There has been a profound and sad evolution in Greensboro’s blogging community, notably a downward spiral in ugliness that more and more are viewing. After talking to a couple of bloggers, we’re ready to say that blogging simply isn’t that much fun anymore. It’s become way too confrontational in this ‘boro, even in the most absurdly benign exchanges. No blogger code of ethics will resolve this; it’s a matter of personal responsibility gone out of control.
Bloggers who rarely offer controversy in their posts are hit with off-topic waves of nastiness and our own cutting-edge political blogger is hammered with a few but unrelenting and personally insulting demands for resignation. A stolid group of a few never-enough commenters (some have blogs) seems to spend its days finding new “in-your-face” personal nastiness to spew, even to the point of rejecting a “happy Easter” wish with a nasty retort.
Some bloggers and commenters seem on the verge of acting out of control. Even Ed was forced to a close-to-banning statement: “I do not welcome your further participation at this blog (perhaps a first for him).” In this case, one commenter made phone calls or sent email to at least 2-3 people’s employers, friends, and associates to complain about their blog comments or posts, a dangerous action that was likely targeted toward causing them trouble at their places of employment (the strong-arm tactic just didn’t work but is nonetheless abhorrent).
We’re struggling with and suffering from “malignant narcissism” evidenced by some blog commenters, one acquaintance said this afternoon. What an apt description! How do you tell someone (or how many times can you tell someone) that not everything revolves around him or her and the world doesn’t boil down to being “against” them at the exclusion of everyone else?
I’ve got a lot going on in my life that is good. Business is booming, my kids are perfect1, I’m getting a second doggie next weekend, and I’m excited about an upcoming trip. I haven’t blogged much lately because it’s gotten so downright nasty that I prefer to focus on what’s important. The shame is that a small group of people who I think (and no, I’m not that kind of doctor) are off their meds, are co-opting the community conversation and dragging it into the sewer.
How sad. How ugly. How un-Greensboro-like. Is our serious blogging over? Have we finally turned that corner and now are looking into the pitch of the abyss? Say it ain’t so, please, say it ain’t so.
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1Every mother’s children are perfect in my world.
How sad. How ugly. How un-Greensboro-like. Is our serious blogging over? Have we finally turned that corner and now are looking into the pitch of the abyss? Say it ain’t so, please, say it ain’t so.
I sure hope it ain’t so, Sue. In preparation for my impending move to Greensboro, I’ve greatly enjoyed reading many of the city’s bloggers. And I’ve been looking forward to insinuating myself into the local blogging community once I’m there. I’d be sorely disappointed if I was merely arriving for the funeral.
Eric,
It’s not all that bad. It’s only 5 or 6 out of a few hundred local bloggers. It looks bad because the few blogs they gather on are prominent but our local Blogosphere is alive and well.
Be sure to check out http://upcoming.org/group/2713/ and become a part of it.
PS. I’ve been at this blogging thing since 2002, I’ve seen this sort of thing come and go many times.
[...] Sue has a serious post about the state of the local blogoshere. She asks… [...]
I’ve given up once only to be reminded that there are many wonderful bloggers in Greensboro. But it doesn’t take many to spoil it. I certainly don’t mind debate, but it can get nasty. Those who do it the most don’t recognize themselves in it. The mean spiritedness is discouraging.
I often refrain from commenting because I don’t have the time or energy to have to defend myself. Now I know someone’s going to say, “You must not have the courage of your convictions if you aren’t willing to defend it.” I do. I’m just not willing to defend myself against taunts like, “I’m sorry your to stupid to undertsand.”
There is an ebb and flow and I hope Billy is right, that this, too, shall pass. In the meantime I try to stay out the fray, privately pat those who are getting nailed on the back, and hope some of the naysayers will find a new hobby.
That’s why mine doesn’t focus on local stuff anymore. Good thing I have other blogs that I participate on currently. ;)
I was the turd in the punchbowl about two years ago. But I tried to keep an open mind and am famous for backing down in arguments.
But this latest crop are really hardheaded. I’ve made no progress with any of them.
One of the things I remember is how helpful everyone was. Perhaps I helped kill a beautiful thing, but I’ve never made the persecution of my fellow bloggers my raison d’etre, as some have.
