guff

Commie blogs and comments

When it comes to blogging, there are times when you can all but see those elemental energies which were wrested from the Internet gods and Pandora-like given to the online world. There’s the small sense of mastery played over when working with the tools and toys that make a weblog run. There’s the ideas and inspiration one can arrive at, merely by the act of writing, or by reading the webified compositions of others. And there’s the courage on display when overcoming long-constructed inhibitions to impart many of the thoughts, opinions and personally important flotsam of ones life, raw and in the public eye. Blogging can be all that, and more. Much more. One might call it a very powerful medium, still waiting to be tapped of its full potential.

And then there are times when you’re left feeling that our version of Pandora should have been locked out of her Linux box.

The latter for me came about tonight when I found a comment sticking to an old guff entry, one indirectly referenced a few posts ago. Comments go to moderation on guff entries over 30 days old, so I had to read it and then decide if I’d ok it for open consumption. I chose to free rather than delete it. It wasn’t spam, after all. However, it was an anonymous comment, in that the author’s name is a pseudonym, and the email address left—which I won’t be handing out, so don’t bother pleading—may or may not be real.

The comment is hardly worth a feather ruffling. It’s neither vicious or vulgar; it’s not even all that insulting, except perhaps to the general theme of this blog, and my comedic capabilities. First, for the full effect, let me repost the “editorial” that set this off:

Whatever their mamby-pamby, tree hugging, ‘let the inspections work‘ reasons are, some of the fascist-liberal press have the gall to claim that duct tape is not the end-all, be-all in protecting us against the present terrorist threat.

Such a view risks lives, and people who hold it are anti-American, anti-capitalist, pro Marxists and communists. Not to mention, they obviously have no home repair skills at all.

Some invective, eh? Did you catch the drooling slack-jawed enthusiast I tried to evoke while composing it? I can act, that’s a given. Now the comment from “liberal,” untouched by the editorial figurehead squeeking in my skull:

how incredibly unique — yet another conservative who crys “communist” towards the left — only let me get this straight — you are suggesting that duct tape == “anti-American, anti-capitalist, pro Marxists”. You dont even make sense.

Has it ever occured to you to actual fill your blog with substance rather than the same ole used up dribble that you so called patriots like to toss out to the left? prolly not, since your happy that you are as you say “#1 with mamby-pamby” whatever dude.

Damned when you call someone a commie, damned when you’re called a commie by someone. I’ve learned to accept living at both ends of the political edge. It’s actually pretty comfortable there.

In all honesty this is the sort of blog comment I enjoy getting. And dread getting, because if it points out anything, it’s how a nonsensical accusation placed on a relative nobody’s web page can so easily display the naivete and ease of being taken in we all claim to lack. But perhaps more to the point, how some of *us* liberals display it with a vengeance. Try to look at it from the perspective of an assumedly gun-toting, hippie kicking, flag hanging off the back of his chokingly large SUV conservative: would I in any way be swayed by such pro-agressive yet ineffectual clamoring to action? And to top it off, I was slapped with a “whatever dude.” Guess I should close up shop and take up a collection for cancer patients. Bush sux!

Wow, that really does work…

The only thing I can say to someone like this is, give in to the dark side of comedy, that part known as satire. Even bad satire like mine (or good satire like mine, depending on how you look at this episode). And learn not to take such things and such people so seriously, especially when we’re not who you think we are. Because in the end, all you really can be said to have is yourself, and your sense of humor. Once you understand that, only then will you attain enlightenment. No, wait. Sorry, wrong Kung Fu episode.

And to answer the only thing worth a response from liberal’s comment (then what was this lengthy post all about?): Yes, I have thought about filling this site with high-minded, intelligent commentary, ambitiously aimed at informing the public on the important issues of the day. But then I realize just who’s behind all this, have a good laugh, and go online to hock teddy bears. Some of us set less lofty, more attainable goals when it comes to our blogs.