It's a funny thing, really, when criticism comes your way, and you're unsure whether or not it's point is valid, whether or not it's motive is pure, and whether or not you really care about it all.
I find myself in such a position now, as a result of this post of mine at Archaeotexture, and this responding post from none other than the proprietor of Newsroom Stew's Blog.
I guess I could go on and on about previous posts of mine that were complementary towards the city, it's government, and the application of said government ... none of which have generated response of any kind.
But do I really want to? Do I really want to place myself in a pigeonhole of someone else's definition, and adopt the "unwritten" rules of someone else's composition and application?
In this case ... no, not really. I've had my say ... he's had his ... and that's that.
Regardless of my position with a similar (and also very diffrent) entity, I reserve the right - not just as a virtual pundit, but as an actual citizen - to compliment our local transit authority on the services it provides, plead with county commissioners to enact a burn ban, praise the city's health department in its role of welcoming refugees, support the school district's policy towards magnet school admissions, share photos of city officials participating in celebrations, raise concerns over votes by the same officials that might impact the welfare of homeowners ... and occasionally cite something especially strange from the Weekly World News.
Okay ... so that last doesn't have anything to do with local government, but it's fun!
And, really, it's an amazing coincidence that my blog gets noticed - and gets somebody stewing over one of my posts - at this particular time ...
... more on that, soon.
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2 comments:
Jeff, two things struck me as odd about Stew's post.
First, it was a stretch to term your post as unflattering to the mayor and city council. A careful reading of what you wrote seems to reveal that all you did was report some facts, while linking to my post. My post could legitimately be judged as unflattering, because I inserted personal opinion into the discussion, but Stew chose to focus on yours.
Second, Stew himself seems to cross an unwritten line that I try to adhere to, and that's not bringing another blogger's personal situation into a public discussion, and especially not when the only reason you're doing it is to stir up some controversy. You blog as a private citizen; your comments should be viewed and responded to in that context (unless your post is specifically directed to something related to your employment). Stew obviously draws that line differently than me, but it's still one I try not to cross.
It's easy to say you don't care about criticism such as you received...that's it's irrelevant and unimportant, but the truth is that it's neither. However, that may just be the price we pay for sharing our thoughts and perceptions in this public forum.
Eric, thanks for stopping-in, and for the thoughtful analysis. We bloggers DO pay a price for sharing our thoughts in the manner that we do.
I don't visit Stewart's forum much, and only did so yesterday when someone asked me, "What's THAT all about?"
But I've had my say ... he's had his ... and that's it ... for me, at least.
Your forum always has been - and always will be - a favorite stop in my e-travels.
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