So my week’s vacation is coming to an end. The bags are packed, the flight confirmed and the skies have opened up and are pouring on the island where it never rains. My head is clearer save the all-you-can eat and drink Sunday brunch we just visited… Or is it fuzzier… And as a result I have the rare gift of… Perspective.
This week gave me the chance to catch up with family, catch up on old Gear Diary posts that other members of the team have written and check out some of the comments that others have shared on the site. I’m impressed by the majority of the post comments. They add to the conversation and bring up points that I, and other writers here on the site, might not have considered. There are times, however, when the comments add nothing, play “gotcha” or are just plain rude. Some emails are like that too, like the one I got earlier in the week that read,”Thanks for the xyz. I was really hoping for pqd but I GUESS THIS WILL DO?”
Seriously?!?! Who writes that stuff… Even as a joke???
So I was really struck by this post by Paul Carr over on TechCrunch. I won’t quote it here and I need to warn you that the language is a bit crass but I think it speaks for any and everyone who writes for a blog.
So jump on over to the post and check it out then come back and let us know what you think… Or why this post is $@&(: $):@&$.
A Post Worth Reading From TechCrunch… No Commentary Needed:
So my week’s vacation is coming to an end. The bags… http://bit.ly/dGvZKJ
Freedom of Speech. Freedom of Expression. Free thought. Great concepts that are the foundation of our (Read US) society. In the case of the referenced TechCrunch article by Paul Carr was extremely refreshing. Occasionally everyone needs to vent, and I think he did so with style (sarcastic though it may have been).
As to the content – and the implications of the posting: Everyone has an opinion. Everyone. Sometimes, two people actually have opinions that coincide. However, what is important to person “A” is not necessarily important (or as important) to person “B”. Disagreement is OK. If you disagree with something, that could be the trigger to make a contribution. While disagreeing with a web article is unlikely to spur the creation of a cure for cancer, you get the point. Disagreement and choice go hand in hand.
That said, just because you disagree with it, does not make it wrong, improper, obscene, or an act of war. Some people found Michelangelo’s art to be too provocative. Does that mean that if I find his expression of the male form offensive that I can use a nail gun and tarp to cover the exposed genitalia? Hopefully the answer would be no.
In the past, news reporting was slower. People would have to write letters to the editor of a specific newspaper or the producer of a particular local Newscast if they said or did something that was “inappropriate”. Enter the InstantNet. Where thanks to technology, people can respond faster than they can think. And let’s face it. Most negative comments (which I am sure I will get a few) are purposeful. They are intended to spark controversy (or at least a reaction). But if your “criticism’s are constructive”, they are usually received with less animosity, and you actually can cause a change.
Unfortunately, there will always be those people that wish to insert conflict into any venue. They occasionally have a point, but usually it is just on top of their heads.
Thanks for sharing the post.
And Merry Christmas to all (shudder – he didn’t say happy holiday’s).
ssschmidt- How dare you write that… 🙂
Seriously, thanks for the comment. All good points. I think there is a huge difference between disagreeing and being rude. Disagreements make for interesting reading and open the door to learning etc. Being rude is… Just being rude. I think one of the key issues here is the pseudo anonymity people get on the web. I have to believe that many of the people who are so clearly rude would NEVER say or do some of the things they do if they were face to face with someone or had to sign their real name etc.
Things are faster these days. In my opinion that makes it all the more important to do a few things before posting a comment.
1. Ask yourself- would my mother be proud or embarrassed if she read this?
2. Ask- Would I want this on the front page of the paper?
3. Ask- If someone read this without context or knowing my thought process would they see it as adding to the conversation or as off-putting?
4. When in doubt regarding 1,2 or 3 don’t post.
Ah, the singular British wit. I had to laugh a bit. Myself I’ve always puzzled over overtly rude behavior and crassness in general on the internet, but suppose that’s the price we pay for anonymity and competition for getting the last word in. It may also be the nature of the changing discourse in humans relations from face to face to the shorter (by initial virtue of electronic limitations) forms of speech and relating one’s status for all the world to see up to the moment.
Thanks for linking to the TC post, Dan, it had me laughing pretty hard. Sadly, most of the things Paul discusses are true, which is why I stopped commenting on blogs as much as I used to.