Tell Me Something Tuesday has been hosted up until now by Cambria Hebert, but this is the last week she'll be hosting it. I figured I'd take part one last time with her. In Cambria's words:
Welcome to my weekly meme Tell Me Something Tuesday where I ask you something and you tell me the answer!! It’s as simple as that and I thought it would be a great way for all of us bloggers to get to know one another! So this is how it works: I post a question here on my blog and then i give my answer. I invite all the bloggers to take the question and post it on their blog with their answer and we can hop around and see what everyone says! If you are a blogger don’t forget to leave your link at the bottom of this post! If you aren’t a blogger – that’s okay too!! Leave your answer in the comments section!
If you decide to take part, be sure to sign up with Mr. Linky over at Cambria's site.
Tell Me Something:
What are your New Year’s Resolutions for 2013?
My Answer:
Well, see, many, many years ago I decided I would stop making New Year's resolutions, and thereby resolved to never make another. So I haven't. However, I still want to take a moment and discuss resolutions with you. I'll be talking more about this on Nick Wastnage's blog on the 6th, because it is an issue that has been troubling me for months now, and that issue is cyber-bullying and the attacks on authors and reviewers and bloggers that try to maintain good relations with authors that I have been seeing on the various readers' sites: worst, of course, on Goodreads and the Amazon fora. This is a serious issue, and it seems to be a small, vocal minority of discontents who have nothing better to do than to try to pull down other people, destroy people's lives and works, and for what? Because they're bored? They're certainly not doing it for the "good of the readers" as they claim, because a lot of the drivel they are spreading is outright lies, or at the least horribly twisted for their own purposes. So, to them I say: STOP. Why are you doing this? You're creating dissension when there should be discussion. You're creating drama where there should be learning. Your senseless and needless cruelty is destroying people's lives. Yes, those who you are attacking? Those are real people with real lives.
What does this have to do with New Year's Resolutions? It's simply this:
Let's all resolve in this new year to be kinder to one another. To remember that there is a real person on the other side of that blank screen. To remember that words can hurt, and that what we do affects the people with whom we interact. There's no need for the senseless cruelty I've seen in this past year. There's no need to cut other people down, to try to destroy other people's lives in some quest for popularity. Just stop, think, and start to treat other people the way you would want them to treat you. it doesn't matter if other people reciprocate. It doesn't matter how they treat you. YOU change yourself, and the world will gradually change around you.
Thanks for this. One day, I decided to do a search of my book on the kindle forums. Someone mentioned that they liked my book and everyone put him down, saying that he was my hand puppet which wasn't true. They said that they would go out and tell everyone that I was a spammer because one person said they liked my book once, on a forum that was appropriate to my genre. I think that some people feel like fighting against something gives their life meaning just as people who make enemies and start wars love being on the other side of something. I learned to stop reading things I'd rather not and have decided to only follow people who are intelligent and positive. I've also resolved to read more books of my choosing rather than lurk on the net where people might pull me into their drama. Someone recently told me that there is a hate site for Mother Theresa. His point was to not be intimidated by them and to speak our truth regardless.
ReplyDeleteThis year, I'm focusing on character goals. I'm going back to the basics and honing my values. Trying to be more selfless, reliable, and trustworthy.
Yes, this sock puppet thing is also turning into a witch hunt. A few bad apples spoil the barrels, and a few drama llamas do what they can to keep the anger flowing. It's disgusting. Sorry this happened to you.
DeleteI try to speak out, but every time it quickly degenerates into people trying to tear me down. When I walk away from their childish behavior, they continue (I once went back to check later, and they'd continued their attacks on my character for another entire PAGE of messages). I know it's continuing, but I choose not to associate with the sorts of people who do this anymore. If I run across someone acting like this, I just block them now. Then I don't have to see their ridiculous nonsense.
I definitely agree here. Remembering that there is a person on the other side of the computer screen is very important and I too have seen and heard some of the bullying and name calling that has been going on. Its such a shame because if those nasty people put all that energy into being positive and supportive of others then the world (and internet) would be a lot nicer of a place. I definitely think this fits right in with New Years and resolutions because resolving to treat others with respect is an absolute must. I always say treat others as you would like to be treated. Great post Katy, i couldn't have said it better. Happy New year.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cambria. I'm so glad when I first started out on Goodreads I started out RIGHT, with the Creative Reviews group, a nicer group of people I've never met. It wasn't until almost a year later when I stumbled across the first of the nastiness. I try to avoid it when I can, stand up against it when I run across it, and provide a positive example of how a person should act. I'm not perfect, of course - none of us are - but at least I try!
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