Sometimes the Internet Makes Me Sad

For the most part I really love the internet. It's a source of endless inspiration. It connects me to long distance friends and family. It allows me to write. There are beautiful pictures and beautiful people and beautiful ideas.

But there have been a couple times lately where I've been reminded of the ugly side of the internet.

On one blog, a bride-to-be chronicled how she attended a male strip show in Vegas as part of her bachelorette party. Someone commented (granted, in a not very nice way) that going to that strip show was inappropriate and possibly offensive to the fiance, though he might be afraid to say it. Instead of ignoring that person's opinion and carrying on her merry way, the bride to be eviscerated the commenter on her blog. Meanly ripped them to shreds and invited everyone to comment on how closed minded and stupid the commenter was.

Then today I happened across a rather popular blog I used to enjoy before I cleared out my reader. The blog author was clearly a fan of Obama since she gleefully celebrated his win on her blog. Following that joyful post was a whole lot of ugliness. It's a sort of long complicated story, bear with me:

Someone else had written about her fear and disappointment with Obama's win on her own blog. The post was obviously written from a very conservative place, and Obama Fan Blogger disagreed with her thoughts. Apparently she wrote a comment telling Conservative Blogger how uninformed she was, which Conservative Blogger deleted.

Obama Fan Blogger, in protest of the deletion of her comment, downloaded pictures from Conservative Blogger's blog of her kids and then posted them on her own blog with comments about how those children had mindless drones for parents and they had sad futures. The comments were full of pleas from both parents to please remove the pictures. Obama Fan Blogger refused to remove the pictures until her comment was reinstated on Conservative blog.

Conservative Blogger has decided to go private, as the traffic coming from Obama Fan Blog is not very nice. Obama Fan Blogger then wrote the following:

Today, through blackmail, I have forced a racist, bigoted family to go private in the blog world. Now their hateful rhetoric will only be available to their immediate friends and family. They will no longer be able to spread their ignorant world view or influence the thoughts of the weak-minded.

I used to like and respect this blogger. But she revealed a truly ugly side that scared me and made me want to hide under the covers. I'm kind of nervous that she will somehow find this post and flame me because I dare to say what she did was wrong. I didn't agree with Conservative Blogger. But I agree much less with how Obama Fan Blogger chose to punish her.

One of the worst parts is that Obama Fan Blogger is a member of my church. I am the very definition of middle of the road, politically speaking. I have no problem with conservatives or liberals since I share views with both sides and feel both have valid beliefs and concerns. But I have a problem with meanness. And I especially have a problem with meanness among people who have made the same covenants that I have to try to be Christ-like to others.


I guess the point of all this is to plead with everyone to be nice. Use your blogs for good. Be kind to others in your commenting and your posting. Strive to be among those who are inspirational and beautiful. You are entitled to your opinions. You are entitled to write about them. But please be respectful in your writing. Be respectful when you disagree. Take the high road when someone else doesn't.

And remember that most basic rule of human decency: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.