August 8, 2016

A new challenge

The first challenge that I distinctly recall that folks went nuts about on Facebook was the ALS ice bucket challenge. While I thought it was foolish as well as a waste of precious water and energy, it apparently raised a good bit of money for the cause. That was almost two years ago. Cut to today, and there are two other 'challenges' being showcased on many walls--the black and white photo challenge and the motherhood dare.

The first, as the name indicates, challenges one to post a black and white picture of themselves. Is this challenging because we are in the age of Prisma, where photos are being morphed into paintings and other such cooler modes making black and white impossible any longer? And the second, is it a dare to the children because they don't want to be seen with their mums? 

I wonder how these dares even begin. The ALS challenge might have been initiated by an ALS group somewhere but what about these other two? Was someone so tired of looking at colour or sepia-toned photographs that they wanted to shake things up a bit? And was some mum so thrilled when her child/children posed with her that she decided to dare other mums?

I was recently tagged in another challenge, one that hasn't made too many rounds yet. Something about posting pictures with your partner for 7 days in a row. Not 8 or 9, only 7. No idea why. Caught off guard, I decided to unfollow the person who tagged me on this post--not a very close friend obviously. I feel stupid about doing that now. No, I don't mean that I want to post the pictures but I wish I had written to her declining her challenge instead of being annoyed and deleting her as a contact.

I dare someone who's tagged in either the B&W or the motherhood 'challenge' to turn it down. Not to ignore it, but to say "No, I don't want to be a part of this challenge because I don't understand how it's a challenge" instead of blindly following it, posting a picture and writing I accept but I'm not sure how it's a challenge. Someone needs to stop this madness. Soon. I wish it had been me.