I really shouldn’t have to do this, but every now and then I feel the need to reiterate the house rules. I enjoy a healthy discussion in the comments, but every now and again someone comes along who believes it to be their right and/or lot in life to set me straight by advising me of the clear and undeniable error of my ways. This usually involves reminding me of what a horribly ignorant and sorry excuse for humanity I am, and they sincerely hope I don’t pass my intellectually and morally deficient DNA along to my children. They make it clear that they- and ONLY they- possess the Truth, and- since I’m clearly too ill-informed and/or stupid to recognize my folly- they’re only too happy to set me straight.
Normally, I try not to respond to comments. My feeling is that my readers are entitled to their opinions and to leave them here if they wish. I (usually) enjoy the reactions and perspectives of my readers, but there are times when legitimate disagreement (which I respect) crosses the line and becomes arrogant, partisan abuse (which I most certainly do not). I don’t have a lot of rules, but those I do have are there for a reason. Any reader should be able to expect to be treated with respect and dignity. Because this is my sandbox, y’all have to play by my rules, which can be boiled down to one all-encompassing directive:
DON’T PISS IN MY SANDBOX. There’s no need to reveal yourself to be an ignorant, intolerant dick whose idea of vigorous debate involves referring to me or my readers as a “fucking libtard.” Not that I particularly care what these sorts of trolls think of me, but kindness seems as if it should be a minimum expectation.
GAWD you fucking liberals are sore losers! NO “said description” does NOT apply to me. I never said I was going ANYWHERE, and he attacked ME on MY post. You stupid libtards ask for this shit by…
Yeah, this sort of thing TOTALLY convinces me of my obvious and undeniable ideological shortcomings and makes me want to think like a REAL American patriot. This sort of impoliteness WILL get you blocked. The author of the above screed (and several more like it) clearly believes me to be his intellectual and moral inferior. While that may be true in his mind, I’m not about to stand by impotently as he pisses in my sandbox.
If something I’ve written angers you or strikes you as grossly ignorant, feel free to take it somewhere else. There are plenty of Conservative blogs that will happily reinforce your particular prejudice, and you’ll undoubtedly be much happier with what you read there. If you don’t like what you’re reading, leave. I won’t know and very likely won’t much care. When your righteous indignation allows you to believe that you have the inalienable right to apprise me of my stupidity (by means of insults and name-calling), you’ve clearly lost sight of the fact that you’re a guest in my digital house. I don’t have much in the way of hard and fast expectations for guests…other than the need for everyone to conduct themselves in a kind and respectful manner.
You don’t agree with me? That’s your right in a free society, as is my right to express myself. Feel free to leave a comment telling me why you disagree with me. I enjoy hearing from people with perspectives different from my own…but that’s by no means to be considered a blank check to descend into name-calling and gross disrespect.
Play nice…or play somewhere else. Mean-spirited ignorance, intolerance, and disrespect will not be tolerated in this space. You don’t have to agree with me, but you do need to respect my expectation that you express your disagreement kindly and respectfully.
In 15 years, I’ve blocked only a handful of people, and Jake Newton is the first troll I’ve blocked since I started using Disqus for my comments a few years ago. I try to be tolerant of differing ideas and perspectives, but disrespect and name-calling are neither. If you’re that angry, I’d suggest you seek professional help.
They’re just ideas…not a commentary on my worth as a human being. If you don’t like what I have to say, Breitbart or InfoWars are just a few keystrokes and a couple of mouse clicks away. You’ll undoubtedly find those sites much more to your liking. If you can’t play nice on my blog, you don’t get to leave comments.
