The REAL Queen of the Internet
June 25, 2011 12:24 PM Subscribe
She was just an average thirteen-year-old girl, until overnight her awkward dancing in the background of Rebecca Black's "Friday" video (Previously on MeFi) made her a target of near-universal derision on the Internet. GIFs of "that girl in pink" dancing proliferated (many of which threw in an accordion for good measure). When Benni Cinkle finally responded to the attention and began answering questions, the hordes anticipating more lulz at her expense did a 180, surprised to themselves interacting with a gracious, humble person with a sense of humor about herself. In the months since, Cinkle's website, That Girl in Pink, has become a launchpad for her charitable works.
• Cinkle dances awkwardly with flash mob for Japan relief
• Cinkle appears on television
• Cinkle walks for cystic fibrosis
• Cinkle auctions her artwork to benefit the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity
• In response to the hundreds fans requesting for her to dance with them, Cinkle holds a dance contest -- the winner got a one-on-one video-chat dance session.
• Cinkle may be releasing a single of her own... (Great GIF payload in that link)
• Cinkle dances awkwardly with flash mob for Japan relief
• Cinkle appears on television
• Cinkle walks for cystic fibrosis
• Cinkle auctions her artwork to benefit the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity
• In response to the hundreds fans requesting for her to dance with them, Cinkle holds a dance contest -- the winner got a one-on-one video-chat dance session.
• Cinkle may be releasing a single of her own... (Great GIF payload in that link)
Good for her.
posted by jsavimbi at 12:32 PM on June 25, 2011 [19 favorites]
posted by jsavimbi at 12:32 PM on June 25, 2011 [19 favorites]
The thing about this that fascinates me is there is no pose here, no ego and none of those horrendous qualities that you see in a lot of the young people who seek out attention on the Internet. She was never supposed to be famous. Cinkle was just a friend of Black's who was invited to be in the video, and given practically no direction. When all of this unearned and decidedly negative attention crashed down on her, she turned it into something entirely positive -- most of her FB and Tumblr followers are people who started out making fun of her (myself included). How many people could manage to do that at any age?
I was won over when someone asked her "Why are you so awkward??" and she responded:"Um, because I'm 13 (:"
posted by hermitosis at 12:34 PM on June 25, 2011 [125 favorites]
I was won over when someone asked her "Why are you so awkward??" and she responded:"Um, because I'm 13 (:"
posted by hermitosis at 12:34 PM on June 25, 2011 [125 favorites]
someone asked her "Why are you so awkward??" and she responded:"Um, because I'm 13 (:"
Oh MAN. That's the best of all possible answers.
posted by bewilderbeast at 12:36 PM on June 25, 2011 [54 favorites]
Oh MAN. That's the best of all possible answers.
posted by bewilderbeast at 12:36 PM on June 25, 2011 [54 favorites]
What a gracious girl. A heroic response for someone so young.
posted by fire&wings at 12:36 PM on June 25, 2011
posted by fire&wings at 12:36 PM on June 25, 2011
I'm glad she's not content to just take the backseat to Black. I understand that's a difficult choice to make.
posted by Riki tiki at 12:37 PM on June 25, 2011 [90 favorites]
posted by Riki tiki at 12:37 PM on June 25, 2011 [90 favorites]
Absolute class act. What a cool person she is.
posted by therubettes at 12:38 PM on June 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by therubettes at 12:38 PM on June 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
How did all of the kids involved in the video end up with such class? Seriously, these kids are awesome. I wish I was that confident at their age.
posted by spiderskull at 12:38 PM on June 25, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by spiderskull at 12:38 PM on June 25, 2011 [3 favorites]
So disarming, nice, self-aware, and determined. Stay that way, or be that way more, TGIP. I want to see you save the world. I mean it.
posted by nj_subgenius at 12:44 PM on June 25, 2011
posted by nj_subgenius at 12:44 PM on June 25, 2011
Rats, meant to write "surprised to find themselves" up there.
posted by hermitosis at 12:49 PM on June 25, 2011
posted by hermitosis at 12:49 PM on June 25, 2011
When I go to kick all those damn kids off my lawn, TGIP can stay and dance awkwardly all she wants. Maybe I can learn something from her. She's done more good for world at age 13 than I have ever done in my entire life.
posted by KingEdRa at 12:51 PM on June 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by KingEdRa at 12:51 PM on June 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
I don't know what to add that isn't more gushing about how awesome she is. This is wonderful.
posted by Navelgazer at 12:54 PM on June 25, 2011
posted by Navelgazer at 12:54 PM on June 25, 2011
I don't know who the fake queens of the internet are, but I hope TGIP retains this crown for awhile.
posted by bonefish at 12:58 PM on June 25, 2011
posted by bonefish at 12:58 PM on June 25, 2011
Been following Benni Cinkle's handling of her sudden internet fame for quite a while now, and it's made me really happy. You can follow her on Facebook, too, if you're so inclined. She seems to take the time to respond to pretty much anyone who has a question or something to say.
It's pretty amazing, really, how she swung the momentum of the attention she got towards charitable works. When I was 13, my main concern was how I could manage to smuggle D&D books into class under paper book covers labeled "ALGEBRA".
