person], he had a bib on, and I was like, oh my god! He was in a wheelchair, he's like, [further mocking imitations of a disabled person]. 'Cause when I walk by that's what all, like, the little nasties look at.
There's nothing I don't like about myself, really.
[laughter] She has like, no eyeballs and she's really fucking gross. I always cringe when I see her, in electives, she's in my elective class and I always cringe when I see her, like augh, it's fucking disgusting, [unintelligible] albino thing.
I saw two midgets in the parking lot; they were like, African-American or something.
She's like [grotesque noises]. She's in like, my Spanish class, I think. She's like [grotesque noises], like oh my god, I felt like barfing. The big fat gothic girl who wore cat ears and a cat tail like, every day to school? [laughter]
[eating a cookie] I bet you wish you could eat this cookie without getting fat. You'd probably blow up like a fucking air balloon.
Like, she wore no makeup, she was deformed, and she wore her hair in a ponytail. Like, there's this really big girl in my class, and she's dyslexic, and she has to ride in a wheelchair 'cause she's so big. Like, this is what makes me smile.

Okay, okay, hold the phone a second.
"This is what makes me smile."
"This is what makes me smile."
"THIS IS WHAT MAKES ME SMILE."
I don't even have any words for this. How can someone even be like that?
Resuming video transcript:
"Like, see all these midgets walking in the hallway, and be all like [grotesque noises]. She'd dance, and she's like, [imitates girl].
Yeah, like, if I could have a bigger waistline too, you fat bitch."

The video then repeats some of the footage from the beginning, in which Kiki so charmingly laughs at what sounds like a fatal or near-fatal accident. Who-- who, I ask you--- laughs at that?


Video the Second: Racism and Homophobia

"If you know someone with breast cancer... on TV, bitch! You shouldn't be on the Internet, then, because there's... don't go on the Internet if you're easily offended. Yeah. How's that, bitch?
I looked really cute, and, I got a lot of attention. It was cool. But walking, there was this huge crowd after, um, one of the bands played, and this girl, she's like, there are huge fat girls...
If you're ugly, and you're really really smart, and you're ugly, people won't want to listen to what you have to say, because you're ugly, if you get what I'm saying. If you're pretty, more people are going to want to hear what you have to say about yourself."

About yourself. Because it's not like anyone would have anything to say that isn't about themselves, of course. This is kind of what I'm talking about. Not only is it as if it just hasn't occurred to this girl that someone's worth could be determined by factors other than physical attractiveness, but she's so self-absorbed that the idea of someone having something to say, that isn't about themselves, doesn't seem to compute.
"Yeah, remember that big chunky girl? This girl, her name was like Chelsea or something, and she would always go on Stickam, and people thought, oh, she was this sexy girl, and da-da-da-da-da, but she ended up being really, really, like a jerk, and uh, I guess she won some contest and went out to L.A., and they, uh, video-taped her, with like, a legit real camera, like how you would look like in real life, and MAN!, you saw how she REALLY was, and she was like [makes gestures indicating fatness]. I wish my face was bigger... no I don't!
But, I have these shorts that say Dancer on the back, and I like, wear them sometimes, like to feel good, [unintelligible], like I don't want fatties-- not fatties-- I don't want overweight or out-of-shape people to like, get mad at me, because I know some of them, they get mad at me, like "Oh, I'm gonna snap that skinny bitch in half!", and shit like that, so, I wore the dancer shorts, and they were like "Oh, she's a dancer, she's supposed to to be working out at the gym", you know what I mean, like it's kind of an excuse to go, so they're not like "I'm gonna eat her up like a twizzler stick!! [animal roaring type noises], or an oreo cake, or those oreo straws...

