The Anonymous People
The internet's a funny thing.
I have a very, extremely small, minuscule really voice here on the vast ocean that is the world wide web. To be honest, I like it that way. I like that mostly, only people I know in real life (and a very small percentage at that) ever even glance my blog's way. Being introverted means I don't really write here for strangers. I write because it's one of the ways I learn and process.
A few times in the last eight or so years of blogging here, I've had strangers comment. And nearly every single time, anonymous comments meant disagreement--often angry or condescending disagreement.
And almost every time, they've been deleted.
Perhaps that's selfish of me, but whatevs. That's the perk of having a blog. Total control. Mwahaha.
If the disagreement came from a person I knew in real life, I allowed the comments and often there was a spirited, yet respectful debate. And while I obsess over things like that, they can be very useful in the big picture for getting me to think outside my box and hear someone else's opinion.
The anonymous comments are usually snippy, condescending, angry, or disrespectful of my faith.
It's almost funny actually. How do people have the time and necessary energy to read stranger's blogs and form cranky comments about them? I mean, I read a lot of blogs and articles, and I may even read the comments, and lots of times I strongly disagree. But when did an angry comment on the internet ever help anyone change their minds? Except maybe to make them more defensive? Trolling says a lot more about the troll than anything else.
Today it was a bitey comment about a post I wrote a few years ago about firefighters. Apparently "Anonymous" found it demeaning that I wrote that firefighters drink a lot, swear a lot, ogle women a lot, and divorce their wives a lot. They also took it personally that I found closer relationships in my church than in the fire department.
Well, to address Anonymous' concerns, now that Seth is at a permanent station (and a really great one at that), we have had the chance to form some more solid relationships with other firefighters and their families. Seth's captain is a gem of a guy with a good heart and a personality a lot like Seth's. There are a few other guys that he considers friends now. He'll talk to them outside of work and very occasionally will hang out with them, (usually as the designated driver). And we have seen the "family" mentality, especially when a fire fighter is in trouble or dies. Everyone helps out in those situations. I have no doubt that if something happened to Seth, there would be hundreds of firefighters ready to honor him, and his captain and friends would look after me the best they knew how. Still, these relationships have not surpassed the ones we've found in our church (sorry if that bothers you). As to the other stuff about firefighters, they still drink a lot. They still curse and ogle women a lot. They still get divorced a lot. They still stress out and don't take care of themselves very well. They still often make poor choices or have immature attitudes. Perhaps that could be said of a lot of jobs where the stress level is high and the workers spend a lot of time together. We're just thankful that we found a good place for Seth with mostly great guys who look out for each other.
One nice thing about long term blogging is that I can look back and see how things have changed, how I have changed. I'm glad I don't feel like an alien in the fire department anymore. I'm glad Seth was able to get out of the stations where the drama was high and the morals were low. I like liking the people he works with. I definitely feel more positive than I did when I wrote that post. I also like seeing how some things haven't changed. Seth still loves loves loves his job, and after waiting so long for just the right place for him, that is a wonderful thing.
To all the Anonymous ones who occasionally drop by, you are welcome to read, disagree, and be irritated with my thoughts and feelings if you'd like. I admit that sometimes I am wrong, and I change my mind slowly. It's okay for you to disagree, I may even disagree with myself by now. But don't expect a platform to preach on here. That's for your blog.
I have a very, extremely small, minuscule really voice here on the vast ocean that is the world wide web. To be honest, I like it that way. I like that mostly, only people I know in real life (and a very small percentage at that) ever even glance my blog's way. Being introverted means I don't really write here for strangers. I write because it's one of the ways I learn and process.
A few times in the last eight or so years of blogging here, I've had strangers comment. And nearly every single time, anonymous comments meant disagreement--often angry or condescending disagreement.
And almost every time, they've been deleted.
Perhaps that's selfish of me, but whatevs. That's the perk of having a blog. Total control. Mwahaha.
If the disagreement came from a person I knew in real life, I allowed the comments and often there was a spirited, yet respectful debate. And while I obsess over things like that, they can be very useful in the big picture for getting me to think outside my box and hear someone else's opinion.
The anonymous comments are usually snippy, condescending, angry, or disrespectful of my faith.
It's almost funny actually. How do people have the time and necessary energy to read stranger's blogs and form cranky comments about them? I mean, I read a lot of blogs and articles, and I may even read the comments, and lots of times I strongly disagree. But when did an angry comment on the internet ever help anyone change their minds? Except maybe to make them more defensive? Trolling says a lot more about the troll than anything else.
Today it was a bitey comment about a post I wrote a few years ago about firefighters. Apparently "Anonymous" found it demeaning that I wrote that firefighters drink a lot, swear a lot, ogle women a lot, and divorce their wives a lot. They also took it personally that I found closer relationships in my church than in the fire department.
Well, to address Anonymous' concerns, now that Seth is at a permanent station (and a really great one at that), we have had the chance to form some more solid relationships with other firefighters and their families. Seth's captain is a gem of a guy with a good heart and a personality a lot like Seth's. There are a few other guys that he considers friends now. He'll talk to them outside of work and very occasionally will hang out with them, (usually as the designated driver). And we have seen the "family" mentality, especially when a fire fighter is in trouble or dies. Everyone helps out in those situations. I have no doubt that if something happened to Seth, there would be hundreds of firefighters ready to honor him, and his captain and friends would look after me the best they knew how. Still, these relationships have not surpassed the ones we've found in our church (sorry if that bothers you). As to the other stuff about firefighters, they still drink a lot. They still curse and ogle women a lot. They still get divorced a lot. They still stress out and don't take care of themselves very well. They still often make poor choices or have immature attitudes. Perhaps that could be said of a lot of jobs where the stress level is high and the workers spend a lot of time together. We're just thankful that we found a good place for Seth with mostly great guys who look out for each other.
One nice thing about long term blogging is that I can look back and see how things have changed, how I have changed. I'm glad I don't feel like an alien in the fire department anymore. I'm glad Seth was able to get out of the stations where the drama was high and the morals were low. I like liking the people he works with. I definitely feel more positive than I did when I wrote that post. I also like seeing how some things haven't changed. Seth still loves loves loves his job, and after waiting so long for just the right place for him, that is a wonderful thing.
To all the Anonymous ones who occasionally drop by, you are welcome to read, disagree, and be irritated with my thoughts and feelings if you'd like. I admit that sometimes I am wrong, and I change my mind slowly. It's okay for you to disagree, I may even disagree with myself by now. But don't expect a platform to preach on here. That's for your blog.
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