Bloggers are verbal people.
A lot of words are flying around as pictures and information collected in Iraq is verified by the US government.
I’m reading pundits in small doses.
Many other things have happened in the world this week.
There have been bombings, assassinations, elections, natural disasters.
But actions of US military personnel in Iraq is dominating US domestic news, Arab news, world news, and a lot of blogs.
To have a belief threatened - whether it is a belief in a system, a cause, similar others, or yourself is very, very hard.
Many (most) people will stay quiet.
Those who speak may do so in shock and anger.
Beliefs will be sorted out and hardened or softened, depending on the individual. Blogs are a good place to do that.
Many commenters and bloggers will understandably attack the messenger or anyone or anything who/that seems to be a threat to their core beliefs.
Part of the difficulty this past week is that pictures carry a different impact than words. And it takes different sources for information to be credible to an individual. And in an information age, news is absorbed by people at different levels at different speeds.
So as we blog, and we are confronted with anger, cold logic, defensiveness, gloating, reaction, despair or other emotion…how do we respond?
I won’t tell you what to do or say.
If you’ve blogged for awhile, you’ve become aware of the ups and downs and the emotional flow of information.
I can say what I’ve learned from being in journalism, I can apply to my blog.
a) I need to take care of me and get my news (or leap-blog) in small doses.
b) I need to keep things in world-wide and historical perspective.
c) I need to keep a check on my own emotions and own them as they occur.
d) I need to empathize without accepting false blame for what others think or feel.
The pressure to be on one side of the isle or another is very intense again, as it was last March. As bloggers and commenters sort out information and assimilate it - all I may have to offer others is listening with respect.
It’s a small choice in a noisy blogosphere, but it is one I can chose to make. Blog on!
Search
Subscribe 
You are currently browsing the Bene Diction Blogs On weblog archives.
Related Entries
For blog design, Wordpress or MovableType coding or blog consulting, see cre8d design.
Thanks Bene. I’ve been restraning myself from blogging. I may come from a country that is a part of the “coalition of the willing,” but I know few who are willing. This latest on the horrors just confirms my stance. However, I have seen a lot of messengers shot and I really don’t want to be caught up in that. I’ve been somewhat more voal away from the blogging world.
Shalom,
Jan
I’ve had to sit on my hands a few times. It’s been a lively few days as the US admission has dominated our news.
It can be really difficult to discern in text what is ignorance, what is searching, or honest and what is just plain verbal abuse.
I’ve never been good at holding my peace when I see messengers shot. I’ve seen a few messengers shot the past few days and it has been unnecessary and sad. Blog on!
i have intentionally focused on other things. like the two baby’s I assisted into the world on (USA) Mother’s day. I am so disheartened but not (alas) surprised - all I can do is pray and try to think about the good that there still is in the world.
It’s taken me 15 months of blogging to catch up emotionally to my own mind. I KNOW that I don’t owe anyone anything. I KNOW that the people leaving comments are not my people.
But it is still a very emotional experience to put your heart out there and let people leave comments. Mostly mine are good, but apparently it doesn’t really matter how many nice things are said. It still feels strange when I get attacked. Recently I was told I was a false prophet.
Another guy said he wanted to bash my head in with a baseball bat. Nice fella. Claims to be a Christian.
I’m getting calloused, which is good and bad I suppose.
Oh, those two were from emails, not comments.
I’ve gotten some very obsessive hateful and and angry emails from the US when I post about US politics. They are often anonymous.
I wonder if your President did a bit of damage when he said, you are either for us or against us.
It seems to give licence to antagonism. Perhaps it was always there.
Even if there is a neutral post there are emails that assume I must be anti-american.
I’ve certainly had my faith questioned too, and I don’t know how much of a shell one needs in this hobby. I don’t want to be naive, but I don’t want to be too calloused either. Blog on!