Shall I exit the Blogging World?

One of my best friends called me irrate last week.

"Did you know there was a site out there that is totally dedicated to making fun of you and saying the most evil things?," she asked. "I am so mad right now, I'm shaking. What fucking assholes! What pricks! I can't believe there are such assholes out there."

"Are you talking about that nine gram thingy?" I asked, nonchalantly.

"Yes! Did you know about that?"

"I knew about a year ago when they first started. I didn't think they'd still be doing it," I said, crunching on a cracker.

"They've been doing it for a year?" my friend screamed. "Don't they have lives?"

"They've been doing it longer I guess. Since I started my blog," I told her. "I'm starving right now. I don't have any food in my house!"

"I can't stand this!" my friend screamed. "I'm going to write in anonymously and stick up for you. These people are such fucking losers!"

"Oh, god, don't bother," I said. "They'll probably just think I'm writing in about myself. And then you'll be doing the same thing they do, posting anonymously."

"No, I'm doing it," she said.

After years of being in the "public eye" (or what that means in the Canadian media world) I have a very thick skin.

Which is what happens after reading many complete fabrications about yourself time and time again. I'm not joking when I say I can read/hear something about myself that I did last Thursday and think, "Um, I do remember staying in and watching Grey's Anatomy and falling asleep in my daughter's bed by 11 p.m."

Anyway it all got me thinking, especially after a very nice blogger I met at my book launch started blogging and got involved in such Blogger Drama, it is better than an episode of Nip/Tuck.

See, I read her blog. And I felt sorry for her. Not because she couldn't handle it (She can, because she has a brain) but because the evilness of blogging had finally hit me. I'm kind of asking myself if all this is worth it. Because a lot has changed in the year I've been blogging.

Anonymous assholes really have started to get to me. Not because of what they say about me (or my blogging buddies) but because they insist on doing so anonymously. I mean, seriously. How fucking pathetic. It's one of those, if you have something to say, say it to my face kind of things. If you truly believe what you write, why not just come out of the blogging closet?

Except, when you can be rude and evil under the guise of being "anonymous" it makes it so darn easy, doesn't it?

What I don't get is what motivates these people. Hey, you hate me and my writing, so be it. Don't read it. Except you do, and then you just have to write something anonymously.

I have a problem with this. Not because I don't think you should be able to write whatever you want in the blogging world, especially if you have something worthy of debate to write about, but because you are wasting such time being assholes.

Is that really how you want to live your life? - "Oooh, let's make fun of Eckler and all those who stick up for her?" Seriously. Is...that...how...you...want...to...live...your...life?

I mean, granted, I was quite honoured to be the star of a fake blog entirely dedicated to making fun of my blog. For, like, the first three days. Then it got old. At least for me. But, surprisingly, it hasn't got old for some, who really are quite bitter. And bored with their lives.

In all that time wasted on making fun of little ol' me, these "assholes" as my friend called them, probably could have written a book. Or at least a number of magazine articles. Or been out volunteering. Or, if they are parents, spending the time with their children. Or, I don't know, going for a nice walk.

In any case, here are some clarifications - in case you were wondering.

1) I do not write fake posts to my own site. To me, that is like authors who buy their own book on amazon, just to get a lower ranking. It's not reality, so why bother?

2) I did not ever call my daughter a "bitch." I wrote, once, when she was a baby and screaming that she was "being bitchy." She was. There's a big difference calling someone a "bitch" and saying someone is "being bitchy." I call my best gay friend, who likes to gossip a lot, "bitchy" too sometimes.

3) I don't ever write fake posts to other sites sticking up for me. See number one. Why bother?

4) I never post evil things or anonymous posts to anyone. Why? Because if you don't have something nice to say, why bother? I just don't comment.

The blogging world has definitely changed. I'm not sure I like it. In fact, I don't like it. I do like reading bloggers. I do like the support, which is why I got into blogging in the first place, and many bloggers I do feel (even if I've never met them) are friends.

As for the blogging drama some of my blogging friends have been put through, keep your chin up. Who cares about anonymous bloggers? They're cowards, not worthy of your time or energy.

As for me, tell me if you think the blogging world has changed - and not for the better?

As for the anonymous posters, what can I say? Do yoga.