"A Hashtag is Not a Movement," Says Scandal Creator Shonda Rhimes

Shonda Rhimes recently gave a speech to the 2014 graduating class of Dartmouth. She bashed hashtag activism saying, ?A hashtag is not a movement.? Shonda Rhimes is a director and creator of the popular TV series ?Scandal? and ?Grey?s Anatomy?. During her speech, she said, ?Oh. And while we are discussing this, let me say a thing. A hashtag is not helping. #yesallwomen #takebackthenight #notallmen #bringbackourgirls #StopPretendingHashtagsAreTheSameAsDoingSomething?. She added, ?Hashtags are very pretty on Twitter. I love them. I will hashtag myself into next week. But a hashtag is not a movement. A hashtag does not make you Dr. King. A hashtag does not change anything. It?s a hashtag. It?s you, sitting on your butt, typing into your computer and then going back to binge watching your favorite show.? The focus of her speech was to encourage students to be doers and not simply dream. They need to actively participate and volunteer in the causes that they believe in, instead of merely spending several hours on the internet and forwarding or discussing issues. She shared that the people who are truly happy and make a difference in the world are those who devote their time and follow their dreams by making it a reality. She said, ?Ditch the dream. Be a do-er, not a dreamer.? Although people generally resort to hashtags nowadays to quickly find information as well as offer help and support, it is not the kind of help that the real world needs, according to Rhimes. She advised that individuals need to ?devote a slice of your energies towards making the world suck less every week.? Too many people spread hate or nonsense in social media or hide behind their computers instead of contributing real work. Volunteering hours and focusing on things that matter outside of yourself will make people appreciate life more. Her suggestion on life, ?Appreciate it. And don?t be an asshole.? Do you agree? Tell us in the comments!