Here we see the paranoid aspect of Kiki's raging narcissism that often evidences itself. Everyone's just jealous of her, or otherwise out to get her. I mean, she feels like she needs to have an excuse to go to the gym, lest a bunch of jealous fatties gang up on her? These are unhealthy, unrealistic attitudes. I doubt she is or was the only thin girl at her gym, and I doubt that anyone really even shot a glance in her direction, being as that they were probably focused on their own workouts--- but no, because she's Kiki Kannibal, and always the center of attention wherever she goes.
"Ugh!!! This girl thinks she knows how to do makeup, but she doesn't, and she thinks she knows how to straighten her hair, but she doesn't. I think she's half-black and half-white, and like, I feel so horrible. That eyeliner is so rancid, bitch! She still has nappy hair. I feel so... pity. She got that eyeshadow from Old Navy; she got it from the store. She got it from OLD NAVY! [uproarious laughter, unintelligible], like the two-dollar eyeshadows; she found it on the floor! [somewhat unintelligible mocking] See, she's half-black, half-white, I told you. I can read people quite well."
Is that racism I detect there, Kiki?
"Okay, are you the loser with the squinty little eyes and the fucking stupid-ass monroe? Let's see-- no! You're a stupid gay guy. You're a stupid fag. I'm not insulting gay people or homosexuals, I'm insulting faggots, because I hate faggots, they're bitchy."
As if the racism and sizeism weren't enough, now she's throwing homophobic slurs around! What a classy young woman.
"...walked out after like 15 minutes of it, and as I was walking out, another person was like 'HEY! HEY KIKI!', and it was just like, are you serious? So a lot of retards, like, recognized me there, and were annoying, so, and people wouldn't shut up, so we had to leave, and the gay guys behind us kept kicking the seats, like little Jolly Rancher [unintelligible] that they are, and sloshing around their wine, and prancing around, very also, also, also very, annoying."
More homophobia, naturally.
"Q-balls? Eww! You're making me not want to eat! I'm a Holocaust victim, please, I need to eat!
"Shut up, little faggot.
"Faggots were just like, oh, I'm a fucking diva, lalalalala, bitch, oh my god, fuck you, like, shut the fuck, I HATE faggots!"

"I hate faggots." Straight from the toucan's beak.
The video goes on to show some of Kiki's tweets, most or all of which have since been deleted to cover her homophobic ass.
"it was actually a woman who made sexual remarks to me. She got fired thank god! I think she was bisexual. Ugh."
"For those angry lesbians and bisexuals that have been tweeting at me: A. I do not like being grabbed by my professor and asked if I'm deep throating a sex toy when I was drinking a soda. I also didn't like when she would talk to me about her porn and horse penis."

People with her personality type often outright fabricate things, and I wouldn't be surprised if none of this happened.
"@DerekDisaster12 molests little boys. Honestly I don't date guys like you, I'm not even interested or attracted to you. I'm def not seeing U"
Well, that's white an allegation to make of someone whose worst offense was not meeting your standards, Kiki.

Video the Third

"I think people who smoke weed are gross-looking, I think, I, being me, being Kiki, and if you don't like it get the hell out of here? Where's that button? Right there. Click that button, and it will get you out of here.
"No talking shit, just opinions. Call as I see them!
"What do I do about jealous girls and haters? I ignore them."

We have seen, and are about to see again, that this is not the case at all.
"Let's look at your pictures. You don't want to piss me off, because this is what I do. Enough of that, I'm getting off her profile, it's making me queasy. I tell it like it is! If you're gonna, if you're gonna like, mess with me, I'm gonna look at your shit, evaluate it, and tell you straight up what I think.
"Gross! I'm gonna, I'm gonna look through her pictures. This is amusing. I think these girls have made my day."
"See, okay, look at her pictures! BLEEEUUUGH! 'Model shot'? Holy crap! I think this just made my day! I think this, this made my day! I'm gonna blow up your pictures and save them as my, my desktop, so every time I come to my Mac, and go online, I see your model shots. That's just gonna... Oh, I'm [unintelligible]! You guys wanna see this?
"All [unintelligible] kids, look like sofa kings. Like, their faces are so like, puffy, and so like, you can't even see their features, their face is just like a blob, like a pillowsbury [sic] doughboy and a sofa king had a baby. That's what it would look like. That got burnt in a fire.
"[attempts British accent badly] Like, I can't do a British accent, like, they're all like, I [unintelligible] and their teeth are like really messed up, and they're like [grotesque noises reminiscent of a whale or something]; I'm like: [makes face]."

