The Golden Combox Rule
Wednesday July 23, 2008
Categories: Housekeeping
If you are missing obnoxious comments, or any comments at all, by "menominee," well, that's because I just unpublished all of them. "Menominee" is only the latest name of the indefatigable commenter who got banned from these comboxes well over...
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About Crunchy Con
Rod Dreher is an editorial columnist for the Dallas Morning News, and author of "Crunchy Cons" (Crown Forum), a nonfiction book about conservatives, most of them religious, whose faith and political convictions sometimes put them at odds with mainstream conservatives. The views expressed in this blog are his own.
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Ah, OK. Sorry I took his bait, Rod. I should have known better.
I'm not a very good person, though I strive always, and too often when a very obnoxious/stupid commenter shows up somewhere I find myself drawn into the fray. Then I end up feeling hurt/guilty about it. I appreciate so much the stand you take on here, where somebody like me can stop by for some interesting news items and commentary, maybe leave a comment or two in the discussion, and the experience doesn't degenerate instead into an ugly part of my day, at worst an actual spiritual issue. A couple of my family members also visit this blog (among others through Beliefnet) because I've been able to recommend it in general good conscience.
The price of keeping a reasonably tolerable comments section is eternal vigilance, ah reckon.
You know, with a line like this and the fact that you live in Texas, I can't help but imagine (almost stereotypically...) what sort of occupation you would have had in the days of the pioneers.
to their cabins, a small fire burning on the edges of the settlement, and you, seated upon a hill in the distance, rifle in your hands overlooking the livestock to protect it from predators.
"Eternal vigilance, I reckon." After which, you would pull out your flask and take a swig of your lemon grass infused Vodka and club soda.
You mean lemon grass-infused vodka and sarsaparilla, podna.
Vodka made from perennial grains
I would be an abusive banned commenter, but you know what? I think of all the horrible things I would say, and then think, a) what's the point, and b) I'm not terribly witty.
But far, far worse than the abusive, repeatedly banned commenter, is the persistent, sullenly passive-aggressive commenter!
As in, "You know, I'm just not convinced by your argument. Besides, why are we talking about this when there are other problems in the world that we COULD be talking about. No wonder people think you're intolerant. Why is everyone always beating up on me? I provide a different perspective than all of you! Can I help it if you all make bad arguments all the time?"
I can imagine Rod as the fancy, nosy Eastern reporter trying to get a scoop on the aging town gunfighter. Or the comic-relief deputy.
Bring back diane!!
Diane has managed to get herself banned at other locations in the blogosphere, but she seems to be on her good behavior lately, at least at Eirenikon, an Orthodox-Catholic dialogue site where, amazingly, dialogue occurs. But don't bring her back. She seems to take our host's coming into Orthodoxy as a personal affront, and has posted about it at endless and obsessive length at other sites.
Good commenters...assume that the overwhelming majority of journalists truly want to get things right.
Nice to know I'm a "bad" commentator.
Although it is hard to say if journalists are ideologically driven to get most things wrong, their editors are financially driven to do so, or reporters are generally just dumb (this career path hardly attracts our brightest lights if SAT/GRE scores are to be trusted).
And it must be noted by any honest peruser of the news that this field attracts a highly ideological sort when compared to their readers (if polls or voting patterns are to be believed) making it very unique among the trades. Do engineers or plumbers vote 80% Democrat? Have a strong desire to change the world? Any person with common sense should expect the overwhelming majority of journalists to slant things the way they want it to be. That is, to get it wrong.
'Comment unto others as you would have them comment unto you'?
Hmm, the responses "Donny" (Sons of Molech, Satan's minions) would get would sear my screen then. Haven't seen him lately. Has he been banned?
And what about your own inflammatory comments, Rod? I know it's good to be the blogger, but you can get pretty explosive too. And whenever I (or anyone else) calls you on it, we get blasted in return. Where (and with whom) does it all start?
And what about other dehumanizing comments about gays from your regular posters? How come we are not allowed in return (following the 'comment unto others' dictum) to dehumanize them? Or do you not see the comments (animals, plants and desks, rape, incest, cannabalism, child-molestation, necrophilia, beastiality, etc.) dehumanizing in the first place?
Mr. Dreher, what do you think the point of having people comment is? Is it to promote dialogue? Because for certain kinds of posts at least it seems rather pointless. Some of the more intelligent and civil people here should just start their own blogs, but I wouldn't miss most of the comments.
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