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Little Things that Irk You 4Ever

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    Little Things that Irk You 4Ever

    With the third thread settling close onto the usual 2,000 post renew marker I figured what best but to start the fourth thread off with not just an annoying teenage girly title in true spirit of the discussion here but also with my, and by now I imagine others, annoyance.

    The Internet Fad

    This weeks being the Ice Bucket Challenge. It was something I ignored easily enough at first, an inoffensive way to attract attention to a charitable cause, fine enough. But in true fashion it's become an monsterous all media covering internet phenomenon over a few days so its almost inescapable. Starting out with mostly celebrities doing it it quickly lost steam when Charlie Sheen, yes... Charlie Sheen, took the moral high ground by donating lump sum cash instead of getting wet. very quickly we've had it spread into the public domain, have regular updates on the news about who's done it-currently doing it-been nominated to do it. It's still powering on despite the death of a teenager and hospitalisation of a man. The death of one of its originators 5 days ago attracted less attention than who was getting soaked that day.

    It's the all encompassing obsessiveness people get that bothers me most. It's not even the challenge itself as by this time next week it'll be something equally tiresome doing the rounds like the video punching, or danger diving, that drinking challenge from a few weeks back, planking or other naff idea.

    The only real thing learned from the ever increasingly weary fads, is just how desperate millions of people are to feel included that they'd blindly follow and in some cases put themselves at risk over things that ultimately nobody cares if they do or don't do.

    #2
    Did you not get nominated?

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      #3
      I am skeptical of anything like the ice bucket challenge because it feels like a test of conformity or social experiment. BUT it has raised a serious amount of money for charities that historically have not been well supported, has massively increased awareness of ALS/MND which I will confess to having known next to nothing about and all that can only be a good thing as far as I'm concerned. I was nominated and I did it and I donated.

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        #4
        #welovegamedevs. I mean, honestly. I've been watching Sketcz's DVD and there's such a contrast between the stoic old Japanese developers who taught themselves machine code by reverse-engineering other games and the crybabies in the western indie space now. The silent majority of game developers must be looking on with utter bemusement at all of the Twitter drama going on. (Or maybe they're simply ignoring it and getting on with actually making games.)

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          #5
          Barrie, I could not agree more.

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            #6
            I have no idea who Barrie is so I'm going to assume you meant me. Great to have your support.

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              #7
              On another note, this is the reason paid for DLC will now never go away

              EA Close to 1 Billion Dollars in Annual Revenue from DLC Alone

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                #8
                What irks me most about the ice bucket challenge is that it's not really a challenge. I go running in the pissing rain in the winter for 3 hours at 5am. I HATE getting up that early. And getting so cold I have to have a long bath afterwards to get the feeling back in my feet and hands. Pouring a little water on your head is not a challenge. But maybe that's the point. It's just about easy enough for everyone to do, so it succeeds.

                Someone on my feed ran to work for charity. It's 20 miles (10 miles further than he has ever run before). In the rain. Next to such thrilling views as.... the A1. That's a challenge. I donated to his cause.

                If someone nominates me, would it be ok to turn around and say, actually I have a standing order to several charities on a monthly basis and pay for a child's education and clothes in Africa, so I don't need to be challenged to donate to charity.

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                  #9
                  "Charity" is not one big pot everyone gets a piece of though. It's awesome you donate to African kids. Doesn't help people with motor neuron disease any more than my Dog's Trust donations do. But this ice bucket thing does and it's working.

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                    #10
                    Sketcz's book is ridiculous.

                    I was reading it before bed then popped for my final tinkle trip of the night.

                    Upon my return, I stubbed my toe on the hefty tome.

                    Preposterous!

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                      #11
                      I took a look at the ALS organisation's tax return for last year. Don't really feel like donating. They've got enough other people helping out now so that those running that charity can take their >300k salary again this year. Nspcc and Sue Ryder cancer charities get my money each month, I don't feel guilty for not doing anything more. Plus my Facebook feed is nothing but Ice buckets now.

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                        #12
                        Originally posted by parkinho View Post
                        Did you not get nominated?
                        Thought the same. It's a harmless laugh that raises money for charity but lets moan anyway.

                        They raised 3 mil this time last year and it was 19 mil and counting this year. Yeah there's plebs doing it and not donating (annoys the piss out of me this tbh) but regardless it's worked wonders. Those saying 'it wastes water' clearly didn't do well at science.

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                          #13
                          That water is lost forever!

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                            #14
                            It's not the raising awareness though that bothers me, it's the tiresome exposure to the internet fad element that does. Let's be honest, the extra money raised is a happy by-product. At least half those who've done the challenge probably couldn't even tell you what condition and charity it's designed to support and if celebrities weren't involved it'd have had next to no coverage. Brad hits another obvious irk on the head as well, those charity heads will probably get hefty bonuses on those salaries this year too now. Plus, nomination is hardly a consideration, it's not as if there's any chance I'd ever acknowledge one. Patrick Stewart owned this challenge.

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                              #15
                              I have a personal suspicion that most objections (aside from Charles' ones) are a rationalisation of a simple gut feeling: I do not want to do this. And that I think is absolutely valid and if I were to focus on an irk here, it would by the peer pressure 'oh go on, it's for fun or a good cause' mentality that makes people feel duty-bound to do it. You don't have to do it. Nor should you feel bad about not doing it. For me, the reports of the good it was doing won out but my gut is usually to reject these tests of conformity and I wouldn't criticise anyone who does just that.

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