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 12:59 PM on June 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
It's pretty amazing, really, how she swung the momentum of the attention she got towards charitable works. When I was 13, my main concern was how I could manage to smuggle D&D books into class under paper book covers labeled "ALGEBRA".
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 12:59 PM on June 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
She seems to take the time to respond to pretty much anyone who has a question or something to say.It's summer vacation, and she's at that awkward age when you're too old for camp and too young to get a job. Her parents are probably thanking their lucky stars she has sudden internet notoriety to keep her busy.
The cynical side of me says that she's going to have the world's best college application essay in four years. The non-cynical side of me wishes they could bottle her attitude and prescribe it to the general 13-year-old population. Maybe the general 40-year-old population could take some of it, too.
posted by craichead at 1:02 PM on June 25, 2011 [7 favorites]
"Yes, I'll marry all of you."
Wow, she does win the internet.
posted by BungaDunga at 1:03 PM on June 25, 2011 [8 favorites]
Wow, she does win the internet.
posted by BungaDunga at 1:03 PM on June 25, 2011 [8 favorites]
What a disarming breath of fresh air. Perfectly perfect FPP, hermitosis. Thanks for taking the time to bring it to my our attention.
This Cinkle girl, she must have very wonderful parenting persons in her life. Brava!
posted by humannaire at 1:04 PM on June 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
This Cinkle girl, she must have very wonderful parenting persons in her life. Brava!
posted by humannaire at 1:04 PM on June 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
She's charming as hell. Good for her for taking what could have been a pretty shitty situation and making it awesome.
posted by jacquilynne at 1:06 PM on June 25, 2011 [6 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 1:06 PM on June 25, 2011 [6 favorites]
most of her FB and Tumblr followers are people who started out making fun of her (myself included).
Out of curiosity, why? I ask because if there is one thing I don't understand, it was what seemed to me to be a bullying, mob mentality that descended on Black and everything related to her, that seemed especially keen to pick apart elements of her video and hold it all up to mass derision, far beyond what the song or video itself had earned, and seemingly oblivious about the fact that it was children that were being mocked.
I mean, I'm glad this happens to be an extraordinary young woman with a seeming intuitive ability to deflect this sort of mockery and transform it into something positive, but what if she wasn't? What if she was just some neighborhood girl who showed up for a few hours, danced for a few minutes, and found herself the subject of massive and unearned online scorn. What if she had no tools to deal with it?
I just don't understand the impulse. Hey, there's a little girl who did something awkward. GET HER.
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:10 PM on June 25, 2011 [59 favorites]
Out of curiosity, why? I ask because if there is one thing I don't understand, it was what seemed to me to be a bullying, mob mentality that descended on Black and everything related to her, that seemed especially keen to pick apart elements of her video and hold it all up to mass derision, far beyond what the song or video itself had earned, and seemingly oblivious about the fact that it was children that were being mocked.
I mean, I'm glad this happens to be an extraordinary young woman with a seeming intuitive ability to deflect this sort of mockery and transform it into something positive, but what if she wasn't? What if she was just some neighborhood girl who showed up for a few hours, danced for a few minutes, and found herself the subject of massive and unearned online scorn. What if she had no tools to deal with it?
I just don't understand the impulse. Hey, there's a little girl who did something awkward. GET HER.
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:10 PM on June 25, 2011 [59 favorites]
In the future, everyone will be world-ridiculed for 15 minutes.
posted by Western Infidels at 1:21 PM on June 25, 2011 [14 favorites]
posted by Western Infidels at 1:21 PM on June 25, 2011 [14 favorites]
For me it wasn't about the "GET HER." I just ran across the GIF somewhere and thought it was really funny, a background element in the video that I hadn't noticed at all. I suppose that's how it was for most of the people -- and then you pass it on to your friends, saying "Hey, look at this funny awkward thing, hahaha." There are way fewer people out there who really want to take it further than that, beyond fleeting amusement or idle curiosity, and part of it is because the access to other people's worlds that the Internet provides is way disproportionate to their own maturity levels.
And then there's the Internet media, who look for any emerging trends and then actively add fuel to them. "Hey, look at this funny thing on the Internet" is a market, and there are people making a buck (or at least scoring a lot of attention) for riding at the crest of each new wave.
Most of the accidental breakout stars I've seen followups from seem to have a good sense of humor about themselves. There are some that just wither under the attention, like the Grape Lady, and my heart goes out to them (though at the same time I still think that video is funny, in a super tragic way). It could happen to anyone -- that's part of the allure.
Maybe there is a parallel universe where Cinkle was thrown into a shame spiral by all this and never recovered. In which case, was it a bad thing to have run across a GIF like this and had a good laugh at it? You may disagree with me, but I still don't think so.
posted by hermitosis at 1:28 PM on June 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
And then there's the Internet media, who look for any emerging trends and then actively add fuel to them. "Hey, look at this funny thing on the Internet" is a market, and there are people making a buck (or at least scoring a lot of attention) for riding at the crest of each new wave.
Most of the accidental breakout stars I've seen followups from seem to have a good sense of humor about themselves. There are some that just wither under the attention, like the Grape Lady, and my heart goes out to them (though at the same time I still think that video is funny, in a super tragic way). It could happen to anyone -- that's part of the allure.
