To all you brainless little ‘selfie’ twits out there: what are you going to do with your thousands of stupid photos in 10 years? Cry relentlessly? —I Thought So.
This article appears in Oct 9-15, 2014.
The Coast | News, events, restaurants, concerts and Burger Week for Halifax, Nova Scotia
Home of the Best of Halifax Reader's Choice Awards, the award-winning independent newspaper covers the Halifax news, politics, events, concerts, movies, restaurants, and nightlife scene.
To all you brainless little ‘selfie’ twits out there: what are you going to do with your thousands of stupid photos in 10 years? Cry relentlessly? —I Thought So.
This article appears in Oct 9-15, 2014.
37 Comments

Be the first to know about breaking news, articles, and updates.
Age gracefully, otherwise you’ll get really ugly.
THE SOLIPSIST
Why do so many “brainless little selfie twits” post pictures on themselves on internet social sites like Facebook? I have noticed this phenomenon and have asked myself the same question. As with so many questions on internet social sites, this one contains its own answer. What is that answer?
The short answer is that those who post pictures of themselves on internet social sites do so because they are, um, “brainless little selfie twits.” There is a circular relationship between posting a selfie on the one hand and being brainless little selfie twit on the other. But this entails the further question as to just what is entailed in being brainless. That is the real question. So what is the longer answer?
To be brainless means that one has neither an interest in, nor the ability to, grasp anything beyond one’s own self, beyond one’s own conscious states. Such conscious states, in other words, are all that there is. Philosophically, of course, this is called “solipsism,” the view that one is by one’s very nature incapable of making contact with an extra-mental reality. It must be understood, however, that this is neither problematic nor troubling for the solipsist. For the solipsist his own conscious states constitute his reality. To speak of a meaningful extra-mental reality is, by definition, meaningless. One may as well ask about the “meaning” of a stone lying in the road. As such, there is nothing the solipsist can do on an internert social site other than post pictures of himself (or herself). It is logically entailed in what it means to be a solipsist.
Of course, one also often wonders what the commenters on Bitch would do if there were not the bitch against which they might rail and post their objections. What would they do? It makes one wonder.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
Not to worry, their iphones or other phones will have long died from being dropped, been run over, or gone swimming in cesspools. See how well they’ll work for them to gloat over selfies in 10 years when these maladies occur.
Correction: Line 1: “of” for “on.” Damn!
Ahhh! You ARE human!
good heavens, i had no idea the solution to all of society’s ills was to ban selfies.
murder, rape, home invasions, fracking, drunk driving, assault, gmos, unwanted facial hair, high rents, illegal u turns.
gosh. the BANE eh??? the Bane???? op, you picker of nits.
I probably take more selfies than necessary for a person my age. Oh well.
Live a stress free, Mindful life by not allowing yourself to be fucked over or you will age prematurely.
Klyde, I would like to point out
http://www.otterbox.com/preserver-series/p…
There are many types out there , most are pretty ! But won’t do squat to protect yer phone. for Iphone 4S that I have is the military grade one, & its been in over 10 feet of water, when I got it on shore …It was still in working order , its been dropped, bounced, kicked soaked by rain . When you open the case its still in pristine condition ~:D
So if you spend a few extra dollars (mine was around a hundred bucks) it’ll keep the phone working through life’s little accidents & you can take selfie’s for years ~;P
Awwwww! Me’s, myself’s, and I’s, how narcissistic our generations are. We’re in for a bumpy ride everyone. hang on tight.
Yours truly.
The kids are alright, motherfuckers.
…Sins of the Fathers.
You expected less from a narcissistic society?
So what the hell is a selfie?
I thought MM would have bitten into the narcissistic behavioural response of external validation. huh, go figure.
Nukka, a selfie is a photo taken by one self, of one self…. usually female and usually with ‘duck face’. btw, the ‘duck face’ is when a female thinks puckering her lips, thereby extending the pursed lips forward (which, is likened to the face of a duck), looks good.
Why do women think having a dick face looks good?
duck… DUCK.
THE NARCISSISTIC BEHAVIOURAL RESPONSE
RSVP
: Cumonalready (10/14, 1:04PM)
I would have bitten into “the narcissistic behavioural response of external validation” if I had the remotest idea of what it meant. In other words, does the narcisstistic behavioural response require external validation at all? In still other words, since the narcissistic behavioural response is internally generated – that is what it means to be a narcissist – isn’t that assertion that it needs an external response incoherent? Write back soon.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
Why, I’m an 1940s radio personality and even I know what a “selfie” is. Oh, you wacky youngsters! In my day, we filled phone booths with baby snapping turtles.
Duck lips only look good on ducks, possibly the odd pigeon.
What the hell is a radio personality?
Who the hell is Nukka?
Well, I think there is a real possibility that Ivan is Rush Limbaugh…
Naw – he got hooked on Oxy – I’m a solvent huffer.
I usually don’t like to make broad sweeping generalizations like this, but my observation has been that those who post frequent selfies are not narcissistic, as was proposed above, but, rather, quite the opposite – very, very insecure people. The vast majority of selfies are posted by women who are looking for some reassurances. They want all of their friends and family to tell them how beautiful they are (even if there is clear photographcic evidence to the contrary). And that fawning over selfies is usually what happens because people do resond to the prompt – and the selfie behaviour is reinforced.
As sad and pathetic as it all is – it’s probably going to get worse as the selfie takers get older and go into decline – requiring more propping up by friends and family! Oh, dear!
why does anyone care if someone they don’t know takes pictures of themselves? or wears blue socks? or prefers salami to pepperoni? or hangs the toilet paper innie or outie?
why do things that have nothing to do with you get you so riled? go take a chain saw to the log you have tied to your arse.
What the fuck is montrealman?
Complaining about selfies eh? A little behind the times don’t you think, Gramps?
OH! Hanging toilet paper in? That’s a paddlin’!
And what’s with the GET OFF MY LAWN type links?
THE NARCISSISTIC BEHAVIOURAL RESPONSE
:montrealman on 10/14/2014 at 3:13 PM
Full of beans on 10/14/2014 at 5:01 PM Has an idea of the psychological response here.
IMO, a selfie is better to post than that of the meal you’re about to eat. what do they call those… foodies, or food selfies… idk.
no rsvp required.
RSVP
: Dim Bro Tim (10/14, 6:32PM)
I believe that should read, “Who the fuck is Montrealman?” (“Who, not “what;” “Montrealman,” not “montrealman.”)
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
Nope, I meant what.
Find out what your toilet paper says about you:
http://ohheytay.files.wordpress.com/2011/1…
I don’t take selfies, I take pictures of my cats.
uh uh ….i have seen pics of you sleeping that your cats took. you have to hide the camera from them.
Fucking cats. They don’t appreciate nuthin.
no-fool that toilet paper judgement is completely wrong, and no, do not argue with me. of course I am right.