How do we expect children to get along or to raise children who will not become victims of bullying… and how can we expect to avoid crazy shit in our own lives when we don’t have a clue when we’re being assholes? One of the best things about the internet is one of the most dangerous tools: Free speech. It’s a necessary part of our culture, but so is accountability. Today lets all agree to be at least a little bit accountable for who we are when we’re online.

I saw a video earlier of Lauren Conrad on youtube, sharing a fun DIY project. I’m pretty neutral on the subject of LC– maybe even leaning toward thinking she’s kind of cool. I admit, I have a hard time taking her too seriously, because I think there might be some sort of conspiracy to have her start on reality tv, make beauty videos, then craft videos, and eventually start her own religion. Just a theory, and y’know, I like to think ahead. But that’s all fantasy, and here’s the reality.

 

LC is a popular web and tv personality with a wide following. She has plenty of devoted fans, and has been regularly putting out brief beauty and craft videos for some time. Her views literally range from 20,000 to 2,000,000….  So this week she posted a new DIY craft video, and after an outcry of disgust and semi-anonymous web hatred, the video was taken down.

I’d like to say a few things…

1. It’s a freakin CRAFT video, you guys. Were you really that personally offended about the craft that you had to say awful and mean things? You might say, well she’s LC, she has enough friends, enough fans, and enough fame to brush it off. But what if she was some 16 year old girl?

Now, I’m not saying you need to be all sweet and complimentary. That’s only so funny and entertaining, and we all like to be funny and entertaining, right? I certainly do. But there is a line. And most of the time, you can have your witty look-at-me moment without being a jerk. And if you can’t, then work on it until you’re better. There are other ways to be witty than cutting other people down.

2. If Martha Stewart posted the craft, I bet people would’ve said she was a genious.Here’s a disclaimer, because I do have a sense of humor, and I’m not calling you all evil. The craft was essentially cutting the hardcover bindings off of old books, lining them up, and gluing them onto a decorative box. The comments called LC things from destructive to ignorant…

I admit to smirking a little bit when I heard that part of the purpose was to “display” books. It seems pretty silly to deface items that you want to display. As a writer, who values books- and loves them in their hardcover form, part of me cringes a little bit at cutting them up. And I felt bad for Lemony Snicket- whose books were the victim of the LC Box Massacre! However, like I said, I believe the backlash was easy because of who it was against. Come on, people, she didn’t burn a flag, ok? The most unfortunate events here are the series of tactless things people have been saying.

For me, it would be difficult to finding books I’d be willing to cut up… I wouldn’t use any in my current home library- they are there in case I want to open them again, or because they are special to me. But I wouldn’t be opposed to going to a local Salvation Army– a WASTELAND of literally hundreds to thousands of books, old books, that no one may ever read, and turning them into an art project. So sue me.

But I’m not the only one in the world who thinks books make a good art project, or a practical item.

There’s the “hardcover book safe” available for purchase on multiple sites, and something that many people have been known to make by themselves…

Then there’s a craft from HGTV showing you how to make a purse out of an old hardcover book

Oh look, and here’s mood lighting created out of vintage books:

And here is pretty much the same thing LC taught everyone how to do on a popular craft blog.

Probably not as popular as her page, except I bet this person wasn’t terrorized by a bunch of know it alls, commenting things like, “why don’t you just tear up the Bible and other important books.”

To the person who made the snide Bible comment, maybe you can stop being an internet bully and do unto others…