Maybe there is a parallel universe where Cinkle was thrown into a shame spiral by all this and never recovered. In which case, was it a bad thing to have run across a GIF like this and had a good laugh at it? You may disagree with me, but I still don't think so.
posted by hermitosis at 1:28 PM on June 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
Can we, like, send her an invite to join MeFi and somehow sponsor her the $5? She seems like she'd have a lot of really great stuff to contribute. Personally I'm completely floored at the grace with which she handled the whole thing; way better than most adults. She seems so confident in her own normalcy, it's really wonderfully refreshing.
posted by WidgetAlley at 1:36 PM on June 25, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by WidgetAlley at 1:36 PM on June 25, 2011 [3 favorites]
The Grape Lady had it coming.
posted by Sailormom at 1:38 PM on June 25, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by Sailormom at 1:38 PM on June 25, 2011 [5 favorites]
Wow, I just checked out her Facebook page and couldn't help but smile at her responses to people. What a great person. Good post!
posted by sveskemus at 1:48 PM on June 25, 2011
posted by sveskemus at 1:48 PM on June 25, 2011
The thing about this that fascinates me is there is no pose here, no ego and none of those horrendous qualities that you see in a lot of the young people who seek out attention on the InternetI think it's called the post-irony world and it's the one Cinkle and her peers will rule.
One of the best things about getting old is watching the next generation learning form the mistakes that my generation are making. The way we watched the boomers break the sky and tried to turn it into a greener world, they watch us snark our culture to death and are transcending the whole sorry mess.
You make think that /b/ or the horde of internet fuckwads are a lawn-destroying menace, but they seem fuelled by a seriousness of (lack of) purpose which I find fascinating.
posted by fullerine at 1:49 PM on June 25, 2011 [14 favorites]
I think the difference with the internet is that "normal" people are now suddenly finding themselves famous. In the past, the only people you would see or hear about were those who worked the system to get fame, and were probably a little weird in some way or other (or had weird parents). Good for her for being a sport, helping charity, and all that but I don't really find her that interesting or unusual. Talking about her has a vanguard for her generation (the "post-irony" one, apparently) just seems ridiculous.
posted by delmoi at 1:59 PM on June 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by delmoi at 1:59 PM on June 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
Awkward child gets told to do embarrassing things in front of the camera, gets exposed to way too much fame and spite for it, wins over the mockers on the internet through a combination of humility and humor, then goes on to use that weird infamy and following to earn money for charity... and does it all in the space of a few months?
I guess the Star Trek reboot went over so well, they decided to do a younger-faster-more-Xtreme reboot of Wil Wheaton's biography next?
posted by roystgnr at 2:11 PM on June 25, 2011 [11 favorites]
I guess the Star Trek reboot went over so well, they decided to do a younger-faster-more-Xtreme reboot of Wil Wheaton's biography next?
posted by roystgnr at 2:11 PM on June 25, 2011 [11 favorites]
I was so much less graceful and cool at 13. What an awesome kid.
posted by honeydew at 2:15 PM on June 25, 2011
posted by honeydew at 2:15 PM on June 25, 2011
Just wait until it turns out she's actually a fifty year old guy working on a sociology dissertation in Scotland.
posted by kmz at 2:24 PM on June 25, 2011 [18 favorites]
posted by kmz at 2:24 PM on June 25, 2011 [18 favorites]
thirteen-year-old girl ... a target of near-universal derision on the Internet
To the extent that's true, it is a sad, sad statement about the state of the Internet ... and of its denizens.
No doubt some of that criticism comes from people who say they are really, really into rock, completely unaware that 50 years ago rock music was the target of near-universal derision. Amazing how low some people who think of themselves as "grown up" can sink.
posted by Twang at 2:39 PM on June 25, 2011
To the extent that's true, it is a sad, sad statement about the state of the Internet ... and of its denizens.
No doubt some of that criticism comes from people who say they are really, really into rock, completely unaware that 50 years ago rock music was the target of near-universal derision. Amazing how low some people who think of themselves as "grown up" can sink.
posted by Twang at 2:39 PM on June 25, 2011
I was sold as soon as I saw this exchange in the YouTube comments for her interview video:
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 2:42 PM on June 25, 2011 [11 favorites]
TEXASMF7894: You say your a vegetarian for "animal rights reasons". Do you not care that your clothes are made by starving slave labour women and children?I admire any 13 year old who can respond to that kind of baiting with such equanimity.
imthatgirlinpink: One cause at a time, please! (:
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 2:42 PM on June 25, 2011 [11 favorites]
I think it's worth keeping in mind that near-universal in this context means 'amongst people who could be bothered to comment at all'. How many people saw the meme, shrugged and moved on? Or never saw the meme at all.
posted by jacquilynne at 2:45 PM on June 25, 2011
posted by jacquilynne at 2:45 PM on June 25, 2011
I think its a bit hypocritical for Metafilter to get high and mighty about the "horde." There's an implied social contract that goes along with participatory culture, and violations are policed, for better or worse. The norm is that your contributions have to be genuine, you aren't allowed to submit posts (or comments, tweets, retweets, likes, upvotes, etc.) where you have a stake in the link, where you stand to gain in fame or money by linking. More often than not, the seemingly arbitrary cruelty of the horde is actually a way of punishing people who are perceived to be violating the integrity of online communities.
