[Industrialblog,
January 15, 2007]
Mistakes
Three things:
1. I've been accused today of not tolerating criticism from the Left that I would accept from the Right. Strangely enough, I came to the exact same conclusion this weekend. I was wondering, why does the Left's criticism of the war piss me off so much, but that from the right, such as Pat Buchanan and George Will, not bother me? I concluded that Pat and George are fundamentally on the same side as the rest of "us" on the right/center-right and the disagreement is within the family. We share the same fundamental goals. Which means I believe, probably erroneously, that the left doesn't. I should be less Manichaen about the left and right and not assume bad faith on the part of people on the left. I'm sorry for that.
2. I deleted one of my posts. I get rid of my posts for many reasons: Sometimes they're too personal, sometimes they reflect poorly on people, sometimes it's poorly written or poorly argued, but every once in a while, I have to kill a post because I WAS WRONG. I was wrong on the post that was removed. Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong. It is not the first time, it won't be the last time. Strangely enough, I did exactly what Harry accuses me of doing in my commenting policies, which is deleting people who disagree with me, though this I believe is the first case where I am actually guilty as charged. I should've just said, "Oops." Long time commenter MLaff caught the brunt of it, and I'm sorry to him for that.
3. Also, I understand that people don't disagree with me because they're stupid. I'm sorry if I've given anyone that impression.
Will there be policy changes? I'm still thinking about them. I've been a little tired of this form of blogging for a while. I'm far afield from what I initially wanted to do. But I have to go to work while I rethink this blog.
Thank you.
Bill
1. I've been accused today of not tolerating criticism from the Left that I would accept from the Right. Strangely enough, I came to the exact same conclusion this weekend. I was wondering, why does the Left's criticism of the war piss me off so much, but that from the right, such as Pat Buchanan and George Will, not bother me? I concluded that Pat and George are fundamentally on the same side as the rest of "us" on the right/center-right and the disagreement is within the family. We share the same fundamental goals. Which means I believe, probably erroneously, that the left doesn't. I should be less Manichaen about the left and right and not assume bad faith on the part of people on the left. I'm sorry for that.
2. I deleted one of my posts. I get rid of my posts for many reasons: Sometimes they're too personal, sometimes they reflect poorly on people, sometimes it's poorly written or poorly argued, but every once in a while, I have to kill a post because I WAS WRONG. I was wrong on the post that was removed. Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong. It is not the first time, it won't be the last time. Strangely enough, I did exactly what Harry accuses me of doing in my commenting policies, which is deleting people who disagree with me, though this I believe is the first case where I am actually guilty as charged. I should've just said, "Oops." Long time commenter MLaff caught the brunt of it, and I'm sorry to him for that.
3. Also, I understand that people don't disagree with me because they're stupid. I'm sorry if I've given anyone that impression.
Will there be policy changes? I'm still thinking about them. I've been a little tired of this form of blogging for a while. I'm far afield from what I initially wanted to do. But I have to go to work while I rethink this blog.
Thank you.
Bill
It is my view that a person's blog is basically that person's property. If you post a comment there, you cannot have too many expectations. If the author's conduct bothers you then you should do by Mike is contemplating (or doing) and move on.
On the flip side, deleting valid comments (loosely being those that are not abusive, derogatory, inflammatory, containing information that might be illegal to share) does weaken a blog. I find it a lot more compelling when someone admits a mistake and corrects it in the comments rather than just delete the post. I am pretty sure that I read Mike's post and I'm surprised it was a big deal to you. At least one time you did delete a post I agreed with because I thought it contained details about another person that I found inappropriate. So do I think there are valid reasons to remove whole posts, but the situation is less about divergent positions and more about civility.
If you are going to delete stuff, it would be more open to indicate that a post was deleted, etc. That way you have at least a more full disclosure. Editing someone else's post/comment I think constitutes a bit of a major blogging sin.
Before you abandon blogging or get delete-happy, let me tell you that I am personally jealous of all the comments you've gotten. If I had half as many I would still probably be expending the effort to blog.
WRT to the left and the right. I find the extremes on both sides pretty repugnant at various times. Everyone I know seems to express good intentions and a have dark side of selfishness. Those at the extremes usually seem much less able to see their own weaknesses and much more focused on the faults of others. The extremes seem more intent on creating an "us versus them" atmosphere. I know people at both ends of the spectrum politically and they are all nice people so long as you don't discuss politics. On a personal level I often struggle to see them as anything but self-centered hypocrites. Their positions fall out mostly along economic and/or socio-economic lines and when the bring up politics it is usually jingoistic carping about liberals or conservatives. I am perfectly happy seeing shades of gray in the world, but these guys always think things are black and white -- regardless of the issue.
I do believe that political diversity is a strength and not a weakness of our country - but I'll admit that I have to keep repeating that to myself. We need a little more "I may disagree with you, but I'd die defending your right to say it" rather than calling each other traitors, etc.
I also struggle with if and how to blog. I have created a couple other blogs that absorb a little time, - sometimes too much... And sometimes I feel bad that they don't get the attention that they deserve. Sometimes I want to delete TWS, because it seems too angry, too vitrolic, and other times, I think that no one else is saying some of the things I am saying, and expounding another, perhaps strange, way that faith and conservatism can be linked.
It is better to leave comments that you can tolerate, and I suppose it is better to even leave posts that you were wrong on. It is too much responsibility to have to believe that everything that you ever posted is perfect and true. With that said, I appreciate that it is hard to have a post out there that you now disagree with, or think that could have been done better.
Maybe you could prepend a simple disclaimer on those types of posts? Something like:
"I now think that this is not as well argued as it should be, and even has some issues. Thanks to all who posted to point me in new directions. With any luck I hope to come back to these issues in some future post."
I actually may use this myself. Except to say. "I apologize for breathing too much fire into this post..."
:)
Peace,
TWS
I've also deleted the occasional comment— something which, when I do it, I do with neither warning nor explanation nor apology. The comment just vanishes silently into the void. Actually I've been unusually fortunate in the comments my blog draws: in two-plus years of blogging, I can count on the fingers of one hand the outright nasty comments I've received. These I actually sometimes let stand. Most often the comments I delete are simply ones which would draw the thread off onto an irrelevant tangent, comments by some random pilgrim I've never heard of before. I don't recall ever deleting a comment by a regular.
And like I say, no warning, no apology, no explanation either before or after. Reasons invite argument, therefore I give no reasons. The comment just disappears. Though actually I find myself driven to this very seldom.