In political campaigns geared towards attacking an opponent, claims and accusations are made. However, when these claims are made, no matter how ridiculous they may be, the stupidest thing to do is to refute them. If a politician wastes time refuting and defending themselves against one claim, they lose. Instead, what they must do is redirect focus completely so the campaigns don't revolve around one issue.
This seems to me spineless, for if someone accuses you of something, the instinct is to defend yourself, to explain, instead of letting your spirit break. But to fix it, to move on, I don't think you can.
People have tried to teach me that the same is true in real life. When someone hurts you, and accuses you, you cannot refute each claim. To end it, you have to stand there, and let them shoot at you without any intention of removing the bullets, without losing your own temper. I suppose the idea is that if you just let them, they'll run out of ammo and you'll forget about the bullets. Sometimes, that's not the reality. Sometimes, it just keeps hurting, carrying around all those scars with you. I'm just not sure what you're supposed to really do.
If I could yell back, I'd gouge out every bullet and throw it back. I'd defend myself. But I can't bring myself to. Because eventually, carrying around all that lead makes you realize you must be a bad person. And nothing you say can convince anyone otherwise, and the bullets never go away.
This is what people have tried to teach me. I'm scared I've learned it.
Keep an open mind. Though some might just be jealous or mean, some may actually be right. Listen to them, learn why people are upset with you. Your first instinct might be to tune them out and think of yourself as the one on the right side, but maybe they have a reason to be upset. Ignoring them doesn't make it go away, it can make it worse. You need closure.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: She has a very valid point, you just need to open your mind to her side. Also, if you have a problem with her you should talk to her yourself, instead of posting angry comments anonymously. Now you should go screw yourself, because clearly you're not getting any.
ReplyDeleteLet's not get angry now, children. ...
ReplyDeleteIn her very first sentence, Reagan used the example of political campaigns and the benefits of "changing the narrative" to deal with attack ads (see Hermain Cain right now for an example of how not to do this). She expressed her disagreements with this viewpoint, feeling that it's important to defend oneself in the face of accusations. It's important to fight back and defend yourself - if you can't support your own opinions and yourself under fire, than you're nothing more than a mindless blob of carbon. A little personal integrity is important, and one should never let that go. Ever. And always try and see all possible sides of an issue. Remember, the better your understand your ideological opponents, the better you can refute their claims.
And it seems to me that the main idea of the post was to *NOT* ignore accusations and problems and the like. Let's try and read/understand things before insulting their writes, shall we? Anyway, isn't this Reagan's little corner of the internet where she can say whatever the hell she wants? If you don't like what you read, then don't read it. Nobody forces you to. Just sayin'.
And, do I really have to point this out? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaming_(Internet). Don't do it. Let's try stay on the happier side of this map - http://xkcd.com/802/. You're better than that - "say whatever strikes your fancy, but please, respectfully." ...
With regard to posting anonymously, I think you should be able to tell who I am. I mean really, who else would cite both wikipedia AND xkcd in a comment on a blog post? Keep strong...
Cuteegirlface:
ReplyDeleteThat post was not especially angry, it was a bit of advice. Attacking someone who gives advice that you find inconvenient will not help her.
Ignoring everybody will not work. If it did, she wouldn't be in this dilemma. The only way to fix it is to work out the problem with the people who are upset. Maybe they have it wrong, maybe she has it wrong, maybe a little of both, who knows? But you can't leave problems unresolved and expect them to go away.
One time I was in a class where we were, for some odd reason, discussing the bible. In the bible it says that we should turn the other cheek and just move along. Being the person that I am, I am never able to just turn my cheek and move along. What I have learned from my attitude is that it more often than not can get me into even more trouble than I may already be in. Negative comments and things hurt, but they happen all the time. You are a strong person Reagan, and whatever it is you will overcome it. Try to talk or face up to your opponent, but remember to stay calm and be rational (as you already are). While it is very difficult to simply move on, if you are not able to calmly face up to your troubles, don't bother.
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