In the past few years, I've had some bad experiences on the Internet. I really wish I didn't have to use the plural in the last sentence, because once would have been enough, thank you very much.
For some people, it is simply not okay for you to have a different opinion from them and their friends. It doesn't matter if you state a polite opinion in a polite and non-aggressive way. The simple fact that you have an alternate opinion is enough have you labeled as rude and aggressive. And the people who label you rude and aggressive can be very nasty, cruel, and rejecting. I wish I could say it doesn't hurt, but it does. At least it hurts me. A lot.
The funny thing is, for some of these people who treated me like shit...I have no idea what they look like. They were just a mean blankness in my head.
The other day I was watching Home and Away. There's this new bully high school student. Vicki Baxter. Well, actually I just looked at her character profile. She's not new, after all. But I do think her role is a bit more prominent now.
Anyway, while she was being bitchy to Carly and Vivian, I could totally picture her being the people who treated me like crap. Seeing her was kind of...I don't know. Therapeutic? Fun? Cathartic?
The other thing I was thinking about recently is the people who ARE a bit rude and aggressive when sharing their opinion. I encounter them a lot. They're the ones who kind of attack. They say things like, That's very stupid. You're ridiculous. Get real. You're wrong! That's really sick. I don't know why anyone in their right mind would think that, etc.
I'm not a fan of these type of people. I think people should have the ability to share their opinion without being insulting.
However, I prefer these people to the ones who coldly reject those who disagree with them—the ones who publicly told me to never visit or comment on their blog again, the one who requested I never write about her fan-fiction characters again, the ones who deleted my comments; then announced they deleted my comment (so people can imagine I wrote something really horrible because they can't see the real thing). *
Anyway, now all of those in my head are going to look like Vicki Baxter, which is probably unfair because the actress who plays her might be a very nice person. Sorry, Nana Coburn. Maybe it can be seen as a compliment though. She played her character very well.
*People might read my comment and agree with the hater that my comment was rude and aggressive. That's fine. They're allowed their opinion. But it's only fair that they get to see the comment before making a judgement.
It's also fine if people delete a comment. I did it once (that I can remember) because the conversation was making me very uncomfortable. But I think (and hope) I did it discreetly and not in a way that might invite wrath upon the commenter.
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