Monday, May 01, 2006
All Quiet on the Western Front
7 Comments
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at 2:09 PM
Amanda Franks said... Well I must say on a completely selfish level that I hope you continue to blog the same as you have been. I find it so disheartening that these few negative comments are giving these people so much power over us. The good still does far outweigh the bad. Hope you can be put back to ease. Glad you made it home safe.
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at 6:50 PM
Jen said...
Glad to have you home Amanda.
On the note of the safety in blogging issue, better safe than sorry, I say. I don't view it as power over us but rather just an eye opening experience.
You'll choose what is best. :)-
at 10:15 PM
Kaili said...
Glad to hear you made it home safely. I saw you walk by the Beanery today, you looked great!
Welcome home!-
at 10:58 PM
geeksters said...
I enjoy your frank and honest postings and have developed a moderate addiction towards checking your blog.
As far as the one bad blogger you mention, I would like to say a few words in his defense. He was introduced to those in your world through my blog. He left some mean comments to which I responded politely. Jen was upset by some of the things he said to me and asked him to stop, so he got into her blog that way.
While his initial comments were quite harsh and did at first leave me feeling a little afraid, (I haven't deleted them and won't be doing so, so you're welcome to have a look at them.) they were actually quite truthful. See, the thing about this particular blogger is he is a brilliant debater and uses solid examples to back up his criticisms. Yes, he uses blunt language and yes, he can be quite scathing in his comments. But if you can look beyond that, you can see he has something to say and a solid take on what he's talking about.
I tried to look at his comments objectively and to respond polietly, defending myself at times and at other times standing corrected. Because I've taken him seriously and have seen his "attacks" as insightful and ironic, I look forward to seeing his comments on my blog. And as we've been responding to each other, I'm really starting to like him.
Yes, if you take what he says and read into it, I suppose you could feel threatened. But I've been watching the comments he's been posting on other's blogs and see no reason to fear. When you make your life open to public scrutiny, as we all have chosen to as bloggers, we should be aware that sometimes that feedback may not be as kind or as praising as we had hoped. And I think everyone can always use the opportunity for a little more personal growth. (You are welcome to criticize me on my blog if you think it will help me become a better person.)
Remember Pastor Tim's way of slapping us with the truth at SEMP? That's what I think this blogger is trying to do. And if that isn't what he's trying to do, we always have the ability to look at it that way.
Because he is gay, I can see how it would be difficult for him to see the church in a positive light. And if that gives him a different perspective of god that we can all share in and learn from, accepting and rejecting what we will, I think we could all be better off for it.
I can understand your worries about being so transparent about your life. I've been stalked before and it sure isn't fun. That's why I'm trying to keep my own blog anonymous.
But you seem to really enjoy blogging and it's so nice that you have this little internet community that loves you and is there to comment on your daily life.
Bad things can and do happen, but ultimately I hope your decision isn't based on fear, but on fact. Would you feel better if you took some personal information off your about-me page?
I'm sorry to take up so much space on your blog. I've just been reading so many negative things about this blogger and I think that's because he's very easily misunderstood. If you aren't convinced, read his comments (the one about having children and the one about religion) on Jen's blog after her post "I MUST be pregnant." Try to ignore the words you aren't comfortable with, while following his arguments. A lot of the stuff he says amazes me.
Good luck with your decision.-
at 6:40 AM
Angella said...
You do what you feel is best. At least I get to see you in PERSON.
:)-
at 7:11 AM
Kate said...
I suppose I will stop lurking and comment for once. I found your website through Leah's page some time ago. Since that time I have enjoyed reading and I feel like I know you. You and your friends seem so fun! But I will say this as a very cautious person. I would be careful putting too much personal info on your page. I will not even use my real name just because there are so many freaks out there. I would hate to see you stop blogging because I enjoy reading. Just be careful and do what you feel is best for you and your family.
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at 7:21 AM
Christy and Dustin said...
It's true geeksters, I was a little naive in thinking he would value anything I have to say about my beliefs. I had no intention of making him so angry at me. But really. Duh!
I'll let him him live his life And I'll live mine. And you're right he does have alot of good points.
sigh.
I think I've had enough with it all though.
All in all I don't know a thing about him. Nor does he about me.
As for you Amanda. I will sadly miss reading your daily posts. You are my favourite blogger. I love you and even if you don't post we can laugh over a good frappuccino anyday.
Love Christy