During a commencement speech, Jonathan Franzen noted the debasement of the verb "to like." The verb, particularly in its Facebook incarnation, has been co-opted by manufacturers of consumer goods as a way to move product. Franzen's point becomes obvious when one glances at the vast preponderance of "likable" objects on Facebook: U2, "The Life of Brian," macaroni and cheese.
Not all "likes," though, are consumer products. We've noticed that many of our friends "like" all manner of non-commercial items. We see that, Jane Doe likes "Reading"; Mike Smith likes "Movies"; Dave Jones likes "Food." What do these preferences mean? Do they tell us anything specific about these folks--other than the fact that they are presumably sentient? (Perhaps it's more significant that, according to these blurbs, only 178,649 other people also like music. Maybe the Taliban are on to something.)
In the spirit of these tags, and in contravention of the commercializing ethos, we would like to proclaim our own liking for oxygen, tibias, and the cooler side of the pillow.
Solipsistography
"Liking Is for Cowards, Go for What Hurts"
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