 It was the most revolutionary social movement, since the chip hit the fan, in the wake of a chip company’s noisy but environmentally friendly bag. The other day, a small group of users on a social media site, created a social mediament, as it were, and managed to put an end to female exploitation. Sort of… Clearly, there are so many injustices and travesties in this world that it is hard to decide what fight to fight. But, when a user on Twitter, who goes by the name of @motherpucker, started a “Hockey Hottie Contest,” this seemed to anger the tweet out of some people. Certainly, the sheer respectability quotient behind a handle like motherpucker can be intimidating. A name like that ranks right up there with some of the most influential thinkers of our time: Jean-Paul Sartre… Albert Einstein… Homer… Simpson, and now, motherpucker.  So much fight, so few battles... It is easy to understand how crusaders would want to identify and expel a problem before it becomes even more harmful and unmanageable. History does show that is the method of choice, right? Well, perhaps history is a poor example. Still, today, we learn from our mistakes, right? Well, perhaps the present is also a poor example. Even so, a problem was thwarted, before it got out of control. And in order for us to learn by example, here’s what happened: Someone, assumed to be a guy (you never know online), motherpucker, created a contest for Twitter’s 2011 Hockey Hottie. Any female on Twitter who had some sort of interest in hockey was eligible to be nominated by anyone. After nominations, it appeared as though contestants would be whittled down by public vote. Last year, the winner won – wait for it – a hockey jersey of her choice. Pretty serious, I know. But, before getting past the first round, motherpucker announced he pulled the contest, then unpublished his Web site, and deleted his Twitter account and thus its hefty followership. All this, presumably because of the social mediament and its backlash. More specifically, a very small group of people, and their cause.  Now, I am not for beauty contests, and most definitely not for exploitation. Hopefully, this has been made clear in my writing and by my body image awareness program “Bye-Bye, Barbie™.” But, in the name of disclosure, this year I was nominated, along with approximately 200 other hockeyettes. In the name of full disclosure, I asked my boyfriend to nominate me. What? Yup. Now, I don’t know what’s more surprising: The fact that I asked my boyfriend to nominate me, or that I actually admitted this. But here’s the thing, I thought it was just a fun, meaningless contest that would give me the smallest chance to win a (way overpriced) hockey jersey for my guy. (Hey, we all buy lottery tickets knowing, most likely, we will not win.) Besides, basing a “hottie” competition on pictures the size of a thumbnail is like basing a supermodel true beauty contest on a bunch of photoshopped magazines. It can’t really be done.  Twitter, on a whole, is largely fueled by popularity [as you can read about here], which is essentially what motherpucker’s hottie thing was – a popularity contest. To that end, there were those who felt that motherpucker (how many times can I legitimately get away with typing his name?) merely found an opportunity to exploit women. Motherpucker (okay, no more times, he is officially MP now) tried to reason that he already held a contest to determine the NHL’s hottest hockey player and that it was only fair to run a similar counterpart exercise. Weak argument? Yes. An argument worth arguing? Probably not. What’s more, apparently the social mediament was upset over MP’s use of the women’s profile pictures and the potential illegality of it. Though it probably is illegal, in regards to the use of online pictures, the subject of copyright and fair use fall into a legalese grey-zone. Further, the ability to upload photographs to sites such as Flickr or Facebook or to upload video footage to YouTube and tag someone’s identity without approval has become universal. But, interesting to note is how many social media sites republish these avatars without permission. More interesting, is how few people make a fuss about that. Another point of contention was the nomination process. MP never asked any of us if we accepted the nomination. (Though we all know I actually encouraged mine).  Should he have asked? Sure. But, it was not hard to find out you were nominated, because he would immediately “list” nominees on Twitter.
(Once listed, it is clear to Twitter users for what they have been listed, and by whom they have been listed.) If anyone wanted out of the contest, all she had to do was say so. MP immediately honoured such requests. Look, some guy ran a silly contest dubbed for hotties, but rooted in popularity. All in all, it was more politically incorrect than wrong. And though its intent may be questionable to some, its execution was innocent. Nonetheless, it was executed. And many want it back. In the end, it just comes down to perception. Too bad so many fail to perceive prevalent issues to be as alarming and malevolent as the one concerning Mr. motherpucker. An indirect thanks to @MariKurisato @HilzFuld @Bubbasattva and @TweetSmarter for the "legal" advice.
13 Comments
Alex
2/7/2011 11:20:10 am
I was in that contest and thought it was pretty stupid when I heard it had been taken down. People just need to stop being so touchy. I mean you put your picture as your avatar so that all of Twitterverse can see it, what's wrong with a harmless contest where you win a hockey jersey that's upwards of $200. I WANTED THAT JERSEY. Props to you on making your hubby nominate you! :D
@technicolor_cat
2/7/2011 11:25:43 am
well that sucks, liked motherpucker. he was one of the first people i talked to back in '09 when i joined twitter.