I'm not saying that makes it OK, but I think people who want to make this into a pure moral issue are ignoring how this is a response to a problem that's generated by the structure of participatory media, a problem that even Metafilter has rules about. There's a lot of popular hostility towards SEO spammers, bots and so on - this anger is coming from the same place that generates the horde. The irony is that the moralizing reaction makes things worse: the horde is categorized as a kind of online pollution, even though the horde is itself a reaction to the perception of online pollution. Here, Hegel was correct: "Evil resides in the very gaze which perceives Evil all around itself."
posted by AlsoMike at 2:57 PM on June 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
I'm not saying that makes it OK, but I think people who want to make this into a pure moral issue are ignoring how this is a response to a problem that's generated by the structure of participatory media, a problem that even Metafilter has rules about. There's a lot of popular hostility towards SEO spammers, bots and so on - this anger is coming from the same place that generates the horde. The irony is that the moralizing reaction makes things worse: the horde is categorized as a kind of online pollution, even though the horde is itself a reaction to the perception of online pollution. Here, Hegel was correct: "Evil resides in the very gaze which perceives Evil all around itself."
posted by AlsoMike at 2:57 PM on June 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
I need an animated gif of a plate of beans with an accordion.
posted by cashman at 3:01 PM on June 25, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by cashman at 3:01 PM on June 25, 2011 [3 favorites]
Out of curiosity, why? I ask because if there is one thing I don't understand, it was what seemed to me to be a bullying, mob mentality that descended on Black and everything related to her, that seemed especially keen to pick apart elements of her video and hold it all up to mass derision, far beyond what the song or video itself had earned, and seemingly oblivious about the fact that it was children that were being mocked.
I don't think Black was ever being mocked all that earnestly. If anything, she was the victim long before the Friday backlash began. I think that most of us were making fun of the song's absurdly bad lyrics, in spite of the rather-quite-good pop production values, and the video that basically distilled all of the absolute worst parts of The Disney Channel's shows. It was a hyper-concentrated dose of pop culture that actually managed to get all of the things right that are necessary to create a popular song, without actually making a good song in the process.
No reasonable person hates Rebecca Black, or the kids having a good time in that video. However, it's quite easy to hate the machine that wrote, produced, and recorded the song, convinced those kids to star in that piece of dreck...or the director who told that girl to flail her arms around, filmed it, edited it into the video, and published it.
My first reaction to the song was that it was a brilliantly calculated pop song that tried (and mostly did) hit all of the bases that should have made any of Disney's genetically engineered child stars popular. Also, they lyrics were pretty good to have been written by a 13-year-old. Of course, when I found out that the studio wrote the song, I was considerably less impressed.
I'd be willing to give Miss Black the benefit of the doubt, and say that she'd be able to write a better song herself.
posted by schmod at 3:08 PM on June 25, 2011 [3 favorites]
I don't think Black was ever being mocked all that earnestly. If anything, she was the victim long before the Friday backlash began. I think that most of us were making fun of the song's absurdly bad lyrics, in spite of the rather-quite-good pop production values, and the video that basically distilled all of the absolute worst parts of The Disney Channel's shows. It was a hyper-concentrated dose of pop culture that actually managed to get all of the things right that are necessary to create a popular song, without actually making a good song in the process.
No reasonable person hates Rebecca Black, or the kids having a good time in that video. However, it's quite easy to hate the machine that wrote, produced, and recorded the song, convinced those kids to star in that piece of dreck...or the director who told that girl to flail her arms around, filmed it, edited it into the video, and published it.
My first reaction to the song was that it was a brilliantly calculated pop song that tried (and mostly did) hit all of the bases that should have made any of Disney's genetically engineered child stars popular. Also, they lyrics were pretty good to have been written by a 13-year-old. Of course, when I found out that the studio wrote the song, I was considerably less impressed.
I'd be willing to give Miss Black the benefit of the doubt, and say that she'd be able to write a better song herself.
posted by schmod at 3:08 PM on June 25, 2011 [3 favorites]
Hell, I still look worse than that when I dance. A lot worse. Maybe a pink dress would help.
Very mature for a thirteen-year old. She clearly gets the internet in a way, say, Jessi Slaughter and her dad so tragically did not.
posted by Decani at 3:44 PM on June 25, 2011
Very mature for a thirteen-year old. She clearly gets the internet in a way, say, Jessi Slaughter and her dad so tragically did not.
posted by Decani at 3:44 PM on June 25, 2011
13 is too old for camp? Good grief. Maybe Hummingbird Music Camp is an unusual place, but kids didn't start aging out until about 15, and even then they were pushed into being Staff (kitchen and other help) or counselors, and continued to be welcome to be at camp and participating until 18.
FWIW, this is still the case. I don't know a summer camp that ages teens out at 13. Staying on as counselors (junior counselors, at least) till 17-18 is fairly standard.
I admire any 13 year old who can respond to that kind of baiting with such equanimity.
I would too. In fact, having owned one of these myself recently (twice, if I count me)... I'm growing to wonder if there's not a little too much equanimity being presented. Clearly there are adults assisting Benni Cinkle with the way she has scaled her attention toward good, and I wonder if they aren't admins on the FB page also.
posted by pineapple at 3:54 PM on June 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
FWIW, this is still the case. I don't know a summer camp that ages teens out at 13. Staying on as counselors (junior counselors, at least) till 17-18 is fairly standard.