My similar layman diagnoses of the folks in question has gotten me nowhere. I wish you better luck.
Well said, Sue! I totally agree with what you have written. I enjoy a healthy debate that focuses on facts and the pros & cons of a particular issue, but these mean-spirited, personal “beat ‘em into the ground” attacks are ruining and undermining what ONCE was a effective and informative forum. I’m seriously questioning whether this abuse is worth my time and effort any more, but then the “I’m not going to let a couple of chest-thumping wannabes scare me off” adrenalin kicks in and I’m right back here at the keyboard. Let’s hope respect, common sense, and civility will prevail.
BTW, that should be “have” in the last sent sentence.
And as someone I’m terribly fond of recently said: “Boo Effing Hoo.”
Vive l’Anarchie.
Sue:
As an outsider looking in, I do think that Carmany has some serious credibility issues to answer, but that doesn’t mean she should be subject to repeated personal attacks.
Here in Reidsville, we can’t even get many to participate in online conversation because of this one man’s narcissism.
It happens. But you have to just keep moving forward with what you believe in. Or as I learned in a management seminar, feed the chickens and starve the turkeys.
Well said, Sue.
The local blogging scene has devolved a good bit. I have barely posted for several months due to a growing business, growing family, volunteer work, but I have not missed the bullshit that is quickly becoming the trademark of our blogging scene.
The issue I have: Sue trashed the Rhino for being correct and honorable and Sandy did the same. What was so nice and civil and fair about the way they responded to the correct reporting that was done on Willow Oaks? How can you demand a retraction when the group you are demanding it from is correct? How can you demand a retraction from a correct source and not retract your own erroneous reporting?
(That was great. Eakes said, “bullshit.”)
It’s apparent to me that the school playground needs higher fences. We need to exercise more responsibility in those comments we allow to stand because they can do damage to our friends and neighbors. People who disagree with us are invited to disagree, but no one should be allowed to cause danger to our community members.
If you have 15 minutes, you need to use those minutes responsibly. If you have a well-read blog (mine simply isn’t one of them), then you have responsibilities regarding commenting policy. I would hope that our community members would re-think their policies and perhaps enact some restraint and not tolerate publication of wild accusations and mean-spirited conduct by an unhappy and perhaps unable-to-be happy small group.
Take a stand and say that you won’t tolerate the blogging of personal destruction and then do something about it. That’s what I intend to do from here on out.
Some very nice Dr. Jekylls offline turn into Mr. Hydes online (not just blogs). It’s easy to get pulled into these kind of discussions when you think that a little logic would help the situation, and then it gets derailed by obsessives who only see what they want to see and people who simply don’t read carefully. A lot of assumptions are made in the comments, and it is hard to walk away and not respond to them when those assumptions are wrong.
I, for one, am sorry that I let my irritation show in the hoo-ha at Ed’s. For all the good it did, I might as well have stayed out of it. Like Darkmoon, I’ve chosen to move away from the local scene and get involved with bloggers who have similar interests and aren’t addicted to arguing.
I know. It’s awful. If those conservatives would just shut up and go away and stop disagreeing with us, we would all get along so much better. Liberals in the blogosphere never insult anyone. And you are right that these people mistakenly believe that the world revolves around them when we all know it revolves around Ed and his crowd of ass kissers. How dare anyone think otherwise? Maybe we’ll all get lucky and these nasty folks with all their right wing hate and misunderstanding of the planetary orbits will find something else to do.
Maybe I’m missing something, but are Ben Holder, Ginger, and Dr. Mary known primarily in the local blogs as political conservatives?
If those conservatives would just shut up and go away and stop disagreeing with us, we would all get along so much better. Liberals in the blogosphere never insult anyone.
Why is it the few times I venture into Greensboro’s Blogosphere, it is made clear that I’m not welcomed. First one Blogger wished all old people dead and now another wants conservatives to shut up and go away.
I thought that being liberal meant being able to keep an open mind and entertain different ideas but if the last comment is what liberals believe in, then it seems liberals must be more closed minded than most conservatives I know.
Is that comment an example of the insulting behaviour this Blog was about and a reflection of the notice that those insulting Bloggers do not recognize themselves?
Dale, Sam is a conservative who thought this whole post was about him and other conservatives, and so made an ironic comment about conservatives just going away.
