Fallout from “Epic Woe”
It’s been about a week since I deleted the “Epic Woe” posts, and let me tell you, the fallout over my decision to remove those posts has been substantial. I was wholly unprepared for the strong reactions those posts provoked, and in my eagerness to avoid complications, I took the posts down. I now feel that I was wrong to do so.
First, I’m sure I broke some kind of blogger code by deleting the posts. Of course, rules such as this one rarely concern me, so this principle alone did not finalize my decision to re post. Second, and more importantly, it’s my life that I’m writing about, and I strongly think that I have every right to post whatever I feel like posting.
There are, however, a few unwritten rules that I try to follow, which I will now list: I try not to be mean, I try not to rant or whine, I try to be honest in my often-unflattering depictions of myself, and I try to put facts first and remain as objective as possible.
Finally, these stories are meant to be funny (in a sense); if you don’t find them funny, then don’t read this blog.
I will re post the “Epic Woe” stories, now slightly edited, in the next few days. I plan on finishing this lengthy tale quickly so I can move on to other stories. Please stay tuned.
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Heartbreaking or otherwise, and as captivating as you make your story to be, remember in the end that you are telling YOUR story.
while it’s understandable that for any good writer to be credible, there is a need to write a thorough exposition… it is incredible that you are incredulous to the fact that this isn’t just your own story that you are writing.
Yes, it is your life (for the most part) that you are writing about, and by rights you are able to post whatever you feel like posting. But don’t be surprised when parties involved (who I’m sure you did not get permission from to air out so much dirty laundry) react in ways that may be counter to your intention.
Your story saddens me, yes (which for the most part doesn’t make these stories “funny” as you have meant them to be – Your protagonists are not caricature, and your underlying tone is not ironic) and I can understand how this entire process must be very therapeutical for you. I applaud you for your strength in coming to terms with this chapter of your life, but I am disappointed by your weakness to acknowledge that while you are allowed to talk about yourself as you see fit, you should have the decency to keep other people’s privacy, well, private. and while this blog may itself be a private forum, constantly alerting the facebook community that you have more dirt and guts to spill hardly keeps this a secret.
I don’t mean to sound insensitive. Your story of loss is heart-wrenching… if there was truly something to lose. I don’t mean to make light of your depression, or to give the impression that you are insensitive. However, you can’t honestly expect to make such postings without having to deal with the consequences of doing so. It is a tale of woe that you were hurt by events that transpired years ago, but to make certain people relive those events you may be (perhaps unintentionally) hurting them. I am sure this was never your intention, but god forbid if it was, then this tale in its entirety seems awfully petty.
Dear Anonymous,
Thank you for the well-thought out comment.
Yes, I am aware that in the telling of MY story, I have included other people’s stories as well, especially in this particular tale. I assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that those who are reading this blog would understand that notion. Of course this story is also a subjective one, and my aim at objectivity is just that: an aim. I’m sure I frequently miss the mark. But I hope that any astute reader would understand this without me having to go into a lengthy exposition. Perhaps I am wrong, however, and maybe I should post a general disclaimer addressing this issue.
Yes, maybe constantly alerting the facebook community of my blog updates is wrong, especially with regards to a tale of woe that involves parties other than myself. I will take this into consideration in the future.
I should also say this: I am obviously new to blogging and have a lot to learn. This particular tale has already taught me a lot. I do feel, however, that I am ready to accept the consequences that this post may bring, otherwise I would not have re posted and continued this story.
As far as this being a “funny” story, no, I admit there is very little to laugh at in this particular tale. But it was never my intention to only tell stories that are laugh riots.
It is not now nor has it ever been my intention to hurt anyone with these stories. If they are hurting anyone, it is truly unintentional. I honestly didn’t think that anyone involved in this story would actually see this blog, as I am no longer in touch with any of involved parties. This, of course, was a very dumb and glib assumption.
Thanks again for your comment. I will keep it in consideration when posting in the future.
I think this brings an interesting question regarding the extent to which a tale of woe can or should involve others. While it is certainly common for fate to play cruel games on an individual without involving others, it should be noted that the vast number of these stories will involve others, be they spectators, agents of woe, or fellow victims of woe.
It does not seem to me, a simple task in determining how to correctly write about others in this particular forum. What may cause one person embarrassment or shame, but to most seem only a harmless anecdote.
One simple way to avoid this, as our author here has done, is remove the identity of the person involved. This allows for a public story without the public shaming of a particular individual (assuming the story would cause that person shame). In this sense other people’s privacy is remaining exactly that: private. To some extent it may be possible for those who already know the parties and pieces of the events to identify people, but in that way these stories are not entirely private to begin with.
Finally, I find the non-humorous stories to be an essential part of the larger story of the Blog. While it is difficult to support the idea that tragedy equals comedy, in the aggregate a series of tragic stories can become comedic. While a single story can be sad a series of stories can provide a certain perspective that allows us to better cope with the individual events in our lives with a strange sort of humor.