Afterwards I have been told that some people found my post objectionable because they read it as if I regarded the hate they had demonstrated in a certain instance as equivalent or similar to the hate shown by the Norwegian mass murderer A.B.B. According to their opinion I had not only done so against the people who had been active in the chat I had witnessed and referred to in my post, but to all members of that particular group, whether or not they had taken part in the chat or even if they were logged in to SecondLife at that time or not.
I was also told that I had no basis for my conclusions concerning what I had witnessed because I did not refer to what may or may not have happened in that particular group chat the day before or two hours earlier (when I had not been in-world) or what happened in it after I had logged out of SecondLife. I should have investigated more, they have told me.
The topic has also been elaborated on in some of the Scandinavian SecondLife blogs with the same objections aired.
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I have reread my original post several times and have been contemplating the objections I have received. After due thought and consideration I have reached the following conclusions.
To me hate is hate is hate is hate and will never be anything else but hate.
Hate is usually defined as an intense dislike of something or some individual or group of people. In my assessment hate makes you blind to any redeeming qualities, it is relentless and poisons your soul and your outlook on the world around you.
Of course there are different degrees of hating and the damages caused are of different magnitude. I have never said - and have never intended to say - that the haters in SecondLife are anywhere like A.B.B., except possibly by the fact that they allow hate to influence and guide their lives and actions.
I take full responsibility for my words and actions. I see no need to retract anything whatsoever in the post I wrote. I cannot take away the experiences or hurt feelings that some people claim they have had, but I cannot be held accountable for the hurt feelings of those who deliberately misinterpret or distort my words to suit their own objectives or views.
Finally I would like to emphasize that I have never claimed to be an investigator or a reporter. What I write in this blog is my truth as I experience it and as I witness it.
I have always chosen to write only about what I witness myself and have never ever relied on what others say has happened before or after or during. This blog is an account of my own experiences, actions and reactions and not a megaphone for anyone else.
Now I intend to go on with my lives without letting the haters affect or influence me anymore.
Bravo, Bock!! I couldn't agree more.
ReplyDeleteThanks Diana! Hugs and please give Hunter a slap on his perky butt from me ;)
ReplyDeleteI find hate hard to understand. I hate not one and accept others as they are. Glad that you can express yourself so well. With I could. You are great and I truly respect you and your opinion. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteThanks Carl, I appreciate your support! It´s good to have you back blogging again by the way ;)
ReplyDelete"Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it."- Martin Luther King Jr.
ReplyDeleteWell Apmel, I think our man Martin got it right there! ;)
ReplyDeleteBock.
ReplyDeleteLet me share some of my experiences with you.
I have left some comments on Joe's blog about the hate I see there to members of and practices of certain religions (there are more than one). Come of the comments there are so bigoted and intolerant, its incredible.
Some of the comments in fact about major religious leaders, including Jesus and Moses are sickening (I am sure there are some about Mohammed but I have not seen any yet. They are designed to hurt.
Granted, many members of these religions hate gay people, and many do not. It is never wise to fight hate with hate.
Now, here is what I found. Certain people sit around the computer all day and hate. They have nothing better to do with their lives. They perceive an injustice, or they harbor a bad experience, or they simply are intolerant - but they will spend all day getting out their frustrations by hating viciously, with several accounts to reinforce each other.
It bugged me at first. But then i learned. IGNORE THEM. They are bigots. Let them bother you and they win and you lose. Develop a tough skin and keep on writing what you want.
Its hard but if it were me, I would keep on writing and make them even more angry! Its fun, and we will support you.
Thanks Eddi, that´s good advice! I am trying not to let them deter me from writing what I want, the problem is only that since this happened I have this little devil sitting on my shoulder asking me "Can this possibly be deliberately or mistakenly misread, twisted or distorted in some way you did not intend?".
ReplyDeleteI am sure I will be able to break away from my own self-censoring habits soon, but that´s what has come out of this experience at the moment.