tuluum's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Of Vibraphones, Guestbooks, Online Privacy and Wanna-Be-PunkAsss Children (a.k.a The Short Dissertation with the Long Title) Dear Lord, please bring me a man who can play the Vibraphone. Cos vibraphones are just beyond sexy! Every now and again I go through cleaning out my people closet. If you haven't heard from me for 2003 so far it's probably for two reasons 1) you have made no attempt to holler me out (online or off) 2) if you have tried to holler me out and I don't really reply it's probably because you now bore me, these things happen. Yup. I was probably just busy though (truth be told), but I may have been bored as well. Anyway, if you haven't hollered at me, please do so if you wanna stay in contact cos I'll be deleting tons o peeps from my messenger progs next week. (I only keep people who initiate conversations with me during the first month of the roman calendar year.. it's a 'thing'.. and keeps my buddy lists yummily low). I would tell my offline readers to give me a ring, but everyone I wanna hear from I already do, so that's all good. You offline peeps are safe :P I'm totally wasting time right now, I should be washing my hair or something... I don't understand the logic of people in guestbooks addressing/attacking each other directly. When I sign a guestbook it's intended for the owner of the guestbook. I really couldn't care less what other posters think about me, the owner, or global warming for that fact. I guess it's the same mentality of person that carries on infantile expletive-filled dialogue via bathroom graffiti (another past time I don't fathom). It's pretty interesting though. The different levels of thought that just co-exist in this world. For example last night Liz got all buckwild on the asses of some of her guestbook signers for offering 'unsolicited advice'. Being one of those 'asses' myself I found her reaction interesting. We chatted on AIM later and it's all good. I made her an honorary 'sistah' a few months ago, and what kinda sistah would I be if I didn't crawl all up in her 'bidness' (as she puts it) from time to time?? :) There's nothing but love in the house for that girl, I think she's a wonderful person :) There seems to be an increasing level of disrespect for age and strangers in the US these days though and I think that's scary. We are not all 'one', and I think experience speaks for a lot and should be heeded and respected (even when not agreed with). A 14 year old is not on the same plain as a 35 year old. Dream on. When I see people younger than me doing shit, I call them on it. I could care less whether that's what they 'want'. If they choose to dismiss me and flip the bird, hey that's their choice. I did my bit. They can either heed the warning or fall right in the manhole. That's how I've been treated all my life (things are still "it takes a village to raise a child" in these parts) and you know what? I'm glad. If someone who got their foot bitten off by swimming in a river says "Child don't swim there look what happened to me" what am I gonna do? Say "Yo fuck off moron, I don't remember asking for your opinion. Suck my ass, I"ll swim where I wanna when I wanna!"?? Uh no? Hell I'm gonna say "Thank You busta" and WALK OFF - TWO FEET intact :) Sheesh, learn from others' mistakes, it's the best way to stay unscathed and to grow up better and faster. Experience is a much harsher bitch than any 'advice' EVER will be. Unfortunately more and more, through Diaryland, I'm realizing that it seems to be the norm in other cultures (mostly US it seems) to cuss and react and wear one's ego and tunnel vision with pride and disrespect. That's unfortunate. There's gonna be a whole generation of hobbling one-footed people and a lot of fat alligators at that rate! I must say I found the mentality of some of Liz's minions who came out in full force, expletives flying and fuzz falling everywhere amusing and yet depressing. Whereas us 'haters' took the time to construct our posts in a polite, unprofane manner they seemed to see no such limitations on spelling or etiquette. A recurring theme seemed to be that we 'mere voyeurs' have no right to express our opinions in guestbooks on diarist's lives. This to me is a fallacy. If online diarists do not want to receive dissenting views on their lifestyle or behaviour they have three options. Go offline and keep an old-fashioned journal, keep an online diary and lock it or keep a publicly open online diary and remove all links that invite contact from the general public (guestbook, email, tagboard, etc.). (I suppose one could also just delete offending guestbook entries and emails like UncleBob is planning to do, but one would still have to read the messages first so I'm not really considering that as a viable way to evade offense.) By their very nature the additions of these features are to invite (and PROMOTE) visitor's input and dialog (unless the diarist intended solely to send messages to themselves and then other issues may be at play!) One poster said that having a guestbook doesn't mean that one wants one's life analyzed by others. Well sure none of us really want our lives analyzed by a stranger (unless we are paying through the rectum for it) and that's a tragedy in itself. But again the logic is weak because what we want and what we get are two different equations. We may not want analysis but by entering a public medium and then creating channels for said public to leave their mental excretions (i mean feedback) we are opening ourselves -VOLUNTARILY- to the receipt all sorts of messages. Good, bad and ugly. And truth be told, if we didn't want that kind of drama and interaction we wouldn't keep doing this...thing..this online journalling. We would shut down or lock our entries. Many do and I agree with them. Opening one's life doesn't have to be a public act, and one shouldn't be open to anonymous opinions that may be perceived as attacks or derogatory if one doesn't want to be or choose to be. But.. and this is an all caps BUT... if one chooses to do so, AND leaves those channels open, for lordy's sake be mature about it and accept your side of the bargain, accept the double-edged sword that is online journalling and accept responsibility for all that you will allow yourself to be subjected to as a result of that choice... Don't cry foul. It takes two hands to clap. Remove your hand and watch the static disappear. P.S. Other than that I find the concept of minions rather interesting and amusing. And well, Liz has some fiery and funny minions :) **************************************************************************** Current Clix Ranking: 21 | Previous Clix Ranking: 28 11:09 a.m. - Tuesday, Feb. 04, 2003 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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