LET THERE BE PEACE ON THE NET!!!


Ok folks, for those of you who are regular visitors, this is an opinion entry, not an informational one. It is related to what is becoming a nasty little war on some of my student's blogs.

I must admit that I got sucked in and read it along with everyone else. It was the same part of me that turns to look at gruesome car wrecks on the highway and contribute to the gawker jams that result.

Listen people, there are some pretty hurtful things that are being traded back and forth, and although it was initially amusing, no good can come from further exchanges:

1. We are about to draw heat from the local press... I could just see this ballooning into something stupid that gets put on the local news. You know those tv people love to air crap like this!!! Just look back to the diversity flag fiasco and the KKK robe scandal. None of that was that big of a deal, but people love to look at other people's dirty laundry. I can just see it now: HOWELL CONTINUES TO DEMONSTRATE HATE.... THIS TIME IN CYBERSPACE. Is this what is really happening? No, but they don't care.

2. The band program is loosley connected to this whole thing because the warring factions are in band.

3. It is going to start interferring with class... not to mention people relations.


Mike, if you read this, I respect your right to free speech, but you need to be careful. With that freedom comes responsibility. Lawsuits have been started over less. If you really wanted it to be private, you would have used that option on the blog dashboard. I think you are a good person. You're better than this. You're probably surprised by aall the fuss. Settle your differences face to face and people will respect you more

Joe and anyone else that has been responding angrily: Just stop reading it. Haven't you figured out that he wants you to be mad and respond to him? As I said with Mike, you guys are better than this. I know I laughed at what was being written, but I realized quickly after that that was wrong. Nothing good is going to come from this.


THE BIG POINT TO GET HERE: It is very easy to say bad things on the internet because it is not face to face. I have made some pretty massive mistakes this way, so I speak from experience.

SOME TIPS TO KEEP FROM GETTING TOO MEAN ON THE NET:

1. Save your post as a draft, wait an hour or two then read it again before you post. You frequently will edit what you wrote, or delete it all together.

2. NEVER PUT ANYTHING UNTRUE ABOUT SOMEONE... Even if it is a joke, you are crossing over into defamation, which is illegal.

3. RESPONDING JUST MAKES EVERYONE MORE ANGRY AND ESCALATES THE CONFLICT.

You know that I don't usually get involved in students' private lives, but by posting all of this on the net, you have made it public. Everyone take a deep breath and be at peace.


Smigell