When writing for Craccum, my general rule of thumb is ‘does this make me laugh?’. I can’t always make others laugh, but if I’m having a laugh I’m doing ok. Most of the time this works for me. If I can get readers to do that little series of short-inhales-through-the-nose internet kind of laugh well then that’s just swell. However, this strategy is not foolproof and I often make an ass of myself. Ask my friends and they will probably tell you that I am a complete knob all the time. I’m ok with this, and at the end of the day I am laughing at me as well.
But this week, I have made a REAL big ass of myself. Go check out our Craccum Facebook page and you will see exactly what I mean. I have been trying to improve it from non-existent to clinging to life support, with middling success. But what I truly admire is Otago University’s Critic magazine’s social media. Bants. For. Days. I am always entertained by it, and it is really some good shit.
But what really got me was the resurrection of a dead meme and a laugh about AUT’s Debate magazine. Our Craccum group chat found it hilarious, and evidently other magazines did too. In the end Critic and Debate made up, but in doing so, completely ignored our beloved Craccum. I was not willing to take this disrespect. I thought it would be funny to mirror the joke on the Craccum page, like a fun little parallel or continuation. Let it be said, the section editors were not really on board, but also didn’t have the heart to tell me to, you know, not.
So off I went making the post in my own little world thinking I’m hilarious. And I got FUCKING SLAUGHTERED. What I didn’t anticipate was that I was in way over my head, and not as good at social media as I thought. The callout post by Critic was brutal. The pity likes continue to come in. I could have taken it down in shame after that absolute fatality, but my reasoning is that is even more pathetic. If I am going to look like an ass, I am going to own it. Plus, credit where credit is due, the clapbacks were pretty funny.
So although I really only made myself laugh, I inadvertently made a lot of people laugh, even if it was at me rather than with me.
TLDR; I got absolutely wrecked by Otago University’s student magazine Critic and it was pretty embarrassing.
