MACs - I'm lovin' it

So a friend tells me they have put me up on Tomorrow.sg

I visit it and and whoa! There's some serious Sayesha-bashing goin' on there as well. Just as it does here at times.

Coupla months ago, this would have upset me. I would have probably stopped blogging. But now it doesn't bother me anymore. Possibly because I have realised that one's blog is exactly like one's life. You live it your way. You come across many people. Some who love you. Some who can't be bothered. And others who can't stand you. Those who can't stand you will give you shit, but they are not worth ruining your day over. And that's how your blog is too.

When I first started blogging, for the first four months, my posts had no comments. At most one or two stray comments would surface. I posted whatever was in my head, and did not have anyone saying, "What a crappy post!" It was easy. Then slowly, comments started trickling in, and suddenly I had a surge of mean anonymous commentators (or MACs as I call them) telling me they hated what I wrote and trying to dictate what I write on MY blog. It was unnerving at first, because at that point in time, I was trying to figure out why I blog, and I do admit that reading such comments did upset me.

I even considered blocking out anonymous commentators. But the ostrich approach just did not seem like the right thing to do. Just because I did not let them in did not mean they were not there. Besides, some of my really good friends on my blog were anonymous to me once. Also, just as I have the right to blog about anything I wish, and put it up on the Internet, I suppose anonymous commentators have a right to stay anonymous. I just did not get why they have to be so mean. I mean, my blog posts are my thoughts. How can you even try and dictate what and how I think??

With time, I figured out why I blog. And things became clear in my head. With it, my stand on anonymous commentators became clear too. I respect their anonymity and their thoughts. But I won't take illogical nonsense. I blog for myself. And I will keep blogging in spite of the MACs. And so I trashed the idea of blocking off anonymous commentators.

Strangely though, on some levels, I am grateful to the MACs. Sometimes, they have made me realise the value of people who care. People like Sahil. Someone who is just a name to me -- as anonymous to me as the next person. Someone whom I don't know and have never seen (and whom I often insult to no end!), but who rises to defend me against the MACs as if I'm an old friend.

I still remember how he told off the anonymous guy who kept posting "How much crap can a person write?" on my blog.

Sahil said to him, "If you don't agree with Sayesha, that's fine. You can comment and say something a little more thought-provoking than "how much crap can a person write?" If you have a point of view, explain it. But if you don't, then hold ur peace. And try and sort out what's going on with yourself first."

I thought that was kind of amazing. And it showed the kind of connection that one can have with one kind of anonymous commentators.

In spite of the telling off, I know there are many more MACs on my blog who smirk at every post and say, "What utter crap!" I have something to say to them. "What are you still doing here? Stop reading the 'crap' and move on. You have no right to dictate what I think and write. This is not a paid site that you're not getting 'value for money' from. You have the option of not visiting. Use it."

MACs, you may hate me, but strangely I don't find myself hating you. Sahil's right. You obviously have something goin' on up there that makes you post these mean comments. And I genuinely hope that you sort it out soon.

I am just glad I'm not wasting my time hating you.