Finding Your Roots vs. Who Do You Think You Are?

When talking about genealogy with people it is common for the conversation to touch upon the show “Who Do You Think You Are?” Over the years, all different kinds of people have watched the show regardless of their interest level in genealogy as a whole or their own family tree… they usually watch because they are a fan of some actor, actress, or athlete and want to learn a little more about them. More often than not, this leads them to jump to the conclusion of “I wish I had stories like that in my family tree.”

The people I have spoken with make that determination that those types of stories do not exist in their tree mostly because the show focuses on a single line in that celebrity’s genealogy. I guess you could say that is the one thing that many of us familiar with genealogy have a problem with when it comes to the show “Who Do You Think You Are?” It is for this reason that I tend to pay closer attention to and enjoy “Finding Your Roots” a little more than the main stream counterpart.

Like any PBS show, “Finding Your Roots” isn’t as well-known but it takes a much more interesting and broader look at the ancestry of celebrities (of all kinds not just main stream). During the course of an episode, three family trees are analyzed with a common thread running between the three stars. Sometimes it can be as broad as overcoming adversity while other times it is tied to a specific event such as the roles their ancestors played in the Civil War.

While that is one difference (one vs. three) the other, more important and more interesting differentiator is the fact that the latter of the two shows looks at the family tree as a whole not just a singular line (or two). From my own experience, I know that this is the most interesting part of genealogy as you never know what names, places, and events may be adding color to the individual leaves. After all, we are the culmination of all these people who played, for the most part, equal roles in determining the family story and making us who we are.

“Who Do You Think You Are” may have the bigger audience, interesting locations, and larger budget, “Finding Your Roots” brings us closer to the interesting realities of doing genealogical research. Furthermore, the latter show also explores the use of DNA in discovering the mix of places, races, and heritage that exists within all of us. This is why my preference is quite clear but, in the end, taking a look at the sponsorship, Ancestry.com wins no matter which show you prefer.

WTF Of The Week: Exposing Their Giblets

Throughout this week I have been noticing the countless stories about the cloud hack that resulted in the mass dissemination of naked celebrity photos. Yes, famous people had their giblets exposed to the world and without missing a beat the ‘victims’ and the mass media jumped on the bandwagon commenting on this ‘heinous’ crime. Basically, it was a huge pity party for all those with their naughty bits scattered across the web.

While it is a shame that this happened to these people in the end who cares? Frankly, no one should be surprised that celebrity winkies, tatas, and vajayjays are blowing in the virtual breeze. After all, this is not something new. The only things that was different in this situation is that they were pulled from the cloud (some having thought that the photos had been deleted). Although, even that situation is nothing that hasn’t been done before. I guess the truly unique nature of the offense was the fact that the hackers went after data kept by the significant others… even though it is incredibly shady you have to give them credit for thinking things through.

However, the act itself, while an invasion of privacy (the same privacy that most of these celebrities campaign against though other political means and endorsements) it is something that happens and quite regularly. And it is only getting worse. My question is… why the heck are you allowing your giblets to be digitized?

The best way to stop this from happening again is to keep your goodies off the computer, away from the cloud, and far from the internet. While ‘creepy’, you should know that as long as you are ‘famous’ and there are people in this world that want to see if the carpet matches the drapes, there are going to be constant attempt to get snap shots of your hoohoo and gazungas or twig and berries. Why in the world would you provide them with greater opportunities to have access to your naughty bits?

So, I guess the lesson to be learned in this media circus is rather simple… keep it in your pants. The only time that giblets should be exposed are during Thanksgiving. By putting such information in so many different places, especially in the cloud, you are exposing yourself in more ways than one. While we are not talking about drugs I think it is time to resurrect one of the more prominent slogans… when someone has a camera, just say no to showing your crack.

I Guess I’m Not Welcomed At The Cool Kids Table…

Forgive me for not being as excited as some others about this whole Ice Bucket Challenge thing. I have been a joiner and a follower in my life and it doesn’t really agree with me. I have other charities and causes to which I contribute both my time and, when I am able, a little money now and again. While ALS is a great cause which to donate, I have others which are where my passion lies and that are much more personal to me… that is where I chose to focus my efforts.   

With that said, I have to give credit to the person that started this campaign/fad. At this moment, I can’t recall a nonprofit having such a huge social media campaign that has crossed so many cultural, economic, and international lines. It’s the kind of marketing/fund raising campaign that makes you just marvel at the speed and efficiency of how fast this has spread. And while there is tremendous purpose and a great cause behind these videos, pictures, posts and the campaign in general, there is a bit of a downside to such success.

While this has raised awareness for ALS which is a great thing to have happened and probably the primary purpose behind this campaign’s creation, the campaign itself seems to be overshadowing the cause. It is no longer about how much money has been raised for ALS or really any education about the disease, it is all about seeing someone pour ice cold water on their head. It is slowly descending into the realm of an entertaining fad that people insist on being a part of… it is membership to the cool kids table.

I consider myself a bit indifferent at this point slightly leaning toward tired of seeing all the nonsense on the internet. While I don’t hold the same view of this campaign as one of my friends, I think it is important to share the views from the other side:

 

While there is a lot said in this screen shot, the comment he made following this post adds the color that as apropos to this discussion:

“And please don't take this the wrong way. I'm happy that these "games" seem to work and perhaps in some cases lots of people are helped, provided more than 5% of donations actually go to people in need and not administration. I might get ALS tomorrow, who knows! It's just that anything that is overdone tends to turn me off. I know it raises awareness. Just consider it a quirk in me or even a character flaw; I just can't help it; it's the way I am.”

Don’t get me wrong. I am by no means against supporting this or any other charitable cause I just wish that people knew what they were donating to and truly raising awareness about the disease. It really makes me wonder whether these kinds of campaigns, in the end, do more harm than good for the cause. In the coming years will this cause be considered ‘so last year’ among the celebrities and their followers? I honestly can’t give you a definitive answer to that. I hope not but it is not out of the realm of possibility.

However, if there is one message that I hope that everyone takes away from this social media one up game is that if you have a charity or cause you are passionate about take the time to not just donate but put some effort into supporting the cause and the work that they do. Don’t just post an over the top video, channel that effort into supporting a cause close to you. That is how we can make a greater difference above and beyond a clever social media marketing campaign.