WebKittyn Warbles

I was threatened yesterday by someone I don't know. Not threatened like I'm coming to kill you but threatened like 'all gloves are off' or some sort of line like that. Forget that fact that it was uncalled for to begin with, that's not important.

I took the moral high road and I'm glad I did but it's been pecking at me. What the Hell was that? It's been a long time since I was in high school so I'm a bit confused. What gloves? How do two people in different parts of the world go at it? There's no personal information that's been shared, there are no secrets or experiences that have been shared, there's nothing but surface snipes that can be glommed from the reading of a blog.

I'm sorry, was I supposed to cower in mortal terror?

I've heard and read of blog wars, flame wars, whatever wars. I can't stand them. It's a bit different when it's people who know each other in the real world and the dirt really flies but even those get tired fast. They end up being nothing more than a call for attention. There are always people who are loyal to one blog or blogger so of course they'll read what's written and ooh and ah their support and agreement. There are always people who aren't happy to begin with in their own lives so they get off and flame wars and people who just find them funny in a watch-the-car-crash sort of way. Usually the one who can be the meanest/crudest/most outrageous/bitchiest wins. This is a good thing? It's pretty dopey.

This is my blog. I have in the past and will continue in the future to write what goes on in my life as I see it. Doesn't make it right or wrong, just how I see it. In all except perhaps one or two situations I have again gone the moral high road and left out names of people I was writing about. A few close readers/friends might catch on depending on the person but for the most part that was enough for me. It served the purpose of getting it off my chest and didn't point any neon signs at the other person. Just because a person or people and *I* don't get along doesn't mean I need to try and involve anyone else or gather people to my side, that's not what this is about. I have a cat, he listens well enough to anything I have to say and that satisfies my need to be heard.

It was that method that started all this and what I should have said from the beginning was bring it. What has this world come to when a blog flame war is considered a viable threat. I don't get it, what sort of reaction was I supposed to have to that? I won't do that, period. I'm not turning this blog into that sort of attention seeker. I don't need to spread things on here, it's pointless. The same people who would catch on to the person or people are the same people I talk to every day so they already know where I stand.

I've seen reference to myself in a few blogs of MUDders when some stuff went on. Fortunately they were of the same school as I and there were no names included but since I was involved, I knew right away it was about my game and/or me. Big deal. It's a blog. Do these same people act that way in the real world, that's what I want to know. The gloves are off, let's box in the employee lounge because I don't like you.

There could be some validity if a name is tossed into the post. It's not right to smear someone else by name for anyone who wanders by the blog to see. No one side of any argument is ever 100% right so to do it is just to spread only one side and even if it's me and my side I won't do it. But to react that way to a post with no names is not right. What is that crap, is it cyber-bullying? I honestly do not know.

I don't want that sort of attention. I don't want people asking what I'm writing about or who I'm ranting about or why I'm bothering to rant over internet crap to begin with. Count the posts on here, most of them are not hostile. I may truly despise a person or two I've found off the internet but I don't need to get laughs or attention by using my blog to trash them. It's easier to just unlink and erase the person or people. Using the checklist I came up with from the MUD and if more than 4 answers are "no" it's not like the person is even real. Yes, they're a real human being but the brief period where they mattered in my world or I in theirs is over so it can be erased. It's not always easy, it IS however tremendously easy to get caught up in 'net crap. It's a purrfect distraction from the suckage that is the real world sometimes and it's easy to get swept away in it and the people. It's a lot harder to just walk away and not look back, erase and walk on.

People only share what they want shared on the 'net. There are no secrets that could be betrayed that would matter shared on the internet with familiar strangers. I would never be so presumptuous to assume that because I've shared a dozen or so emails with a person that I know anything about who they really are. Neither would I assume that I had the power to hurt them in some sort of written flame war.

I've lost readers to this place because of things I've written and situations that have happened since it first went online. It happens. I've stopped reading blogs I used to read on a regular basis because of I've read. Big deal. I would have to assume that if something thought I did something bad to them it just might show up on their blog. Big deal. That's a person's right.

I should have said bring it only so the issuer of said threat didn't go to bed thinking they had frightened the nice one into submission with their powers. I'm glad I didn't say bring it because it was erroneous to begin with and it would have evolved into a flame war. It's just easier to erase. Outlooks mail rules handle email, blogrolling deletes and as wonderful as the 'net is - sites don't pop up on their own unless a human makes them pop up. How much more pleasant is that? People don't understand how I can not read email when I know something is really at the end and the 4 NO questions have been answered. It's easy. It's called choosing not to let the wrong things matter. It doesn't enhance my life any to read a nasty email about how much I suck so I get pissed and reply and so on.

Walk on. Close the doors and don't look back and walk on. The moral high road may be a bit more lonely than the other road but every so often I run across a like-minded individual and we walk and talk for a bit.

My life is far from exciting but this is where I'm going to write about it. When I feel screwed, happy, sad, joyous, appreciative, etc., I'm going to write about it here. There will be no names and there will be no threats of taking off gloves or whatever. Next time just go ahead and have your party but no need to invite me.

As for me, this concludes any erasing that needed to be done. Now pardon me, I have a tomorrow to look after.

Peace out.