This week there has been a thread running on the Romance Divas forum about the ethics of blogging. I guess I'm really naive, but it never occurred to me to use my blog to attack someone. Either that or I am truly a preschool teacher at heart. Everybody plays nice.
My college background was in English Lit. In those classes I was taught never to assume the author was saying something based on a text. Would you say Dickens promoted misers because he created the character Scrooge (as well as several other misers) or that Swift advocated eating babies because he wrote an essay suggesting it as a solution to the Irish potato famine? Should you claim that Author Jane Doe should give up writing and get back to the kitchen because you hated her last book? Or because you hated all her books? There are lots of authors I can't stand or whose writing gives me the willies. Do I therefore, courtesy of this blog, have the right to call down curses on their heads?
Of course not. Just because I don't like it or think it's bad doesn't make me the final answer. I can't stand Korean food. I mean really, there's dishes I wouldn't feed my dog (if I had one and if there wasn't dog in it. They still eat dogs in Korea.) There's one dish here we refer to as "wet dog stewed in old mop water" based on the smell. However, my total abhorrence means nothing to the millions of Koreans who can't eat a meal without kimchi.
So those authors I don't like, chances are they can find thousands if not millions of fans who think I'm off my rocker. And what does it get me to attack someone? It raises my blood pressure and it might hurt the feelings of someone I don't know, but could have been friends with. Why bother? There's so many fish in the sea, why not focus on what you like?
Now everybody, play nicely.
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5 comments:
I love that, play nicely. I studied Eng lit in college as well. I have several Not foavorites. This is a good topic. I like writing about stuff I like, anyway. So I don't worry to much about hurting people here. I did write a novel comparison for T13 once. It was well thought out and a lot of work. Still, though, I made it very clear that the writer was one of my favorites. :D lol
thanks for visiting my blog.
Great post, Christine. Unfortunately, some people enjoy stirring things up and the fastest way to do that is to post something inflamatory. I so agree with your post. Just because I don't like something doesn't mean you and a whole lot of other people do. I'd much rather focus on what I do like. On the good things out there.
Who needs all that negative energy?
WELL said...and so important. I think it's better to send good vibes out there into the universe than focus just on the bad!! Of course, I'm only human and I make mistakes, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't still try. :D
I totally agree with everything you said! There those authors whom I can't stand to read. Their writing just doesn't call to me. But I would never bash them...especially on my public blog. They say that you attract more flies with honey than you do with vinegar and it's true. That’s the philosophy that I like to live by. Great post!
I've made a real point to avoid stirring the pudding lately. Mainly b/c I can stir with the best of them. I have more important things to do and one of them is to tend to my own knitting.
btw, you've been tagged. Check out my blog for details.
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