Nov 7, 2008

You just can't win

I read a lot of blogs. A LOT of blogs.

Mostly personal blogs, but I read a host of others too. In fact, my feed reader contains a bunch of different folders. Daily reads (that is most of you out there), Sports blogs, Beer blogs, Film blogs, Political blogs and New stuff. That last one includes every new blogger who comments here. I read/browse them for a while and then I either delete them or they graduate to my Daily reads. So work it people!

It's amazing to me how often topics intersect within these semi-rigid guidelines. Some personal bloggers will talk about films and some film bloggers will talk about their personal lives. Same thing goes for beer, sports and politics. They all seem to cross over. Especially politics. These days, especially.

Anyone reading these words right now who have been here before probably know that I lean to the left on the political spectrum. I try to show as much respect as possible to the other side, because aren't there enough things in this world that separate us already? My political views certainly aren't important enough contribute to that kind of divisiveness.

But it happens. It happens to just about everyone. You take an easy shot at the other side or post a silly political cartoon, and someone is gonna get offended. It would almost be too exhausting to censor yourself to the point that you don't offend someone. Somebody, somewhere is gonna get offended. I've had some bloggy experience with this and a few of you out there know what I'm talking about. It's just silly, and frankly it's not worth anyone's time.

There's a baseball blog that I read from a sports writer in Kansas City. His name is Joe Posnanski and he is a baseball and film geek just like me. I found his site because I like reading sports writers from different cities. Gives a different perspective from what we in NY usually read about on a daily basis.

So he went off-topic the other day and wrote a post about the election our great nation just went through on Tuesday. And he focused on the history of the night rather than the politics of the individuals engaged in the campaigns. Being a sports writer, of course, it was inevitable that he brought Jackie Robinson. I thought it was a tidy and decidedly non-political post about the evening. It was a post about hope, and it was very well done. It wasn't nasty, divisive or filled with idiotic rhetoric.

Of course that didn't stop the crazies from coming out in the comment section. Hate, prejudice and Godwin's Law eventually broke out.

On a baseball site.

In a post about hope.

It was some comments about that last topic that led Joe to close the comments on that post and delete a few comments that were particularly hateful. He mentioned it briefly on his next post and tried to move gracefully back to baseball. The first comment on that second post, of course, blamed Posnanski himself for having the gall to write a post about how he felt about the election. How he felt about history. How he felt about hope.

You just can't win.

26 comments:

Avitable said...

That is precisely why I don't care if I offend anyone. I know what meaning my words had to me, and that's all that matters.

Dr Zibbs said...

Um....so...have I graduated to your daily read? I'll check back in 3 minutes to see the answer.

pure evyl said...

There is a lot of assholes out there.

Faiqa said...

People suck. OK, so, what I'm reading is that the only reason you read my blog is because I read your blog. I feel used. ;)

Slyde said...

thats why i try to stay as un-political as possible. People get too worked up about that, and religion, for it to be worth it for me to talk about.

I concentrate my posts on the oft-neglected areas of dick and boobie jokes...

Slyde said...

p.s.

i feel used too.

RW said...

Well you know, a lot of us sports guys aren't exactly the shiniest nickel in the till. I'd be more surprised if a sports-site generated intellectualism, if I'm to be honest about it. When I'm at a football game, I don't always make a lot of sense, so... there is that.

Verdant Earl said...

Avitable - that is certainly one way to go.

Zibbs - you graduated a few weeks ago. Congrats!

Evyl - Amen.

Faiqa - I think I hit your blog from Adam's site. I think. Or it could have happened this way. Either way you should feel used.

Slyde - you tell jokes on your site? Wow. I haven't laughed once.

RW - The high-point of intellectualism at sporting events seems to be "Red Sox Suck!, Red Sox Suck!, etc..." It's simple, yet powerful. Way better than "Drill, baby. Drill."

Candy's daily Dandy said...

Have I graduated to your daily read Earlsy?..she asked ever so gently.

Well, if I haven't piss off! No, just kiddin' you know I love you. Check me out today cuz I know you got some good ones?
(and check out my response to your comment yesterday. Feel the love)

Unknown said...

Earl, I like you system. I should get more organized myself.

The arguing is something I strive for on my blog; the offending no. Yet, I'm frequently accused of being offensive and insulting. What can you do?

Heff said...

The way I see it, you just DON'T "Krap in someone else's house".

Verdant Earl said...

Candy - The graduation process takes months, not days. I'm sure you will make the grade. ;)

MikeB - You have managed to do something remarkable on your site. Open, sometimes agitated discussion about important issues from every side of the road. I love the comments over there.

Heff - Words to live by. Right on!

Seals said...

Yeah, that's exactly what happened to me about a month ago. I started following this baseball guy I read everyday on Twitter and his tweets were all these crazy, right-wing, religous comments.

I dropped his Twitter but I'm still going to read his blog until he starts going nuts there.

Michelle said...

b.e. you cannot win with these blogs. I think the best you can do is read what interests you and what intriques you and leave comments if you feel compelled to do so.

On my blog, i perhaps may have written stuff that i should have kept to myself. It gave certain people access to how i was feeling. Maybe, i should be more private? I'll see. My blog has really changed over the last 10 or 11 months.

Ok, i am rambling once again! I like your blog. It is always honest, funny and entertaining! Plus you educated me on pumpkin ale!!! That was very cool!!!

Ookami Snow said...

It was a really historic night.

Even here in Oklahoma, who voted for McCain 2:1 all the conversions that I overheard (and i did purposely overhear them ^_^ ) were disappointed that McCain lost but did talk about the election of Obama as being very important for our nation. I think Obama has the respect of everyone in the United States, no matter who they voted for.

Ookami Snow said...

Oh anyways, so I think that something as important as the election should be discussed even if that isn't the main topic of the blog.

Anonymous said...

Oh good god. Kiss my ass. or someone's ass or whatever. Oh, NO! I KNOW!!! KISS MY GRITS!!!

elizabeth said...

I have to admit that, when more people that I knew started reading my blog - the content had to change. This bothers me but I can't seem to find a way around it...

Verdant Earl said...

ajooja - This was a case of commenters going nuts, not the author himself. And you twitter? Dude!

Michelle - Sunday evening and I'm having a Southern Tier PumKing as I type.

Ookami - At least you voted for the right guy. :)

1girl5cocktails - Heya! Long time no smell. How ya been?

Liz - Hint: secret blog. Email me with the details when you do it.

pure evyl said...

Congrats Freak!!!

Anonymous said...

I'm reading your blog for the first time because you're such a freak. A talented freak; a smooth mother of a freak. I like your stuff. You make me smile.

Verdant Earl said...

Evyl - I will do my best to honor the Freak badge this week.

Anja - Such nice words from a bug-eyed newcomer! Thanks a bunch! :)

Anonymous said...

I've been a little... okay, a lot more opinionated in my posts recently. It feels very liberating in some respects. I have to admit though, it stings when you get "hate mail" even though your POV was well-intended. Some people seem to enjoy looking for an argument over the slightest provocation. Eh, maybe they watch too much hockey, I don't know.

Verdant Earl said...

Aunt Robin - The only "hate mail" I've received so far has been from a Red Sox fan who was a little ticked that I smeared his beloved team on that baseball site I mentioned. Aww.

marty mankins said...

Sometimes it's nice to have a blog that's not so popular... less hate comments.

Verdant Earl said...

Marty - yeah. I've been blessed in that I've only had to deal with it once or twice. And when I say "deal with it", I mean not deal with it at all. Acknowledging the haters just gives them more power.