Amanda
2/7/2011 11:29:37 am
In keeping with the spirit of disclosure, I was not nominated for this "contest", nor did I want to be. I kept a close eye out in case I was, so that I could decline to participate. I didn't agree with his contest and I still don't, but my main issue was that many people did not know they were nominated. You claim it was immediately "obvious", but I know of at least 4 girls who had NO IDEA they were involved in this popularity contest until someone brought it to their attention TANGENTIALLY in a discussion about how some of us didn't like the idea. Of the 4, only 1 had even heard of the contest, and yet they were on the webpage. To me, that speaks volumes to the fact that his nomination process was not as clear as you claim it to be. Many of us don't use the web for twitter, and my client (Tweetdeck) doesn't inform me when I'm listed by someone. I also never check the Twitter website to see if I'm listed. The only way I would have known I was on his list of nominees was to go to the website and check. Obviously, not every single female hockey fan on Twitter was following him, and so many of those who weren't did not know about the contest, or their participation. It was this fact that I disagreed with most. His contest was in good fun, for those who were able to give their informed consent to participate. Unfortunately, too many nominees were not aware for me to be comfortable with it.
Cathie
2/7/2011 11:42:24 am
Damn, I didn't know about this. I would have asked to be nominated. Sometimes women take this too personally. If you're on twitter, showing pictures, talking yourself UP, you can accept a fun contest. If not, get off IMO. Amanda: I appreciate your comment, and of course must respond. All in all, it was a harmless contest. Yes, he probably should have specifically told each girl she was nominated. But, look, in life people talk about each other all the time, without everyone finding out about it all the time. In that regard, Twitter can mirror reality pretty well. The only difference is, it is much easier on Twitter for people to find out about these things. I too use Tweetdeck, but understand its limitations, so I do check in with Twitter on the Web as well. To that end, if people don't check their Twitter account that does not discredit my "claim" as to how the nomination process worked. As far as I know, from the word of motherpucker, all girls nominated were put on the list. Also, from checking the list myself, I noticed almost 200 girls nominated. Maybe your friends didn't check their lists, maybe he forgot them. But to say "too many nominees were not aware for me to comfortable with it..." Well, is that the four you reference? FOUR is too many out of the (appx) 200? Four speaks "volumes" to the validity of his stupid little contest? There are many perverts on Twitter and other social media sites, just preying on unsuspecting individuals. I only hope you are as vigilant in concern over them as you were about motherpucker's hockey hottie contest. This is ridiculous. I have a friend who created a site called www.HotChicksWithDoucheBags.com . He frequently posts pictures of people without their knowledge. He makes fun of the men in the photos and compliments the women in the pictures- sometimes to a disgustingly piggish level. The site became so popular that he started selling ads for it. Then MAJOR brands started buying ad space. After that, studios and agencies took notice. The next thing we knew, he had FOUR agents, published a book of said photos with commentary, a TV show on MTV (Is She Really Going Out With Him), and a movie deal in the works. If he can do that, then Mother Pucker can run his contest. And I'm not just saying that because I was a contestant.
Alex
2/7/2011 12:19:13 pm
Actually, you can set TweetDeck so that it does notify you if you're listed. If you have the column for "New Followers" on, it will also notify you if you've been listed. I thought that was kind of nifty since you're not really notified per se by Twitter unless you actually go to the list page. Hope that helps!
Micah
2/7/2011 12:52:09 pm
Whether 4 girls, or 100 girls, or even just 1 girl was unaware of this contest, the fact is that the girls' pictures and twitter handles (some of which have protected tweets) were used without their permission. While this seems silly that it is a problem, it is technically illegal to use someone's likeness without expressed permission. If he had made sure that the girls all knew about it, it would be fine, but when he decided to start taking things without permission he crossed a line. I am a guy, I like "hotties" as much as anyone else, but when the line is crossed it puts a bad taste in my mouth... Micah: Thanks for the comment. I understand your point, whether 4 or 100, but that is actually not the point I'm trying to make here. I acknowledged that his use of the pictures *may* have been illegal (fair use may apply in this situation), but that is for judges and copyright lawyers to decide. The bottom line, people have made a WAY bigger stink out of this than necessary. And to those who were unaware of the contest? Be responsible about your social media. Check your Twitter. And if he actually left anybody off that list? His mistake, which can be added to his other blunders that I noted. For further safety, for those who are so vigilant and/or paranoid: Anyone and everyone has access to the same thumbnails and same handles he curated. If you don't want people to see them, don't post them. The only bad taste left in my mouth is the one of hypocrisy on the part of so many anti-motherpuckers.
Dennis
2/7/2011 01:13:28 pm
I can only thank my lucky stars I was born long before many of you, so I've already lived most of my life without having to worry about political correctness (if those types really believe their thinking IS correct). I've also spent all of my life judging folks on their intentions. In fact, I've loved lots of people who made innocent mistakes, while I can't stand a lot of do‐gooders (or so they think), mainly because they're just not likable people. All that said, I suspect the winner of MotherPucker's contest would have gotten a kick out of it (and the prize), while those who wouldn't have a prayer of being nominated seem the only ones likely to raise a stink. Lastly — and believe it or not, I could care less about the contest (I didn't even know it was going on until now). But I care quite a lot about the stupidity of PC (or at least when it's carrier to stupid extremes).
Greg
2/8/2011 01:44:40 am
I'm sure MotherPucker meant no harm, but I think he should have known better, especially after the exact same issue happened last year. If some people want to take part in this contest, it's perfectly fine, but after it was made pretty clear last year by some other people that they didn't want to be featured in this, it was not very smart to select his contestants this way. Leave a Reply. |