• Location: Keele University, Staffordshire, UK
• Mood: okay
• Music: Qntal: Dulcis amor

Modern memes are rubbish

Facebook memes are so much less fun than the old-school LJ kind (and those annoying kids should get off my virtual lawn). Anyway, ghoti ranted about that awful 27 ways to love me FB meme, which is barely even a meme, it's just a series of stock photos of young, thin, apparently white and heterosexual couples with banal words printed on them in a font that looks slightly less dated than Impact. Ten years ago it would have been a quiz where you could select which of the 27 things apply to you, much more fun, and much less assuming that all relationships are the same, and all women want things that can easily be marketed to them.

So in the spirit of 2006, I am going to transplant the meme to DW, and I'm going to make up my own list of 27 things, not just click share on an extruded marketing product, and I'm going to write the list in text not images of words. And I'm not going to assume that all love is coupley romantic love or a prize for young pretty people who buy the right things. And I'm not going to call it ways to love me because I can't decide for anyone else how they should experience love, but rather ways to make me feel loved, because I do know my own reactions.

1. Have conversations with me, talk about anything and everything.
2. Express clear preferences for how much and what sort of physical affection you like; personally I'm happy with a really wide range as long as I know.
3. Tell me about you, your life, your interests, everything.
4. Share books with me. Recommend books, lend me books, read books I love, talk about books.
5. Take my ideas and opinions seriously and argue with me when I'm wrong.
6. Make me cups of tea.
7. Stand up to me and don't be intimidated when I'm loud and confident.
8. Act like we're a team when it comes to completing practical tasks, including planning how to share things out fairly.
9. Appreciate my family and my close friends.
10. Ask me to explain things to you that I know about.
11. Be your authentic self around me, don't wear a mask or try to be the person you think I want you to be.
12. When I'm upset or sick, distract me by talking about interesting stuff, don't fuss over me.
13. Tell me how you're feeling, and don't hide your negative emotions from me.
14. Put effort in so that we can spend time together.
15. Be direct with me and ask for what you want.
16. Sing and make music around me, even if I can't reciprocate.
17. Laugh at my jokes.
18. Appreciate my intense enthusiasms.
19. Study texts with me chevruta style.
20. Let me know if I've done something that bothers or upsets you.
21. Play with words and intellectual wit.
22. Point out interesting or cool things you come across.
23. Teach me new skills.
24. Encourage me when I'm finding things difficult.
25. Introduce me to your people.
26. Take the initiative to get back in touch if I drop the ball.
27. Comment on my journal posts!

Wow, 27 things is a lot of things. That was interesting to think about, though, instead of being annoyed with the cheesy banal FB meme.

Currently reading: Ghost spin, by Chris Moriarty. I'm enjoying the writing and the beautifully detailed world-building, even though I am a bit annoyed by the set-up for this third book in the trilogy.

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