It’s amazing how ignorance and bigotry is passed down through the generations. 170 years and the same states are still not forward thinking.
I will have to take offense to this as a gay man living in Georgia. I don’t think you can equate a functionally meaningless gesture such as a profile picture change on a social networking site to slavery support in centuries past. I didn’t change my profile picture, but that certainly doesn’t mean I’m not “forward thinking”. It means I reserve my actions and support where they can actually make a difference.
1st of all, if you think changing your profile picture is meaningless, then read this. It’s not about a profile picture changing a law, its about showing support, and it could have saved at least one life. I know that (as the post I linked says) the 15 year old me that was suicidal because of feeling alone and like a hell-bound sinner for my thoughts and closeted sexuality would have benefited very much from seeing this kind of support. I would have probably felt a lot better that more accepted and supported, and I know from a few young people contacting me after my post about that, that they benefited in just that way.
2nd of all, just because you live in the South doesn’t mean you need to take it personally. All this post was displaying was a notice in a trend that also included the 2012 presidential election. It was in no way a blanket statement about all people that live in the south, and it especially did not include gay people themselves, but that should have been obvious. No one is saying that you are less forward thinking because you didn’t change your profile picture. You are absolutely right about that, but wrong to need to defend it, because NOBODY was talking about you specifically.
I actually had posted on my facebook (which you wouldn’t know) thanking people, ALL people, and not just those who changed their icon, for the support and acceptance, and I mentioned that it is more than just changing your profile picture, and I commended those who are supportive in their every day lives, and don’t feel the need to change an avatar. There’s nothing wrong with that.
I’m glad you take actions and your support other places where they can make a difference, and I comment you for that. But that doesn’t mean you have to “reserve” them. There is no limit. You can’t run out. So you can show your support with a small social network gesture and still take it other places where you think it does more good. But like I said, it does, can, and DID make a difference on facebook, and you are wrong to think that it is useless. It made a difference to those young people that messaged me, that are now more hopeful, and it even made a difference to me to see how many of my friends and family members are supportive. Many of them whom I now know are actively supportive (in places that it “actually makes a difference” like you say), but Facebook provided visibility, love, and hope, for a lot of people.
Just because you think your activism is too good for Facebook, doesn’t mean some people don’t benefit from it. So I am sorry you took it personally, or just that you just had to reply with a contrary opinion, which I actually think is more the case. I hope it made you feel good to be the only person to say something adverse. What would we do without you?