I admire any 13 year old who can respond to that kind of baiting with such equanimity.
I would too. In fact, having owned one of these myself recently (twice, if I count me)... I'm growing to wonder if there's not a little too much equanimity being presented. Clearly there are adults assisting Benni Cinkle with the way she has scaled her attention toward good, and I wonder if they aren't admins on the FB page also.
posted by pineapple at 3:54 PM on June 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
Well her mom is a pretty successful business woman in Orange County who happens to be pretty involved in some children's charities. I'm sure that helps.
But still - even with parental involvement and encouragement, its a much better approach then how can we quickly milk our kids fame for money.
posted by Arbac at 4:12 PM on June 25, 2011
But still - even with parental involvement and encouragement, its a much better approach then how can we quickly milk our kids fame for money.
posted by Arbac at 4:12 PM on June 25, 2011
Clearly there are adults assisting Benni Cinkle with the way she has scaled her attention toward good, and I wonder if they aren't admins on the FB page also.
If it turns out that her parents or some other adults stepped in when she started getting all this attention and helped give her the tools to deal with it in such a positive way, I would be more impressed, not less.
posted by straight at 4:12 PM on June 25, 2011 [9 favorites]
If it turns out that her parents or some other adults stepped in when she started getting all this attention and helped give her the tools to deal with it in such a positive way, I would be more impressed, not less.
posted by straight at 4:12 PM on June 25, 2011 [9 favorites]
Who would have thought? I felt for her when I saw the fun being made of her in the gifs and all.
Yes, she is probably being coached by parents and, hell, maybe even a professional. But it isn't the coaches who take home the trophies and win the accolades. If she's faking her sincerity, then she deserves cheers for that. I don't think she is being insincere, either.
So nice to see this.
posted by Xoebe at 4:17 PM on June 25, 2011
Yes, she is probably being coached by parents and, hell, maybe even a professional. But it isn't the coaches who take home the trophies and win the accolades. If she's faking her sincerity, then she deserves cheers for that. I don't think she is being insincere, either.
So nice to see this.
posted by Xoebe at 4:17 PM on June 25, 2011
She's even likable while talking about Justin Bieber. That's really something. This is great.
posted by haveanicesummer at 4:29 PM on June 25, 2011
posted by haveanicesummer at 4:29 PM on June 25, 2011
I don't think Black was ever being mocked all that earnestly.
Rebecca Black death threats.
"I'm Going to Rape Rebecca Black with a rake on Friday"
"I hope you cut yourself, and I hope you'll get an eating disorder so you'll look pretty."
Urban Dictionary definition for Rebecca Black: Cunt. "you're such a fucking Rebecca Black."
I could go on for pages. Rebecca Black wasn't just mocked, she was viciously and relentlessly bullied.
posted by Astro Zombie at 5:03 PM on June 25, 2011 [11 favorites]
Rebecca Black death threats.
"I'm Going to Rape Rebecca Black with a rake on Friday"
"I hope you cut yourself, and I hope you'll get an eating disorder so you'll look pretty."
Urban Dictionary definition for Rebecca Black: Cunt. "you're such a fucking Rebecca Black."
I could go on for pages. Rebecca Black wasn't just mocked, she was viciously and relentlessly bullied.
posted by Astro Zombie at 5:03 PM on June 25, 2011 [11 favorites]
If it turns out that her parents or some other adults stepped in when she started getting all this attention and helped give her the tools to deal with it in such a positive way, I would be more impressed, not less.
Oh, absolutely. I just don't think it hurts to point out that this is certainly a Team Benni Cinkle effort, and not just one plucky 13-year-old standing up to the big mean Internet all alone.
It is vastly preferable for Benni Cinkle the Public Figure Who Was The Object of Much Derision to become Benni Cinkle the Public Figure Who Can Teach Us All A Lesson About Grace.
But in either case, she's Benni Cinkle the Public Figure. If adults are posting on her Public Figure website or FB page and pretending to be Benni -- while interacting with others who think they're talking to Benni herself -- that doesn't deserve quite the same magnitude of adulation and admiration for These Kids Today.
There's nothing wrong with adults helping her manage this. Nor is there anything wrong with acknowledging they are doing so.
posted by pineapple at 5:04 PM on June 25, 2011
Oh, absolutely. I just don't think it hurts to point out that this is certainly a Team Benni Cinkle effort, and not just one plucky 13-year-old standing up to the big mean Internet all alone.
It is vastly preferable for Benni Cinkle the Public Figure Who Was The Object of Much Derision to become Benni Cinkle the Public Figure Who Can Teach Us All A Lesson About Grace.
But in either case, she's Benni Cinkle the Public Figure. If adults are posting on her Public Figure website or FB page and pretending to be Benni -- while interacting with others who think they're talking to Benni herself -- that doesn't deserve quite the same magnitude of adulation and admiration for These Kids Today.
There's nothing wrong with adults helping her manage this. Nor is there anything wrong with acknowledging they are doing so.
posted by pineapple at 5:04 PM on June 25, 2011
someone asked her "Why are you so awkward??" and she responded:"Um, because I'm 13 (:"
Fantastic. In fact, my only complaint is that, at 13, she's already more skilled in the use of laconic wit than me.
