Life is too short to have online enemies
So the inevitable happened this week. I have finally developed an online enemy. Not by choice let me assure you.
Obviously when writing about politics and religion (the two most divisive topics other than BBQ in the South) there are going to be many people who disagree with you. This is par for the course; many that disagree with you just don't come back. But this week I had someone not just disagree with me, but decide to slander my character, call me a liar, and dispute the sincerity of my faith.
The funny thing is that this person is quite conservative and feels that I am quite liberal.
Yes, you can laugh now. La Shawn Barber has me in her humor blogroll so this is fitting. (La Shawn: I didn't know you found me so funny? :))
I tried to discuss things with this person in private to no avail. I was even tempted to call them on the phone but decided that it wasn't worth the effort.
One of the great things about blogging is that it is teaching me patience. I am generally quite an impulsive and passionate person who can easily let his emotions get the best of him. But that is the easy way in the blogosphere. It is way too easy to slam other people, call them names, or impugn their character. And what for? The odd thing is that it is often the people who are so sure of their own righteousness that often spew the venom.
I did get some very good advice from my new blogosphere pastor, the Jollyblogger. I actually decided to pick up the phone and call him. Imagine my surprise when I said my name and he immediately knew who I was. David gave me great advice to just ignore this person.
For those that know the individual I am referring to, I would ask that you leave this issue alone and ignore this person. I have no ill will towards this person. I am tempted to say that I have pity, but I even find that too demeaning.
The irony in all of this is the great relationships that I am building with others in the blogosphere, particularly those who disagree with me politically. I'd particularly like to mention Expat Teacher, Faithful Progressive, Public Theologian, and Brian from DialogicalCoffeeHouse.com. These guys have been regular visitors to my blog lately and contribute a great amount to what is happening here. If you guys are ever in Atlanta, let's go grab a beer together.
Obviously when writing about politics and religion (the two most divisive topics other than BBQ in the South) there are going to be many people who disagree with you. This is par for the course; many that disagree with you just don't come back. But this week I had someone not just disagree with me, but decide to slander my character, call me a liar, and dispute the sincerity of my faith.
The funny thing is that this person is quite conservative and feels that I am quite liberal.
Yes, you can laugh now. La Shawn Barber has me in her humor blogroll so this is fitting. (La Shawn: I didn't know you found me so funny? :))
I tried to discuss things with this person in private to no avail. I was even tempted to call them on the phone but decided that it wasn't worth the effort.
One of the great things about blogging is that it is teaching me patience. I am generally quite an impulsive and passionate person who can easily let his emotions get the best of him. But that is the easy way in the blogosphere. It is way too easy to slam other people, call them names, or impugn their character. And what for? The odd thing is that it is often the people who are so sure of their own righteousness that often spew the venom.
I did get some very good advice from my new blogosphere pastor, the Jollyblogger. I actually decided to pick up the phone and call him. Imagine my surprise when I said my name and he immediately knew who I was. David gave me great advice to just ignore this person.
For those that know the individual I am referring to, I would ask that you leave this issue alone and ignore this person. I have no ill will towards this person. I am tempted to say that I have pity, but I even find that too demeaning.
The irony in all of this is the great relationships that I am building with others in the blogosphere, particularly those who disagree with me politically. I'd particularly like to mention Expat Teacher, Faithful Progressive, Public Theologian, and Brian from DialogicalCoffeeHouse.com. These guys have been regular visitors to my blog lately and contribute a great amount to what is happening here. If you guys are ever in Atlanta, let's go grab a beer together.
posted by Dignan at 11:35 PM Permalink
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