Lately, I’ve had a commentary running through my head that makes it difficult to sleep, so I figured I may as well take it from mental stew to actual verbage so I can get some shuteye.
Blogs. People who read blogs. People who love to hate blogs.
Blogs are, by nature, a journal entry of sorts. They’re an expression of an entirely biased, often emotional, point of view. And that’s okay! At least, it should be. I enjoy reading various blogs and, whether they’re about cooking, crafting, or cooperating (excuse the alliteration), they’re chock-full of emotion. Passion, excitement, creativity, frustration, anger, and pain are all dripping down the page, and the vulnerable state the writer has put themselves in opens up the gates of support and commiseration, but also criticism, negativity, and downright hatred.
Has tact crawled into a hole somewhere and died? What about the saying “If you can’t say anything nice, shut the heck up!”? When I was in school, I learned to delay my opinion until I had read an entire piece and mulled it over awhile, instead of stopping somewhere that offended my sensibilities and writing the piece off entirely. If I wanted to read a sterile, Spock-like breakdown, I’d go read a medical journal, not a blog. The emotion is what makes writing vibrant, interesting, and memorable.
It reminds me of fashion shows. Work with me here; picture a waif-thin model in tottering heels, wrapped in some custom fabric that’s held on with safety pins and fishing line; flashbulbs going off in every direction, and people everywhere admiring and taking notes. Are they going to take that exact look a wear it on the street? Of course not. Are they going to take note of the color, the cut, and the pattern and transfer it to their wardrobe in a wearable way? Yes, if the piece appeals to their eyes and sense of style.
In the same way, when we read posts that suggest change or a new perspective, we should read it with a grain of salt, and realize that whether or not the writer is “correct”, they’re writing from their heart, and those emotions are real and raw. When we “hate” on that, we’re not being helpful. We’re creating a chasm between us that will prevent growth on either of our parts.
Likewise, when someone re-posts a blog piece, it’s likely because something in the post has resonated with their past or present in some small way. They’re opening themselves up, and when all they get are critics saying “oh, it’s so dramatic, they really need to just chill out” or “this person is obviously angry, so nothing they say can be true or have any value at all”, the person who re-posted can feel as though the part of them that resonated with the blog is stupid, foolish, and wrong.
Please, I beg you, stop the negativity, and consider that not everyone was raised the same way, has the same life experience, or even the same cultural lens that you do; show a little grace, a little tact, and some class.