Brits too, Kiki? Is there any disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or nationality, about which she doesn't have something incredibly nasty and bigoted to say?
"Baleeted! Faggot.
"And people, kids are just like, so fucking retarded and all-- hold on, I've gotta ban this faggot. Cotton candy retard. Ban!
"Call them as I see them!
"I can't-- when lesbians look at me, it's just like, whoa, don't do that, like, just don't! That's so disrespectful!"

Disrespectful? Disrespectful? DIS-RE-FUCKING-SPECTFUL? How dare you accuse someone else of being disrespectful? (Sorry, I've been writing this for too long now and she is just causing me SO MUCH RAGE the more I watch her idiocy).
"I was born before Miley Cyrus, so, if you-- if anything, you should be saying, 'Hey Miley Cyrus! Stop talking like Kiki!' Bitch!"

Well, so much for ignoring them. Relational aggression is the way to go, for sure.


As if those comments weren't nasty enough, let's examine this lovely case illustrating what happens when a customer tries to request a refund or replacement for damaged goods ordered from Kiki's online store.

READ THIS FROM THE BOTTOM.



Well, isn't that nice? Kiki schmoozed up to this insecure little girl, feeding her compliments to entice her into overpaying for a piece of bedazzled plastic, and then did a 180 when things went awry. Manipulative, much? This is the kind of girl Kiki Kannibal is. She's a self-absorbed, manipulative liar. In addition to betraying a marked lack of legal knowledge of any kind, this interaction makes it startlingly clear what happens when Kiki doesn't get her way-- she will do what she can to bring whatever misfortune she can upon those who dared question her. All this girl did was ask for a refund on an item that arrived broken in the mail. This is just absurd!

Here's the girl in question's blog entry about what had happened. Evidently, Kiki had repeatedly insisted that Buzznet take down this supposedly "libelous" journal entry.


What followed in the original screencap, was the conversation recounted above.

The comments from the blog post contain further complaints of Kiki's scamming.







Not only does this material show Kiki for who she is, it goes further than that. This isn't just Kiki. She isn't the only one of her kind. There are legions of girls like her out there on the Internet, posing half-nude, talking smack about others, and rambling on about how amazing they themselves are. Is this kind of striking narcissism and lack of compassion or sympathy for other people, something that has become more prevalent in recent years among young people, and into which Internet phenomena and other cultural phenomena have fed? Or is it that people like this are simply drawn to the opportunities for attention-seeking and self-aggrandizement offered by social networking sites? Is it a complex interplay of the two? These questions are beyond my own sociological insight and beyond the scope of this post.

Well, I could only find the second (more important, I guess) of the aforementioned posts.

That's okay, though. As I've said, it will be forthcoming. :)

Saturday, January 7, 2012

I will be reposting, on this blog, two former LJ efagz posts that have been deleted.

They date back to August of 2011 or thereabouts, and are responses to a NY Times article concerning a certain beaky toucan and her kawaii relative.

I need to reupload the videos and screencaps that go with the posts, however.


TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: To post quotes or videos from someone, and then to call out the obvious bigotry contained within, does not constitute a legal offense. Sorry.

Monday, October 3, 2011

A few words on the Debit Card Issue

If you live in the United States, you've probably heard about Bank of America's new policy, wherein evidently they're planning to charge people a $5 monthly fee for using their debit cards. Now, to me, this makes little sense. However, I can't help thinking that, in cases of people for whom that extra $5 might make a real difference, this move will push them toward being more reliant on credit cards. That is, the whole thing strikes me as yet another move to push people into situations in which they are setting themselves up to be more likely to incur financial debt. The whole thing just seems a bit rotten to me. I can't really fathom one good, solid reason why the debit-card fee should be justified. There seems to be little rhyme or reason to it, except the ones I speculated a few sentences ago--- as well as, perhaps, to drive home in the mind of the consumer that this somehow isn't really their money in their checking account, that somehow it belongs to the bank and not to themselves.

Friday, September 30, 2011

I can never think of anything to write on this darn thing.

It's not like I never blog ever. I have a Tumblr, and I'm rather active on efagz and efanz. I just blank out whenever I go to write a Blogger blog entry.

I say this after just having written 1000+ words in an LJ comment. Go figure.

Here's a picture in the meantime. Everyone likes pictures, right? Not like that boring old text. The written word is so last millennium. Photos and factoids 4evar.