I have tried my best to steer clear of all the drama that is going on out in Bloggy Land lately. It really looks like women being women. It started with the Twitter/Motrin debate of '08 and slopped over into popularity contests over a Wii. It turned into hate mail and blog bashing. Just pretty much one big mosh pit of ugliness. I am a non-confrontational person so I was actually repelled by all the nonsense but it did get me thinking.
You know the saying, "One bad apple can spoil the barrel?" We all can agree that that is true right? But how does it happen? First, someone isn't careful when they are loading the barrel. They let a 
questionable apple in. Then they forget about it, neglect it, leave it there. They never do anything to take it out.
questionable apple in. Then they forget about it, neglect it, leave it there. They never do anything to take it out. Other apples get put in with it. They rub up against and snuggle that questionable apple. The tighter they are packed and the more they rub up against one another the faster that apple turns. Pressure maybe. And then the bad apple is done.
But since it was packed in with all these other apples it's already had the chance to spread the ugliness that is rot. And those apples don't get away. They stay there and they rub and they rot. If all of the apples aren't divided out and the bad ones gotten rid of, you have suddenly lost a whole barrel.
So I was looking at my barrel yesterday. It's not terribly full. I don't have a lot of people I consider close. And the ones I do consider close and the ones I do put in my barrel don't have ugly spots. Are they perfect? No. They have bumps and they may not glow all the time. But they aren't rotting.
I don't pack my barrel super full either. I keep just the apples I need. Just enough to keep me going on my rough days. Just enough that I can give them the good in me too without going dry.
There have been a lot of campaigns and rants and posts about bringing positive vibes back to blogging. Boost one another's esteem etc. I say, just go through your apples. If you have a rotter, get rid of it. Don't comment on posts. Don't push more apples down on the rotter. Just get rid of it. If you have some apples that may be questionable, get rid of them or take a minute and find out if they are rotters or not.
What's in your barrel? And are YOU a good apple or a rotter?
Posts
7 comments:
I sure hope I'm a good apple, I know I have my moments, but I try to keep myself shiny =) I definitely toss out the rotten ones as soon as I can. Especially virtual apples. You sometimes have to put up with bad apples in real life, but in the online world... why on earth would you?
There's no need or room for those rotten apples. I completely agree, that it's time people start to toss them out. It's just not worth the time or energy to keep them.
I have no room for rotten apples in my barrel. I throw them out for the horses.
Such a good post. You know, sometimes we try to convience ourselves that we can save a rotten apple and that just isn't true. In fact, as soon as we buy into it, we get brought down fast! Lots to think about...thanks!
You're awesome!
That's a very good analogy. Makes sense. I don't think I'm a rotter and I think my barrel is somewhat full of good apples... Heck I think I had two separate barrels.... LOL
Well, I think I'm a good apple. I hate drama. But since you stopped posting comments, maybe you think I'm questionable? I hope not, but you never know.
I had no idea things were so ugly in the blogosphere. Maybe that's a good thing. It is a good analogy though. Just popping in b/c I realized I hadn't been to your blog in awhile. Cheers!
Post a Comment