But minor jealousy aside, I like what she's doing with the 15 minutes that's been thrust on her.
Stay awesome TGIP.
posted by quin at 5:19 PM on June 25, 2011
Fantastic. In fact, my only complaint is that, at 13, she's already more skilled in the use of laconic wit than me.
But minor jealousy aside, I like what she's doing with the 15 minutes that's been thrust on her.
Stay awesome TGIP.
posted by quin at 5:19 PM on June 25, 2011
Hey, you kid! Stay on my lawn!
posted by scody at 5:22 PM on June 25, 2011 [9 favorites]
posted by scody at 5:22 PM on June 25, 2011 [9 favorites]
This is the world's best college admissions packet.
posted by yellowcandy at 5:58 PM on June 25, 2011
posted by yellowcandy at 5:58 PM on June 25, 2011
Up until this moment, I had no idea that this Rebecca Black person existed. I don't know whether to feel blessed, cursed or indifferent.
posted by jonmc at 6:03 PM on June 25, 2011
posted by jonmc at 6:03 PM on June 25, 2011
Rebecca Black deserves precisely none of the shit that's been tossed upon her, and Astro Zombie is right that it hasn't been exactly good-natured. The song was bad. We should all have such activities from when we were 13 thrust across the web.
And yes, this gave us Benni Cinko. Hopefully the silver lining that outshines the cloud?
posted by Navelgazer at 10:59 PM on June 25, 2011
And yes, this gave us Benni Cinko. Hopefully the silver lining that outshines the cloud?
posted by Navelgazer at 10:59 PM on June 25, 2011
Two More Things:
One, for whatever reason, the whole Rebecca Black thing makes me think of this.
Two, imagine if this had been made at the time when it could have gone viral. I realize it's unlikely, but Miss Black might actually have something to give us, artistically, once she is a bit more mature. How cool would that be?
posted by Navelgazer at 11:14 PM on June 25, 2011
One, for whatever reason, the whole Rebecca Black thing makes me think of this.
Two, imagine if this had been made at the time when it could have gone viral. I realize it's unlikely, but Miss Black might actually have something to give us, artistically, once she is a bit more mature. How cool would that be?
posted by Navelgazer at 11:14 PM on June 25, 2011
I'm with Navelgazer and AZ. People online just don't think about what they're doing -- making fun of a 13-year-old who's putting herself out there in a way that most people don't have the guts to. And if they do think about it, they'll fabricate whatever justification suits them. They'll say that posting it online or attempting to make pop music automatically removes her rights as a person worth empathy. Or that their opinion is one tiny voice in a million, no matter how hurtful it is. It's a weird social assumption that once it's out there, the artist essentially gives up any sense of privacy in exchange for the (positive and negative) attention they receive.
At least, that's what I like to think, because how the hell else can otherwise rational people justify mocking and humiliating 13-year-olds? They face enough shit from their peers, let alone the online masses. I hope people aren't this callous and cruel.
posted by spiderskull at 11:31 PM on June 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
At least, that's what I like to think, because how the hell else can otherwise rational people justify mocking and humiliating 13-year-olds? They face enough shit from their peers, let alone the online masses. I hope people aren't this callous and cruel.
posted by spiderskull at 11:31 PM on June 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
Talk about "a soft answer turneth away wrath." I think this girl is my hero. It would take a lot of courage to respond the way she did - she wouldn't know if she was just painting a bigger target on her back and opening herself up for more ridicule.
I don't have her faith in humanity, sadly. If the girl in pink had been someone close to me, I would have told her to ignore it all and wait for it to blow over. I so admire her for not hiding away - I salute her.
posted by Euphorbia at 1:02 AM on June 26, 2011 [2 favorites]
I don't have her faith in humanity, sadly. If the girl in pink had been someone close to me, I would have told her to ignore it all and wait for it to blow over. I so admire her for not hiding away - I salute her.
posted by Euphorbia at 1:02 AM on June 26, 2011 [2 favorites]
Good for her.
My only problem is I keep parsing Cinkle as "Crinkle", which now that I think about it would make a great stage name: Benni Crinkle.
posted by bwg at 1:25 AM on June 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
My only problem is I keep parsing Cinkle as "Crinkle", which now that I think about it would make a great stage name: Benni Crinkle.
posted by bwg at 1:25 AM on June 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
She doesn't feel coached at all. Obviously a 13 year old girl doesn't set up all that stuff without adult help, but she presents to the camera as not only authentic, but absolutely authentically likable.
I can't think of the last time I listened to a 13 year old talk for 4 and a half minutes and liked them afterward.
Talk about sprezzatura!
posted by FeralHat at 3:41 AM on June 26, 2011
I can't think of the last time I listened to a 13 year old talk for 4 and a half minutes and liked them afterward.
Talk about sprezzatura!
posted by FeralHat at 3:41 AM on June 26, 2011
I wish everyone would just come out and admit they love the fucking song and video.
posted by milarepa at 5:25 AM on June 26, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by milarepa at 5:25 AM on June 26, 2011 [3 favorites]
I want to send this link to anyone who gripes about "Kids these days."
posted by DigDoug at 7:30 AM on June 26, 2011
posted by DigDoug at 7:30 AM on June 26, 2011
As much as this song is annoying, I have to admit that the kids involved with it are fine specimens of adolescence.
posted by pxe2000 at 7:39 AM on June 26, 2011
posted by pxe2000 at 7:39 AM on June 26, 2011
When I was thirteen years old, I wrote a play.