The real irony is that the post wasn’t all or even mostly about him, or other political conservatives.
Dale, I think you’re misreading “The CA’s” sarcasm…unless I’m misreading yours.
Ed: “but are Ben Holder, Ginger, and Dr. Mary known primarily in the local blogs as political conservatives…”
Sue: Hardly. This isn’t about conservatives or liberals or politics at all. It’s about a community treating its friends and neighbors as friends and neighbors and no more. And no less.
Dale, I think you’re misreading “The CA’s� sarcasm…unless I’m misreading yours.
If he was being sacastic my hat’s off to him for a job well done. Ben Holder wrote a Blurb for my book and I consider Dr. Mary a Blogging friend. I don’t always agree with them and sometimes they can be controversal but I think they both are trying to do good things. I have researched situations like the good Doctor discribes and found that there may be a lot of validity to her siuation.
I guess maybe I’m a little gun-shy after one Blogger said he would be glad when all us baby boomers were dead. Know what I mean?
This comment was removed by Sue. Given the first sentence, you can figure out for yourself why I removed it. First sentence of comment below:
Save it Sue. If you are a “friend” then I don’t need enemies.
Gee, Ed, sometimes it’s hard to tell when the whole post sounds so familiar.
And why isn’t Sean Coon on your list? He curses and has called a number of people names?
And what about you with all your insults and name calling (“batshit”, etc) and false and offensive accusations, like calling me an anti-Semite? Surely such acts contribute to a decline in civility.
Good for you, Sue. I have a delete policy at my blog, and I am intolerant of insulting comments. I’m not saying that everyone should do this, but the problem of commenters making assumptions and lashing out is exhibited here in this thread. I said nothing about conservatives or liberals – there are plenty of obnoxious people on both sides.
You’re right, Laurie. This had nothing to do with things political. It was a comment on the state of commenting and a hope to open a conversation about civility. The real issues for me concern the negative effect this nastiness may be having on those considering venturing into blogging. They are being dissuaded by the pure nastiness online (and in real life, as I alluded to in the post) and that’s a real shame.
I don’t know how to tell people that everything isn’t about them. There are bigger paradigms and for me, civility is one of them.
People can err yet don’t need to be harangued for all time in ugly tones and with “J’accuse” mentality. I miss the supportive community we used to have around here.
D’oh, just realized that I was fished in again!
I miss it too. I like to read the blogs to find out what people think about the local news. It’s like the cancer spread over from the News and Record blogs.
Meant to say “liked to read.”
I have never called you an anti-Semite, Sam.
I did characterize a post you made as Jew-baiting, which in my view it was.
I commented on your post because it was praised, and my name invoked, at Guarino’s blog; I have had a long and respectful relationship with Joe, and it is with appraisal of the post that I have an issue.
last line should read: “I have had a long and respectful relationship with Joe, and it is with his appraisal of the post that I have an issue.”
Accusing me of Jew baiting is no different than calling me an anti-Semite, and I resent it. You clearly chose to ignore the part in my post where I wrote “he (Krugman) LIKE SO MANY OTHERS…” I clearly wasn’t singling Krugman out for being a Jew, and he is certainly not alone in advancing the “Christian Theocracy” theory, nor is he the first person I took exception with.
You also find it necessary to take issue with any post I make that is praised by a third party, be it Joe, Roch, or anyone else. You are simply trying to marginalize me which is fine, because I am doing the same to you. The difference is I admit it.
And people say I’m obsessed with you…
I have no interest in discussing this with you, Sam; Your words (not just the selective quotation here) speak for themselves.
What was this thread about again?
Yes, Ed, the word you chose to highlight and the one you say supports your theory is “Jewish”. Talk about a selective quotation and incredible extrapolation from that one word.
Your position is indefensible and you know it. You’re just too much of an arrogant self-righteous ass to admit you crossed the line with your off base accusation.
What a disgrace.
Sykes, this thread was about civility. Somehow, calling someone an anti-Semite without any basis escapes criticism from being uncivil.
Sue, I’m done here on this subject. Sorry about using the space, but I do think this act by Ed is every bit a demonstration of incivility as anything else that has been discussed. He belongs in your gallery as much as anyone else who has been criticized.
Sam, I know you don’t see it that way, but you made this post about you.