 “You can please some people some of the time, not all people all of the time.”
Wise words indeed.
My Mum mentioned this little gem the other day during my weekly outreach call, as I whined down the phone about the pitfalls of having my words (and now my pic) in the public arena.
Our editors have been nothing but fabulous, of course *sound of kissing-ass*; though they do seem genuinely happy with my ramblings so far. Interestingly enough, the ‘tough love’ seems to come mostly from nearest and dearest – or acquaintances there-of (funny how people you don’t really know can be so passively vocal).
Let’s call them the Lazy Passive Aggressive Naysayers (LPANs).
After all, it’s easy to sit in the background and criticise. Actually voicing-up and committing those thoughts to a documented public forum is a totally different ball game, however.
It’s been a bit of an eye-opener since I began bashing away at the keyboard some months ago. I mostly started writing again at the ongoing suggestion of others – and while I’m glad I did, it’s been interesting to watch the tide chop and change somewhat.
I’ve actually had people say, “So you’re writing a column and a blog... You’re so lucky.” Pah!
My thoughts here: ‘Editors don’t come knocking on your door. Can you meet deadlines? You prepared to put in some research? Can you can sustain material and keep folk engaged? For that matter, have you actually written anything?’ Needless to say, the answer is usually no.
And let’s not forget our harshest critic of all – the public. While we often write to inform and entertain, one of my initial reservations about posting again was underpinned by the PLWB (Pedantic Letter Writing Bunch) and it seems they’re still out there in full force; hiding behind their monitors in the wee hours, scrutinising all and sundry.
Eeerm... how do they find time to have a life?
Between my job, social life and your stock-standard day to day stuff, I barely have time to cruise the aisles of Duffy Bros – so how this lot have enough spare time on their hands to be shooting emails off left, right and centre is beyond me.
But I’m not bitter – okay! A little twisted, maybe. Quite simply, we can’t please everyone... and nor should we. And to the LPANs and PLWB – gotta luv ya! (you know who you are).
Don’t get me wrong: there’s also been a lot of support out there. I’ve had numerous emails of encouragement about something I’ve said, with some proposing tips for writing a column, others offering a different spin, etc. Heck, I’ve even had a few proposals – hello, Happy Christmas!
Let’s face it, though – without this bunch, we probably wouldn’t have as much healthy community debate; a cornerstone to supporting the many voices that ultimately come together to help make our diverse community what it is.
... regardless of whether I think you’re a dick or not.
- Hard Driver
Am I being precious? Or a button pushing shit-stirrer? Then post below or email me:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed