Friday, August 5, 2011

Depression-Era Hobo Handmade Wedding - Charming or Offensive?


1. "Handmade Weddings: Depression-Era Hobo" blog post on etsy.com.

2.  Complimentary and enthusiastic comments about how clever the idea and how charming the photos and wedding are/were.
RedMarionette said: "Brilliant! So charming and beautifully done. Congrats to both of you and your endless creativity!"
3.  Critical comments about how offensive the idea and wedding are/were.
sunshynesilverwear said: "Wow, Im dumfounded. So it's trendy now to be suffering and impoverished? I'll be keeping my eye out for Etsy's first 'WWII' themed wedding. (eyes rolling)"
4. Controversy and debate.
AnneBernhardt said: "So I saw your wedding on Regretsy, and honestly, I think it is fantastic and beautiful. I'm not sure why everyone is making such a big deal out of this. It was your wedding and you made it what you wanted, and in a lovely way too. People need to lighten up and not be so critical."
Juliet said: "Two days ago we published this post, which has upset and offended some members of our community. We offer our apologies. It’s very important that Etsy be a place where everyone feels safe and respected, and that all dialogue remains civil. We realize now what we could have done differently as editors and we thank you for sharing your honest reactions. Some people have expressed concern over related material published on other sites. We can’t control what happens on those sites, but we’re listening to you.
Thanks for listening too,
Juliet
Etsy’s editorial director"

5.  Critical response blog post on regretsy.com called "It’s called “poverty.” You’ve probably never heard of it."  Lots of comments.

6.  SLU post also called "It’s called “poverty.” You’ve probably never heard of it."  Lots of comments.

7.  Slippery slope gets steep as early as post # 3.
Renaissance Guardian said: "Christ, the original is even more revolting than the take-down!
And if poor folks ever start shooting down privileged white folks in the streets, these hipsters won't have a clue why."
8.  First opposing view stated in post # 6.
Isablan Neva said: "So...I'm guessing you all think they should have blown 20k and put themselves into debt for the next 10 years on some obnoxious ass dress and designer cake.
Sheesh. So what if they sensibly had a "vintage" cheap wedding where they utilized a theme to keep things down to earth and low key.
If they were making fun and done a sarcastic "redneck wedding" would y'all have thought that was offensive?"

8.  First accusation that opposing view is an act of trolling in post # 9.
Renaissance Guardian said: "Yeah, come to think of it, I would.
And what the fuck is this about $20k? Back in 1984 I had a wedding with upwards of 200 guests and we pulled it off for under $500. Adjust for inflation, and anyone could do the same thing today. Thing was . . . I was working at a homeless shelter at the time, and a lot of my guests were REALLY poor. We asked people to bring something to a potluck reception instead of giving us gifts. If we'd followed these fools mindset, I suppose we would have gotten married dressed up "ghetto fabulous".
Were you intending to troll, or did it just come out that way?"

9. Eleven pages and 261 posts.

10. Mentions in Cristiano's "Some Thoughts on SLU's Tone" thread and Joshua's "I hate..." thread demonstrating a certain resonance.
Quimby Rothschild said "I'm just going to leave this here.

It’s called “poverty.” You’ve probably never heard of it.

<runs out the door>  "
Ingrid said:  "awws
If you're referring to the poverty thread though, I thought that one stayed remarkably on topic. These days every thread turns into a lot of navel gazing about us (slu posters). Which I don't mind so much but i find shamefully indulgent. I'm embarrassed for all of us.
And now i'm posting in this thread so I'm further embarrassed. Time for a rum and diet pepsi anyways."
Deca! said:  "My point was we can both vent, but unlike you, I don't feel the need to take what people say in relative privacy and make a big song and dance about it to prove my point. I'd also like to thank you for your reply in the poverty thread which, apparently deleted, still shows up in my control panel as a reply that quoted me. It also proved my point."
Deca! said:  "No, but you replied to my comment and then there's this. You also apparently made a pissy post about Quimby that was deleted in the aforementioned poverty thread.
It's obvious you have a wild hair. And it's obvious what played a part in it, however minor."
Joshua Nightshade said:  "It wasn't a pissy post (or one about him, really), and I deleted it because I posted it without reading the rest of the thread and I missed where people repeatedly attempted to get it back on topic. I didn't want to derail it since the thread had moved while I was asleep, and I thought that I would make my own thread here to expand on my feelings in a better way that wouldn't make you feel targeted directly."

11.  I post this.

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