I'm Over It

Ever wonder why I don't criticize other people's writing (not counting TV writers) or have a comments option on this blog? Because I hate how interactivity on the Internet makes people rude and surly, and above all, filled with self-righteous indignation. See, I have plenty of my own self-righteous indignation to spread around this here blog. That's why the blog exists. It's a fabulous little exercise in onanism, where I scribble scrabble dabble about what I want to, without the fear of someone blasting me for it. I'm not getting paid. I only have a handful of readers, most of whom are my friends. I most definitely would not want to get into a pissing match with another blogger, not only because I don't have that much confidence in my writing skills, but the concept of flaming became passe for me around 1995. And let's face it, all this nastiness is just flaming in plastic nose and moustache.

What am I talking about? OK, here's a scenario. Blogger A is a fairly well-known web personality who lost her fame-making gig a few years ago. She noodles around on her blog, to kill time between real writing gigs, and ostensibly to hone her skillz. She starts writing for a well-known website and links to her blog at the end of her pieces. Blogger B takes some issue with an article A writes. He may or may not have read her work from her old job or in the blog. He writes an ill-informed post, harshly criticizing and unfairly labeling her. He has "comments." Blogger A links to this post in her blog. A's fanatical readership (mostly folks who have been reading her stuff since time immemorial) flames B on his own blog. Many of those don't seem to have checked out his archives, which is what they accuse B of doing to A. B snarks back a few times, arrogant and wrapped in Internet Asbestos. I was unimpressed by all of it.

Blogger B certainly has a right to criticize something he reads in a widely published forum. Usually, people write a letter to the editor for this purpose, but a blogger knows he will always be published. His criticism was pretty silly, and less about Blogger A's writing than about her personal life, about which he seems to know very little. Blogger A posting the critique was a bit over the top: she must have known what her minions would do. Finally, the scrummy little defenders of Blogger A just need to get a collective grip. If blog commenting is just flaming in a cheap disguise, flaming is just schoolyard taunting from a distance. Can we all please grow up a little? I'm not asking for much, just common courtesy. If you want to criticize, take issue with or attempt to humiliate an online writer, I strongly suggest writing well -- very well --, disabling "comments," and taking a deep breath before you type letter one. See, I'm not hurting Dubya's feeling when I criticize him here. He's not reading my blog, and even if he is, I doubt he cares what I think. I'm not registered with a party. But if I were to tear apart a fellow blogger's work and imply that he was a Communist or not very bright or that he wears bad clothes, it might get back to him, and regardless of the thick skin and snarky attitude he might show, it could hurt his feelings. And why? What would be the purpose served. To make myself look oh-so-clever? Bump that, I say.

There's too much nastiness going around. At least we can be nice to each other. Get over the flaming, already.