I guess this is the appropriate time to confess that I have not kept one of my vows--well, actually, multiple vows, but I'm only writing about one this morning. Yes, one of the vows that was about being kind to myself. The one about not visiting a certain web site that gets me totally riled up.
I knew I should leave it, but there is a really nice segment of the community there that does a Saturday morning home and gardening blog--and I love communing with them. Once there for that purpose, it's easy to get sucked into other diaries. I did so yesterday, and the jerks there have now made me cry. Yes, you read that right--some assholes on the internet made me cry, and not in a good way.
I am embarrassed that it has come to this. I am disgusted that these are the kind of pricks who are supposedly "on my side." It makes the knee-jerk part of me want to never give another dime to progressive causes. But then I'd be hanging out with a totally different kind of prick, making up stories about the existence of WMDs and listening in on the first kind of pricks' telephone calls with each other, in which they crow about driving yet another member of the DKos community away because she disagreed with them about Wal-Mart.
It's a vicious circle, isn't it?
So, now, I am backing away from my keyboard, erasing my history of visits so that I cannot easily go back there through the miracle of auto-complete.
I need your support, people!
28 May 2006
Sunday confessions.
Posted by Lisa at 9:48 AM
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4 comments:
Lisa, it's an addiciton. Just like trying to give up alcohol or put back the doughnuts. I go to that same site and another one, but have resisted going into the forums and comments sections.
They are incredibly intolerant of anybody who does't agree with thier extremist views. They aren't open to discussion, nor are they willing to just agree to disagree.
I have been called every name you can think of over some of the most trivial things at Atrios's blog. Silly me, I thought I was making a valid point one day and a group of about 8 people just unloaded on me.
But, the thing about it is, those sites raise a lot of money for Dem candidates, and get Dems a lot of pub. And, it's really a pretty small group of people who think they own the place. Kinda like a high school clique.
So the best thing to do is, just stay out of the forums. And when they get that way, just leave. Who need that.
Ahh, but it is so easy to get sucked in. And such a shock to the system when those who you think are on your side turn on you for incredibly stupid reasons.
Unfortunately, the emergence of the type of pricks you are referring to is a result of many, many years of having to deal with thuggish behavior from members of the right wing and the can't beat-em, join-them attitude.
Don't beat yourself up over the fact that you cried. It means that you are still human. Have some tea, play with your dogs and look at some of the beautiful photos you have taken.
Thanks, both of you. Nothing like comments from nice progressive people and a night at the ball game with one's dog to make those things seem rather unimportant.
More on the ball game later!
Ok, I'm 2 years late on this one (;-) catching up on my Sunday morning blog browsing). You are not alone on this one at all, Lisa. You are also not an (insert derogatory term here, whatever they called you). Oddly enough, I just had a similar experience on one of my fave liberal blogs. It was comforting to read your post & the comments. Jay hit it on the head: It is like high school! I was recently ripped a new one on a chat thread during the Lehman Bros. meltdown. It was a Sunday afternoon and the resident big, important economist of the discussion board was chiming in with his opinion whilst he was "on a conference call". I LOL'ed. I mean, come on - you're on a conference call, assessing the damage & implementing a solution, and you're also chiming in on a discussion board? Puh-leeze. You know the guy was eating Cheetos playing Grand Theft Auto, perhaps toying with the thought of whacking off, before he got the idea of checking out the chat threads and swooping down to pronounce us me & several others as idiots.
I am often ashamed of how "my team" acts just as deplorable as "the bad guys"; even worse, sometimes, because they are so quick to rip on someone who is, for the most part, aligned with their own beliefs.
My last comment as I left the discussion board: "With all due respect, [Big Important Economist who spouted crackpot theories & degrading insults], because I know you are like God in these parts - Up yours!"
I haven't looked back since. I have taken a look at my own brashness in dealing with the other side, and have reminded myself of my need to live by the proverb, "A wise man avoids an argument."
Rant. That is all. Carry on, and please - take the internets with a rock of salt.
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