Law of unintended consequences

When I launched my career as a blogger there were certain things I didn't anticipate. I guess I don't mind so much the one, somewhat raunchy response I got to one of my postings. But the fact that other people on the internet would read and take offense at my postings was a bit of a surprise. Or for that matter, that they would get all offended at certain comments of mine. To me it's all a big game, and yet some people seem to take it so seriously.

You might say I'm starting to take it too seriously, by limiting access to my blog in response to all that. Well, maybe I am. It seems I find it upsetting to be characterized "a bitch" by a perfect stranger on the internet. (I won't provide you the link, but I assure you, it's happened.)

I guess people (politicians, public figures, ministers etc.) are encountering this all over the world. The internet seems to lower people's thresholds for common decency, perhaps by virtue of its semi-anonymity -- I've seen some very offensive or at least harsh communiqués which seem to attack various people with a certain type of conservative, religious viewpoint, for example. Now certain of the people posting those attacks are also the sort who would heckle you out loud in a public meeting. But I bet a lot of them aren't.