It was a horrific monstrosity with 34 characters, a thirteen year old's overreaching attempt at philosophy and depth.
But if I'd had a little more enthusiasm, a bunch more friends, a bit more support, a free space to do it, maybe I would have had it staged. It's not unrealistic -- I managed to stage a number of smaller, more restrained plays when I was in early high school. By the time I was 18, I wrote and directed a full length musical. Were they any good? Eh. I was still learning my craft, very much so. But they weren't EMBARRASSINGLY bad. Not HORRIFICALLY bad. Not like that first play.
But if I'd gotten that first one on the stage, and it had been the age of YouTube, I'm sure I'd have proudly videotaped it and put it on display. That kind of thing is a lot of work for a 13 year old. I'd want people to see it.
Would it have gone viral in its horrible badness? Probably not. Most things don't. More likely it just would have gone ignored, or wouldn't have been QUITE bad enough in just the right way, or what have you.
But maybe it would have. Maybe the whole country would have started mocking me for being 13, and enthusiastic, and trying stuff out, and doing it badly because I was too young to have any idea what the hell I was doing yet.
It's decades later, and I'm a working playwright. I've had stuff performed all over. It gets generally good reviews. Audiences seem to like it. I know what I'm doing now, and I think I'm contributing, in my small way, as an artist, to whatever art is.
Would I still be doing that if I'd been mercilessly mocked for it at the age of 13? Maybe. But maybe not.
Leave Rebecca Black and her friends the f*ck alone.
posted by kyrademon at 11:21 AM on June 26, 2011 [13 favorites]
It was a horrific monstrosity with 34 characters, a thirteen year old's overreaching attempt at philosophy and depth.
But if I'd had a little more enthusiasm, a bunch more friends, a bit more support, a free space to do it, maybe I would have had it staged. It's not unrealistic -- I managed to stage a number of smaller, more restrained plays when I was in early high school. By the time I was 18, I wrote and directed a full length musical. Were they any good? Eh. I was still learning my craft, very much so. But they weren't EMBARRASSINGLY bad. Not HORRIFICALLY bad. Not like that first play.
But if I'd gotten that first one on the stage, and it had been the age of YouTube, I'm sure I'd have proudly videotaped it and put it on display. That kind of thing is a lot of work for a 13 year old. I'd want people to see it.
Would it have gone viral in its horrible badness? Probably not. Most things don't. More likely it just would have gone ignored, or wouldn't have been QUITE bad enough in just the right way, or what have you.
But maybe it would have. Maybe the whole country would have started mocking me for being 13, and enthusiastic, and trying stuff out, and doing it badly because I was too young to have any idea what the hell I was doing yet.
It's decades later, and I'm a working playwright. I've had stuff performed all over. It gets generally good reviews. Audiences seem to like it. I know what I'm doing now, and I think I'm contributing, in my small way, as an artist, to whatever art is.
Would I still be doing that if I'd been mercilessly mocked for it at the age of 13? Maybe. But maybe not.
Leave Rebecca Black and her friends the f*ck alone.
posted by kyrademon at 11:21 AM on June 26, 2011 [13 favorites]
milarepa
Prompted by this post, I finally bit the bullet and watched more than the first ten seconds of Friday. I found that I could just manage it... so long as I kept the sound muted.
I don't mean this as a dig at Rebecca Black, or any of her friends, but at the adults that enabled and profited from this grotesque miscarriage of dreams.
posted by The Confessor at 1:34 PM on June 26, 2011
Prompted by this post, I finally bit the bullet and watched more than the first ten seconds of Friday. I found that I could just manage it... so long as I kept the sound muted.
I don't mean this as a dig at Rebecca Black, or any of her friends, but at the adults that enabled and profited from this grotesque miscarriage of dreams.
posted by The Confessor at 1:34 PM on June 26, 2011
I don't mean this as a dig at Rebecca Black, or any of her friends, but at the adults that enabled and profited from this grotesque miscarriage of dreams.Dude, get a grip. It's a bad song, not a crime against humanity.
posted by craichead at 1:38 PM on June 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
I just got an email from Benni saying she'd like to use the text of this FPP for the "Description" field in her Facebook fan page. So I guess you can assume that your kind comments have all been received and appreciated (:
(Probably adopting the Cinkle "backwards smiley" from now on.)
posted by hermitosis at 1:51 PM on June 26, 2011 [5 favorites]
(Probably adopting the Cinkle "backwards smiley" from now on.)
posted by hermitosis at 1:51 PM on June 26, 2011 [5 favorites]
Dude, get a grip. It's a bad song, not a crime against humanity.
Maybe not, but I think having a 12-year-old sing this comes close.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 1:51 PM on June 26, 2011
Maybe not, but I think having a 12-year-old sing this comes close.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 1:51 PM on June 26, 2011
(Sorry for lack of context: that video's from the same producers who did Friday. I also allow that my being incredibly squicked out by the "OMG" video might be to due my age more than anything else.)
