As with any relationship sooner or later you have to take stock and decide if it is working for you. In my case it is clearly NOT.
I joined Blogcritics because I thought it would be an opportunity to do some serious writing with a real audience instead of ranting to myself (that's how I got into politics but is another story). I also assumed (wrongly) that it would bring increased traffic to my site, but in reality that did not happen either. Instead I found myself wasting an excessive amount of time fending off negative commentators and attacks from, well... you know. It seems the perverse caterwauling of certain commentators is the real calling card at BC, and so after careful consideration I've come to the conclusion that it is best I leave.
As with most issues, sooner or later it always comes down to the bottom line and you have to ask yourself these questions. Is it worth my while to stick around? What am I getting out of this? Am I contributing toward the common good? Or am I part of the problem? Etc., etc.
You see, unlike others who make such claims - I really have worked in law. I'm a former Litigator now turned Mediator. I left litigation after an epiphany that I had several years ago. I was very successful having won over 97% of my cases. You have to be a good street fighter to be a successful litigator. When it came to getting down and dirty in the trenches I found that I had no equal (or at least none that I had met in a court room - admittedly I never had the good fortune of wrangling with Johnny Cochrane :-).
Litigation is an adversarial system based on the premise that if two opposing sides fight to win, theoretically the scales of justice will prevail. It's no surprise this archaic system was born out of the medieval ages - jousting matches between knights, damsels in distress and all. But in the real world it just doesn't work that way because one side will always have a better advocate than the opposition (just as OJ Simpson). I wouldn't be surprised if the original word for lawyer came from the old english version for 'liar'. My motto was "let the best schmoozer win". "Whoever throws the most kaka-poo against the wall that sticks wins". That's not justice and I knew there had to be a better way. And I found that better way in mediation.
Article comments
1 - Phillip Winn
I'm sorry to see you go. Fortunately, as is always the case, many others are standing by to take up the slack in your absence, and we constantly have more contributors week to week, not fewer.
Feel free to continue to comment, or not.
2 - Craig Lyndall
BORING! Don't be so serious and self-important. We have seen all this crap before. Don't threaten to leave. Just go. Don't try and become a poster boy by saying maybe things can "get better as a result of an episode involving you." Eff this. I am tired of everyone trying to be bigger than the site. Peace out. Bye bye. Sayonara.
I am sorry to see anyone leave. No really. I don't need to SEE it at all. Just go.
3 - TheRagingCritic
I too am a lawyer. Although I have not read the remarks Mac Diva has allegedly made about the Bloke, mere name calling and racist commentary is a far cry from defamation.
At any rate, best of luck to the Bloke. Believe me, we all hate the law.
4 - Jim Carruthers
Isn't "ethernet" a trademark, and you should be aware of that consigliore?
Geez, I thought they taught lawyers to be a little bit tougher than that. But what do I know, I've only spent more than 15 years online. And I still have my pubes despite many flames.
5 - Mac Diva
As they say down South: Let the door knob hit ya, where the dog should have bit ya!
Raging, you will not be reading anything defamatory I said about the Bumbling Buffoon because nothing of the sort exists. Jealousy can get really strange when a bigot is suffering from it. Typical of my detractors at BC, BB barely exists as a blogger. (Too much work involved, perhaps?) So, seeing someone he considers his inferior do what he can't is a deep wound to his ridiculously inflated ego. He would do himself even a greater service by leaving the blogosphere entirely because he has nothing to offer here.
6 - Joe
Or as we say in the Southwest, as you exit the kiva, don't get hit in the...
7 - Shark
It's too bad, but I don't blame the guy. I considerate it about once a day, and I've only been here a few weeks.
I've weathered some battles in various writer boards, etc, but MacDiva is like a Chinese water torture that constantly drips drips drips ...racist... bigot... doofus......racist... bigot...
doofus...racist... bigot... doofus...racist... bigot... doofus...racist... bigot...
doofus...racist... bigot... doofus...
racist... bigot... doofus...racist... bigot... doofus...racist... bigot... doofus...racist...
bigot... doofus...racist... bigot... doofus...racist... bigot... doofus...racist... bigot...
doofus...racist... bigot... doofus...racist... bigot... doofus...
racist... bigot... doofus
Until grown men are brought to their knees weeping.
Oh, and I just learned that BB is an amateur hacker/psycho/stalker and he knows his way around Portland Oregon. WOO-HOO!
I think I'll stick around a while!
~AHAHAHAHH!
8 - Shark
~GOD SPEED, BB!
xxoo
Shark
9 - Hal Pawluk
Bye-bye, BB, bébé.
10 - Eric Olsen
This is unfortunate, but hardly unexpected under the circumstances. The central problem is that no one person - including me - can dictate group policy to 430 people. I have floated suggestions on how to handle comments, conflict, vulgarity, etc. etc, and every time the near-unanimous majority has strongly expressed their wishes to see minimal interference. If I go against the wishes of, say, 425 of 430 people, then the 425 won't stick around for long.
It is the messiness of free speech, which often yields conflict, even bruised feelings, but I see no better alternative.
I do not agree that we have anarchy here - we have very spirited debate that sometimes veers into open verbal warfare. I don't like that part of it, I don't like to be the target of it, and I don't like when I lose my temper and direct it at others.
In the United States, the law clearly favors free speech over hurt feelings. I certainly understand if the consequences of this are too strong for some people and we must bid them fond farewell.
I always miss people when they go and it makes me sad for a bit, but there is too much going on, too much to do, and too many new people coming in every day for me to have the luxury of dwelling on it.
11 - BB
Dear Mr. Olsen and Mr. Winn:
It was my intention to have NO comments allowed on this post!
Apparently you have locked me out of my account and overridden my settings to allow comments here! Is that your interpretation of playing fair? So much for all of your rhetoric about non-interference!!! If you wish to make a statement you can always do so on a separate post. This is my post and I have the right to close comments if I so desire.
Accordingly, I will appreciate you respecting my intentions and thank you for your anticipated cooperation.
12 - BB
Dear Mr. Olsen and Mr. Winn:
It was my intention to have NO comments allowed on this post!
Apparently you have locked me out of my account and overridden my settings to allow comments here! Is that your interpretation of playing fair? So much for all of your rhetoric about non-interference!!! If you wish to make a statement you can always do so on a separate post. This is my post and I have the right to close comments if I so desire.
Accordingly, I will appreciate you respecting my intentions and thank you for your anticipated cooperation.