From d9f2f47bcbe108a12559db1a09dcc60573ed45c6 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Tatiana Mac Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2021 16:03:45 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] =?UTF-8?q?=E2=9E=95=20Adds=20spongebob=20case=20(#436)?= MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit * Creates spongebob case term * Additional edits --- 11ty/definitions/spongebob-case.md | 41 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 41 insertions(+) create mode 100644 11ty/definitions/spongebob-case.md diff --git a/11ty/definitions/spongebob-case.md b/11ty/definitions/spongebob-case.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..a420eda7 --- /dev/null +++ b/11ty/definitions/spongebob-case.md @@ -0,0 +1,41 @@ +--- +title: SpongeBob case +slug: spongebob-case +flag: + text: 'ableist language' + level: avoid +defined: true +excerpt: text styling that alternates lowercase and uppercase (often randomly) letters to indicate mockery or sarcasm, or to take a deragatory tone, popularised with a meme of SpongeBob Squarepants where he is deformed. +speech: adjective +reading: + - text: 'Twitter @traependergrast' + href: https://twitter.com/traependergrast/status/1296101920608792577?s=20 + - text: 'Babycenter Community post @aolz' + href: https://community.babycenter.com/post/a77147834/psa-this-is-ableist + - text: 'Know your meme: Mocking SpongeBob' + href: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mocking-spongebob + - text: 'Wikipedia: Alternating caps' + href: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternating_caps +--- + +text styling that randomly alternates lowercase and uppercase letters to indicate sarcasm or to take a deragatory tone, popularised with a meme of SpongeBob Squarepants where he is deformed; also known as Mocking SpongeBob, SpongeMock, or alternating caps. + +## Context + +The meme, Mocking SpongeBob or SpongeMock, shows SpongeBob Squarepants in a deformed state (from an episode where SpongeBob is acting like a chicken, with his arms and torso askew). [Read more about the meme's evolution](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mocking-spongebob). People overlaid text onto this image in the SpongeBob casing, typically in a call and response way to show mockery or a response to mockery. + +The meme went viral and gained so much ubiquity that multiple libraries, packages, and online tools were made for people to convert text into SpongeBob case. + +## Issues + +The meme and associated text styling mocks SpongeBob's appearance and erratic speech (implied by the random casing of the text). Disabled people are often abused, harassed, and mocked for their physical appearance, manner of speaking, and neurodivergence. + +Further, writing in this way can add unnecessary cognitive load to both screenreader users and sighted readers. Sarcasm and mockery can also be difficult for people with intellectual disabilities, neurodivergent people, and people with anxiety. + +## Impact + +By using and spreading both the meme and text styling, we are perpetuating [ableist](/definitions/ableism)) language, violence, systems and of harm against Disabled people, regardless of our awareness and/or intent. + +## Usage Tip + +Mockery in general is unkind and unhelpful. To convey sarcasm, closing with "/sarcasm" or "/s" or "🙄" for annoyance are some options to help people distinguish.