Another Hero Has Fallen
I know that many of us have written or read posts begging for “niceness” in the blogsphere, and I am sure many of us are tired of hearing the constant rants regarding the big meanies that tend to live to trash other people. I’ve read yet another ill intended blog last night, and I’m frankly sick of it. I have yet to figure out what benefit an author of these type of posts receives. In this case, it was a writer who I have ignored their past attacks and concentrated on the positive contributions (which were many) that I’ve seen them articulate. They were the single author that I had followed on this particular blog, because the sum total of the other posts were usually, simply nefarious. It is inconsequential to you the reader, or to the blog itself; but I have promptly removed this last blog author from my reader.
If you only had a heart
In reading this latest blog I had to ask a question. Does the author of these hateful posts realize that the target of their insalubrious writings have families? They are people, who in most cases, are simply trying to provide lodging for their families and groceries for their children? In this case I haven’t a clue about whom the rant was and don’t care. I am curious as to when we, as blog writers, were knighted to ride the white horses and slaughter the heretics, who may not think as we do!?!?! Is there any consideration to why the feel they must emasculate another? There is no evident benefit to the author, other than attention for the obtuse individuals who comment on such posts in support. Why squander the gift that has been bestowed on you, to articulate thoughts into words or writings on such articles?
You are the sum total or your surroundings
We’ve heard the programming phrase ‘garbage in; garbage out’ frequently, but do you understand what that means? We are the sum total or our influences, in many cases. If I were to continue to surround myself with angry and nonconstructive writers and articles, I tend to believe them or at least to be influenced by them. I also tend to be judged with them. Guilt by association, so they say.
Who influences you?
I am incredibly honored by my affiliation with AgentGenius.com. I feel that I am the least deserving of the other writers to able to post my musings in this venue, and daily learn to be and do better by reading this resource. However, if I found that the other contributors to this platform were able to use it as a venue to launch unprovoked personal attacks on any other person, I would readily (and quietly) retire from this group. (I am thankful that I have yet to see such behavior here.) There would be no loss from the great contributions made here, but I would not want to be related to the kind of rampant negativity found elsewhere. I am relatively young to this writing opportunity and don’t want to be over-reaching, but I wouldn’t want readers and friends to think that I supported the source of degradation that is allowed elsewhere. I think a village is made up of it’s citizens and I would challenge writers who try to contribute; yet remain separate from their platform, to realize that readers don’t recognize the difference.
Not just another plea
I know that I’ve used blogging as a platform to ask other writers to simply be nice, and this is not another plea to those writers. This is a recommendation to other readers to start spending your time reading and dwelling on blogs that actual benefit your career and take a stand that you will not support those who enjoy harming others. There is little value to be gained, even in the best post, to tolerate the school yard bully who terrorizes another and embarrass another in front of their friends and families just for the hope of increased comments and webtraffic. Is it really that important? Even if your flaming another because you don’t agree with their words, personal attacks are simply the result of one who typically can’t debate a greater issue. Surprisingly enough, many of the web-terrorists I’ve seen are much more capable and intellectual than their gutter based personal attacks. They could effectively debate issues, but they choose the easy road and simply attack the person.
Debate is a terrific benefit of communications; personal attacks are the unnecessary evil of the same venue…
