A Commentary on Comments
Comments are an interesting part of posting online. They allow others the space to tell you what they thought of your post, if they agree or disagree etc. However, I have found that comments also allow people to cut you down. This I don't understand. I realize that when you post online you open yourself up to whoever is going to read it. Yet, I cannot believe that a person will comment simply to hurt you. This goes way past the usual hacking and stupid jokes. This is actually hurtful. Now I know I'm going to get told here if you can't take criticism, why are you posting online. But that's just it! The comment I received on my live journal was a malicious criticism, not meant to be constructive, not meant to be helpful, but hurtful. I know it's not from a random person, because whoever wrote this feels they have some kind of understanding of my writing style. I'll quote it for those of you who don't read my LiveJournal.
Honest opinion (Anonymous) 2006-02-18 07:11 am
To be honest your writing is good, technically speaking that is. However you lack charactor behind what you write, there is no personality to your writing. In your journal entries you explain everything as though it were to go into an resource manual.
Ouch! And considering that this post was a comment on an entry in which I was feeling a little more than disillusioned with myself and my writing...It did nothing but confirm my fears that university has drained me of all creative ability.
This is what gets me. This person is supposed to be my friend! No one but my friends would bother reading my journal! Here are the two points that grieve me the most: it's anonymous. If you can't put your name beside what you are writing, if you aren't proud of what you are writing, if you know you are going to hurt, piss off and anger the person you are writing and can't take credit for it, should you be writing it!? The second point is that this person also feels they know my writing and the style of my writing, well enough to criticize it anyway, but what authority do they have, especially when they spelt character wrong!? What are they basing this on? My journal? Bravo...it's barely fucking edited!
I know I'm going on about this and it seems like I'm beating a dead horse, but you just don't know until you've been cut down like that. It feels so unfair that this person...this inconsiderate, presumptuous, obtuse individual...gets to criticize me on something I hold very important in my life, my ability to write, and I am not able to make any direct defense. I am so frustrated by this cowardice. I hope someone does this to them, in some form or another. I hope they get kicked when their down. I hope they look to their friends for support and find nothing but a kick to the stomach. This is the exact reason I hate meeting people. This is the exact reason I don't like many people. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the more people you know the more people can stab you in the back.
I think I can let this go now...thanks for bearing with me while I vented...
posted by Jenevieve @ 11:53 AM
6 Comments:
Jen,
The Internet is full of bastards. You shouldn't be subjected to that kind of thing, because you're a total sweetie.
This is the only moment when I'm almost glad I don't get to experience your writing on that medium, in your myspace thingie, because I am sure that my abrasive self wasn't the culprit. It's a small price to pay for the relief of knowing I'm not that particular bastard.
When you find him, we go a-lynching, okay?
Why do you assume it's a him?
It doesn't matter what the gender of the person is, to tell someone outright that they have "no personality in their writing" is unwanted and disrespectful.
Maybe the person was not trying to be insulting, maybe they just have no tact. My main disagreement is that if you are going to leave a comment, good or bad, at least say who you are. Stand up for your words.
I would ignore it like the ramblings of the insane.
Later.
I just wanted my name to show up here becaue i thought it starange that two friends of mine have left comments on my girlfriends blog(that would be yours..) and i haden't so here it is. I ahave told you my feelings on this and must convey my agreement with the other two hacks here...
Hey,
Just two things...I don't assume it's a him. I reread my entry to make sure, and I didn't make any assumptions on who it is. I have my suspicions, but I know I could be wrong...so I'm avoiding any accusation no matter how inspecific.
Also, the comment could be a lack of tact, but for some reason I don't think it was. I can't explain this assumption...and maybe I am wrong, but I just can't believe that this person meant well by it. It has too much of a malicious tone to it. I don't think it's possible for that person not to be able to see how hurtful it would be.
PS: I edited this entry to include the comment for those of you who couldn't read it. It was posted on an entry in my LiveJournal where in I was feeling really disillusioned about myself...which is probably why it hurt so much. This individual was confirming my fears.
I was questioning Lunchbox's lynching comment in regards to the gender.
But as I said before, if they can't put their name behind their words then they should keep whatever opinions they have to themselves.
But if we do find them I say we punish them severely, like making them spellcheck Joe's blog by hand.
Later.
Yeah. I assumed a guy because I'm safe playing those odds in these days and times. Also I'm just too lazy to say 'him or her' for everything, or placate unpeople with the default 'she', since we all know what happened when we gave up our original, third pronoun.
Yeah, and I'm at least comforted by the knowledge that it wasn't me who wrote that comment: I would have used a semicolon to join the two complete sentences where the anonymous poster used a comma.
Which proves the anoymous poster is a cretin, and not this cretin.
I have my funnel, so I'm ready to go lynching any time. Curse their cowardly, anonymous selves!
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