Shut My Own Damn Blog?
Hmmm. Controversy brews on the Unfinished Novellas. It seems that today’s early AM post on the comedic genius of Shut Yer Blog has caused ripples:
Yet another part of me understands that some folks’ skin is thicker than others, and I hate to think that somebody out there might be feeling shitty because of something I said for kicks, for I am not a mean-spirited guy. For that reason, I edited her name and the address of her blog out of my post.
But I keep its substance intact. The sheep may be an unwilling participant in my theological dialogue, but I think her point and my counterpoint are points of view that need to be heard, and they need to be heard back-to-back so the contrast can be made clear. I marvel at the capacity of someone to believe so strongly in something, yet not ask the obvious questions about it. Frankly, I feel like that lack of reflection by many, if not most, True Believers is my singlemost problem with religion in general.
Then I wonder if perhaps some of us weren’t destined to be sheep, and, perhaps, that’s not such a bad thing after all. I mean, the sheep obviously takes solace in her beliefs, regardless of how introspective (or not) they may be. And if it helps her to get through the day, or if it makes her a nicer or happier human being, then who am I to judge?
Still, while I admit that I might have been a little classier about how I said it, knowing that there’s a real human being with feelings and emotions on the other end, I don’t feel comfortable advocating such blind faith, in anything. I feel like any religion, philosophy, or system of thought worth its salt should be able to withstand a little scrutiny.
So, it’s Squirrel vs. Sheep, The Netiquette Wars, and somehow I've positioned myself right in the middle. Dammit, I knew I’d get into trouble once I started posting about religion.
Anyone else out there have thoughts on this? Or am I just overanalyzing a dead horse?
(PS As someone commented on Shut Yer Blog, she could have at least spelled shepherd right.)
N/P Circle – Golem
Ouch! Smackdown! Or was it, really? Did I do something wrong here? I thought hard about it the whole bus ride home. When I got home, I plugged in the old laptop, and damned if someone hadn’t come to my defense:Precisely why some of us don't want you to add links to our blogs on your site. And also precisely why my blog isn't public. Let Steph write her silly sheep stories and talk about Jesus! Can you imagine what would happen to her head if she read your blog? It would explode! However, I also believe that you are entitled to think her writing is stupid.
Oh come on, this forum would get pretty boring pretty quickly if Anti-Rove is to encompass and consider the "emotions" of every random yokel out there in cyber-space so as not to hurt anyone's feelings. I think most of his audience is of a like mind and gets a huge kick out of Rico the Squirrel's hilarity...if Stephanie doesn't want anyone to comment on her blog, maybe she should spare us all and keep it private.So there you have it. Two pretty distinct points of view, both of which, I feel, hold some merit. Certainly by putting one’s opinions out there in such a public forum, one risks a certain amount of ridicule, and part of me feels that that just comes with the territory. It’s the same chance taken by anyone who’s ever been in a band or given a public speech. (Plus, it was a joke!)
Yet another part of me understands that some folks’ skin is thicker than others, and I hate to think that somebody out there might be feeling shitty because of something I said for kicks, for I am not a mean-spirited guy. For that reason, I edited her name and the address of her blog out of my post.
But I keep its substance intact. The sheep may be an unwilling participant in my theological dialogue, but I think her point and my counterpoint are points of view that need to be heard, and they need to be heard back-to-back so the contrast can be made clear. I marvel at the capacity of someone to believe so strongly in something, yet not ask the obvious questions about it. Frankly, I feel like that lack of reflection by many, if not most, True Believers is my singlemost problem with religion in general.
Then I wonder if perhaps some of us weren’t destined to be sheep, and, perhaps, that’s not such a bad thing after all. I mean, the sheep obviously takes solace in her beliefs, regardless of how introspective (or not) they may be. And if it helps her to get through the day, or if it makes her a nicer or happier human being, then who am I to judge?
Still, while I admit that I might have been a little classier about how I said it, knowing that there’s a real human being with feelings and emotions on the other end, I don’t feel comfortable advocating such blind faith, in anything. I feel like any religion, philosophy, or system of thought worth its salt should be able to withstand a little scrutiny.
So, it’s Squirrel vs. Sheep, The Netiquette Wars, and somehow I've positioned myself right in the middle. Dammit, I knew I’d get into trouble once I started posting about religion.
Anyone else out there have thoughts on this? Or am I just overanalyzing a dead horse?
(PS As someone commented on Shut Yer Blog, she could have at least spelled shepherd right.)
N/P Circle – Golem
posted by Jonathan Wright at 5:35 PM EMAIL POST