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 2:08 PM on June 26, 2011
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 2:08 PM on June 26, 2011
I was the one hoping she would pay 5 bucks to comment on here, so I showed her the thread
posted by wheelieman at 2:19 PM on June 26, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by wheelieman at 2:19 PM on June 26, 2011 [2 favorites]
>> (Probably adopting the Cinkle "backwards smiley" from now on.)
Continuing my role today as wonder-killer...
This is not a Benni Cinkle thing. All the teenagers I know make their emoticons backwards when possible. It thwarts the various apps that want to convert [colon + right paren] into an actual smiley face, especially turning them into a J in the case of cross-OS contamination.
This was already a thing, IOW.
posted by pineapple at 5:23 PM on June 26, 2011 [2 favorites]
Continuing my role today as wonder-killer...
This is not a Benni Cinkle thing. All the teenagers I know make their emoticons backwards when possible. It thwarts the various apps that want to convert [colon + right paren] into an actual smiley face, especially turning them into a J in the case of cross-OS contamination.
This was already a thing, IOW.
posted by pineapple at 5:23 PM on June 26, 2011 [2 favorites]
My dirty little secret is that my friends and I have Blackrolled each other enough that I'm beginning to actually like the song. :O
posted by Jacqueline at 9:13 PM on June 26, 2011
posted by Jacqueline at 9:13 PM on June 26, 2011
Friday has also inspired some great parodies. My personal favorite uses the exact same lyrics, but changes the arrangement and delivery in such a way that the meaning completely changes.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 4:38 AM on June 27, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 4:38 AM on June 27, 2011 [2 favorites]
Speaking of queens of the internet, Boxxy has released a video in which she parodies herself. Or did she always? Or was she just making public the negotiating of self-identity which is a core part of adolescence?
posted by Busy Old Fool at 4:48 AM on June 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Busy Old Fool at 4:48 AM on June 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
God damn it, I count on Metafilter to be the one place on the internet I can go to without seeing the word "Boxxy". I've never understood the fascination with this person, who to my eyes just prattles on and acts hyper on cam, or why her minions feel the need to spam her all over the web.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 4:54 AM on June 27, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 4:54 AM on June 27, 2011 [2 favorites]
Boxxy and Benni have a lot in common. They became very famous, initially among an internet incrowd, later in mainstream media (1,2,3), despite not seeking it. Both of them are known, ultimately, for fairly normal teenage behaviour. Despite being kids, they both attracted public mockery and abuse. They are both trying to leverage their initial fame into something else, as they grow up in public.
One difference is that Benni is responding to her fame by emphasising how normal and nice she is, so her dance is seen as exactly what you'd expect from a goofy teenager. Catherine (Boxxy) has downplayed the 'real' her, while emphasising how Boxxy is a character by parodying it and creating another character, 'Svetlana'.
posted by Busy Old Fool at 6:13 AM on June 27, 2011
One difference is that Benni is responding to her fame by emphasising how normal and nice she is, so her dance is seen as exactly what you'd expect from a goofy teenager. Catherine (Boxxy) has downplayed the 'real' her, while emphasising how Boxxy is a character by parodying it and creating another character, 'Svetlana'.
posted by Busy Old Fool at 6:13 AM on June 27, 2011
Benni RULES!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:18 PM on June 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:18 PM on June 27, 2011 [1 favorite]
Yeah, The Confessor, I hear you, but presumably you're not one of the people that's obsessed with bashing these poor girls.
posted by milarepa at 12:41 PM on June 27, 2011
posted by milarepa at 12:41 PM on June 27, 2011
Leave Rebecca Black and her friends the f*ck alone.
Chris Crocker says Rrrrowr!
posted by Mike Mongo at 8:27 PM on June 27, 2011
Chris Crocker says Rrrrowr!
posted by Mike Mongo at 8:27 PM on June 27, 2011
UPDATE: I was able to interview Cinkle for The Hairpin (guess I won't be able to FPP them anymore...). I even got her to respond to craichead's comment upthread -- her response to this is such a victory of deflection that I suspect she may be a zen master.
posted by hermitosis at 10:10 AM on July 14, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by hermitosis at 10:10 AM on July 14, 2011 [3 favorites]
Aww. After reading her mom's answers in your interview, hermitosis, I can see why Benni is so well-adjusted.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:12 PM on July 14, 2011
Q: As a parent these sorts of personal comments/attacks against Benni must have triggered a lot of protective instincts. Was it a struggle to advise your daughter rationally and reasonably?It looks like calm thoughtfulness runs in the family.
A: It hasn’t been a struggle at all. In fact, this has been a great opportunity to educate all our kids on how to make the best of things, and how important it is to choose your perspective.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:12 PM on July 14, 2011
Fantastic, hemitosis. It's almost spooky to see someone so balanced and mature at that age.
posted by Busy Old Fool at 3:00 PM on July 14, 2011
posted by Busy Old Fool at 3:00 PM on July 14, 2011
And so, hermitosis scooped NYT. Nicely done.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 9:22 PM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 9:22 PM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]
FUCK YEAH I DID
posted by hermitosis at 7:41 AM on July 16, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by hermitosis at 7:41 AM on July 16, 2011 [4 favorites]
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posted by KingEdRa at 12:28 PM on June 25, 2011