Comments Hurt Sometimes

Mmmm man. Some things never stop hurting.

I wrote a brief first-person piece of my experiences following an anti-war protest around in D.C. back in the spring for Connect2mason. I really tried to convey the feeling of joy and excitement in the air- to convey the sensations to my readers of what it was actually like to be there.

I didn't include a single political thought or idea in it that was mine- though I said I enjoyed the protest, I didn't include a single comment about whether or not I agreed with the protesters or anyone else out there that day. And that's because I have the ability to separate my personal thoughts from my work- something apparently others can't even conceive.

Yet I had multiple commentors accuse me of horrible liberal bias- including one who said that by observing that the policemen at the protest looked "bored and tired," I was disrespecting them and considered them "piggies." (This is the furthest from the truth possible- I respect policemen so much for what they do for our society. Though they used to scare me -I had an affinity for getting speeding tickets in high school- they have become some of my best sources on stories and the greatest help to myself and my friends in times of trouble. I thought including their reaction in the story showed the effect the protesters were having on the normal inhabitants of the city and the police- not necessarily a positive thing for the protest.)

I cried at the time. I was not allowed to address the comments personally, because it would've been entirely unprofessional, and possibly started an online war my boss (wisely) did not want me to get involved in. I went back to read over the comments again today (I don't know why, apparently I'm masochistic or something)- and it hurt just as much.

I work very hard to keep bias out of my stories. In fact, I don't even cover certain topics that I know I'll be too biased to report on.

I try at this point not even to write about my ideas on politics and political issues online- it's just a bad idea. If I write something that's even slightly related to anything I've ever made a comment on online, there are cries of BIAS. I don't particularly like this, especially since I'm doing as best as I can to keep bias out of my stories- which is why I've gone through my online identity the past few weeks in an effort to remove any political idea or statement I've ever made.

So many people make comments on stories not even thinking about the fact that there's a PERSON behind those words. A person with emotions just like everyone else.

Now, I'm not going to go out there and defend every word I say. It's damaging and a waste of time.

But you know, sometimes I just get scared when a story I write goes up online. You'd think after years of my stories getting published and posted I'd be used to it, but I'm not. Criticism and accusations still hurt and sting every- single- time.


Rachael