# inspirational quotes and social media

Category: Let's talk

## Post 1 by Godzilla-On-Toast (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Thursday, 19-Jul-2012 21:59:40

So what with the several topics where people are posting these quotes and their spoofs, I want to talk about the topic of inspirational quotes itself. One thing I notice about social media and e-mail when it was the only social medium is that people love posting and sending these things. By the power of cut and paste we can all be motivational speakers, albeit borrowing from whoever we run into on a Google search or get stuff thrown at us by our great Aunt Tilly and asked to pass it along else we'll get bad luck. But it seems that when people want to say something but don't have anything personal to say, usually what is posted is something inspirational or motivational or otherwise kind of serious and heavy. So my question is, how come? Why do you do it and why perhaps is it a default action for a lot of people. I guess I'm one who's one of those big bad meanies to whom inspirational stuff does nothing. I'm not saying people shouldn't send them, not by any means, but what motivates you to need to motivate?

## Post 2 by Blue Velvet (I've got the platinum golden silver bronze poster award.) on Friday, 20-Jul-2012 11:28:01

I have no idea. I used to have a co-worker who sent all that crap to me and other co-workers on a daily basis. I asked her to stop, but she kept sending them.

## Post 3 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Friday, 20-Jul-2012 15:17:59

My theory is it makes the person feel like they are doing something. Which, of course, is far different from actually doing something.

## Post 4 by SilverLightning (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Friday, 20-Jul-2012 15:30:26

I agree, they do nothing for me. Is anyone really ever comforted by them?
I mean, has anyone ever broken up with someone, and had their sister go, "Oh there's lots of fish in the sea", and suddenly felt better? I mean, who does that work for? It never works for me. Knowing that just makes me realize that there are other people in the sea for the person who just broke up with me. That's a depressing thought.

## Post 5 by Miss M (move over school!) on Friday, 20-Jul-2012 16:31:47

Seconding Leo.

## Post 6 by Godzilla-On-Toast (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Friday, 20-Jul-2012 17:35:54

I do think Leo's got a good point and it's something I've seen since the days of e-mail forwards and chain letters. The feeling of having done something outweighs and is more important than actually doing anything. Feelings are more important than reality. I also wonder if most people perceive themselves as the most boring and the stupidest person that ever lived, or if they do say something and somebody disagrees strongly they feel like they got kicked in a very vulnerable and painful place so they feel they are disallowed from saying anything about themselves.

## Post 7 by chelslicious (like it or not, I'm gonna say what I mean. all the time.) on Friday, 20-Jul-2012 19:10:16

Leo said it best; this sort of thing is done because it makes people feel like they're doing something, without actually doing something.
as Cody said, they do nothing for me.

## Post 8 by Godzilla-On-Toast (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Wednesday, 01-Aug-2012 17:28:57

Although it's nice to know that I'm not the only one that just is not into these motivational things, where are their defenders? I hope this topic did not scare them off, as I'm really not trying to be mean or ugly here, I'm genuinely interested to find out what the appeal is. I mean, it's nice to know that others share my views, that's always nice, but could I please hear from the other side? I know back in the days when I was on e-mail lists, I would occasionally have to raise my voice about my dislike of chain letters, chicken soup stories where the protagonist had to die to prove its moral, and assorted preachy forwards, and I tell you what, the defenders of all things Mountain Wings and Chicken Soup would come roaring down the pike, guns a-blazing, ready to defend their very souls against a mean old monstrous grinch like adorable sweet and kind little me. Where are they now when I need them?

## Post 9 by Siriusly Severus (The ESTJ 1w9 3w4 6w7 The Taskmaste) on Thursday, 23-Aug-2012 2:08:19

good points here, I don't know either, agree with you guys all it does for me is annoy me. I quote philosophy and philosophers which is a completely different thing and I only do it to amuse myself and to be a nerd. haha! I like to see reactions and I talk philosophy a lot in real life too and quote it too, so yeah, but I don't know about the motivational stuff either.