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Well That Escalated Quickly Memoirs & Mistakes of an Accidental Activist

by Franchesca Ramsey

ISBN13: 9781538761038
ISBN10: 1538761033

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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

In this sharp, funny, and timely collection of personal essays, veteran video blogger and star of MTV’s Decoded Franchesca Ramsey explores race, identity, online activism, and the downfall of real communication in the age of social media rants, trolls, and call-out wars.

Franchesca Ramsey didn’t set out to be an activist. Or a comedian. Or a commentator on identity, race, and culture, really. But then her YouTube video “What White Girls Say...to Black Girls” went viral. Twelve million views viral. Faced with an avalanche of media requests, fan letters, and hate mail, she had two choices: Jump in and make her voice heard or step back and let others frame the conversation. After a crash course in social justice and more than a few foot-in-mouth moments, she realized she had a unique talent and passion for breaking down injustice in America in ways that could make people listen and engage.

In her first book, Ramsey uses her own experiences as an accidental activist to explore the many ways we communicate with each other — from the highs of bridging gaps and making connections to the many pitfalls that accompany talking about race, power, sexuality, and gender in an unpredictable public space… the Internet.

Well, That Escalated Quickly includes Ramsey’s advice on dealing with Internet trolls and low-key racists, confessions about being a former online hater herself, and her personal hits and misses in activist debates with everyone from bigoted Facebook friends and misguided relatives to mainstream celebrities and YouTube influencers. With sharp humor and her trademark candor, Ramsey shows readers we can have tough conversations that move the dialogue forward, rather than backward, if we just approach them in the right way.

About the Author

Franchesca Ramsey is a social justice advocate, comedian, actress, writer, video blogger, sought-after speaker, and the host of the award-winning web series Decoded on MTV. With videos topping 12 million views, she has been featured on NPR, Anderson Cooper, CNN, MTV, the BBC, and in The New York Times. A former writer and correspondent for The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore, she now has a major late-night television show in development with Comedy Central. She lives in New York City and this is her first book.

Franchesca Ramsey on PowellsBooks.Blog

My debut book is a collection of personal stories and advice about communication on the Internet. More specifically, the downfall of communication because of the Internet. The thought of representing that through audio was... daunting to say the least. I mean, who wants to listen to a playlist inspired by their aunt’s endless collection of “libtard” Facebook memes...

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Average customer rating 5 (1 comments)

`	Rachel Kramer Bussel , June 05, 2018 (view all comments by Rachel Kramer Bussel) In this hilarious and helpful memoir in essays, Franchesca Ramsey breaks down online misbehavior and how to handle it with an expert's voice while telling her story of fledgling YouTuber to superstar. She reveals what it was like for her famous S--- White Girls Say to Black Girls video to go viral, both the highs and the lows, including being criticized savagely by those she thought were on her side. In the process, she also deconstructs the difference between constructive criticism, whether calling out or calling in, and barbs that ultimately are unlikely to be heard or absorbed by the recipient. This is brought to light in her chapter "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (It's Lena Dunham) about having mocked Dunham's show Girls online, along with the creator herself, only to find herself seated next to her at a private dinner. She also writes about activism and self-care, the balancing act of unfriending people on social media, her interracial relationship and how such relationships are treated by both white people and black people, and much more. I found the chapter "Stop Hating and Start Studying," about professional jealousy and learning from her online nemeses rather than simply snarking, the most insightful and relevant to my life. As befitting the title, Ramsey shares many of her mistakes, from responding too heatedly online (sound familiar?) to piling on a person who eventually left the platform she was being berated on, to other foibles that show she isn’t looking down from on high as a social media master but instead sharing her evolution as an online personality who wields a lot of power with her words. You don't have to be an activist to take away a better sense of how to conduct yourself online from this book, but activists will likely glean even more insights, as it's largely geared around her activist work but also relatable to anyone who's glued to their phone. This book is likely to make you laugh, and if you spend any time at all online, to also make you think...and think twice before posting that next comment, anonymously or not.
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