10/1/08

Relief

The past couple weeks have been strange ones here in the Northern blogging world.
There have been "flame wars" between bloggers.... which turned sour for a bit, but now seem to have subsided...
And the addition of a new blogger to the ranks, whose comments just didn't seem to sit well with many of "us".

Now I am going to kind of take a "my sandbox" approach to this, so just if this bothers you, I'm sorry, but just deal. I've given this a fair bit of thought.

The blogger in question has now restricted access to their site.

And I couldn't be more relieved.

At one point, after (what felt like a rude) comment directed towards me, I felt tempted to block that person from posting/reading my site... but I decided that might be unfair. They were asking a question. Maybe the tone was garbled because it was typed. Who knows. So I let it go.

The restricted access came after the same blogger wrote a scathing rant about small Aboriginal communities and suicide. I found it really disturbing, and began to write a reaction to it, or at least selected sections (it was fairly long, and in places there was a grain of truth - but unfortunately it got buried under a lot of dismissive comments). It's gone now, so it doesn't much matter what I write. And like I said, I think it's for the best.

I am obviously not the target audience for that person's writing, and that's fine for me. "If you don't like it, don't read it" - and I tried, but it's hard when other blogs you read reference the blogger you are trying to avoid, and that person also posts on your site. So a source of stress and tension for me has extinguished itself. And I'm happy for that.

And dear blogger, if you do still decide to visit this site, that is fine. But please treat me and my blog with the same level of courtesy as I have tried to treat you and yours.

Peace out.

10 comments:

Megan October 2, 2008 at 12:07 AM  

I think I need a separate section for all of the rude, flamey messages I get. :) We just have to laugh them off. It's hard sometimes, though.

I've always taken the position that nasty comments say more about the person who left them than they do about me. Actually, that's part of the reason I started to publish them on the main blog.

I still prefer the reader-submitted questions, though.

Mongoose October 2, 2008 at 5:46 AM  

I never comment on a blog with the intention to be rude or offensive, yous included.

Anonymous October 2, 2008 at 6:46 AM  

(cough cough)

KOTN October 2, 2008 at 10:07 AM  

"my sandbox"

TM KOTN 2008

:)

Jackie S. Quire October 2, 2008 at 10:20 AM  

Megan: I'm lucky I don't get hardly any. I think if I got more, I'd be less hurt/taken aback when they do come along.

And I'm sure you've noticed I've stolen that format of yours, where I try to answer question on the main page, instead of in the comments section. I like it.

Mongoose: I am glad to hear that. And I will chalk up what I considered "mean posts" to an electronic misunderstanding :)

KOTN: Oh yah, totally. I just love the image of a grown-up KOTN sitting in a sandbox, biffin' sand at people and wailing "IT'S MY SANDBOX!!!"

KOTN October 2, 2008 at 10:25 AM  

Hell damn fart.

Wait, this is YOUR sandbox... I'll watch my language.

That is the thing, I don't go on other people's sites picking fights. My site however, is MINE.

MY toys, MY Jesus VS Hitler comics, MINE MINE MINE.

Plus, alledging bias on journalists with flimsy evidence is a pet peeve of mine. Sometimes you have to shoot a hostage to keep the rest in line.

Jackie S. Quire October 2, 2008 at 11:02 AM  

KENT! Dude! Say all the fart-words you want, but I swear to god if this comment section turns into another flame war, I'm going to ...

Ok I don't know what I'm going to do, but it won't be fun for you!!! :P

Empty threats are fun!

Mongoose October 2, 2008 at 2:05 PM  

I don't think it's so much an electronic misunderstanding as a difference in point of view. If you're talking about the comment I think, I thought it was rude of my therapist the first hundred times she said the same thing to me, too. After that it's easy to perceive things as critical when you have an existing impression that I'm being critical of you. But yeah, I didn't mean to be mean by it. You seem like a sweet person.

Megan October 2, 2008 at 6:23 PM  

My comments section has provided plenty of glee today. I actually like hate mail. The people who spew it are always incoherent.

Apparently I am biased, have a hidden agenda, and do not like people who work for News/North.

Also, I eat puppies.

OK, so he didn't say that last part, but it's just as ridiculous as the things he DID say.

Anonymous October 2, 2008 at 6:28 PM  

pfft....puppies? I once ate rooster testicle stew.