Monday, February 1, 2010

Frustrations and AOTW

The middle of last year, I got into it with some bloggers who decided to be dicks. What happened was that I dropped a whole bunch of blogs from my blogroll and lost some readers.

I ended last year dropping a whole bunch more because I crossed some perceived line and wasn't their kind of fucking automaton (the AOTY post).

And I finished January being decried as a hyperpartisan invective flinger (the Obama SOTU speech rant). Yet another decrease in the readership.

Then there was some anonymous dick that (according to the comment) came here based on the title and didn't find sane political discourse. That one was in the serious, then humorous -ism post.

Add to that the usual post-Christmas slump and the general low rage that the day of darkness (Feb 14) brings, and I find myself not linking my own blog, other bloggers in general, and the people who take a piece and make it the whole in particular.

So I guess I'll institute a new comment rule. If you have an issue with how this blog is written, drop me an email and we'll discuss it. Post it on the blog, and I'll delete it without comment. Get pissed that I delete the comment after stating the rule, you can go fuck yourself. Because the next step is either comment moderation (which I loathe), or I turn off the comments and the conversation ends.

An exception to this rule is this post, which I'll leave open to discussing the rule.

But the fact that I have to institute another rule, and probably couldn't grow my blog at this point if I put pictures naked women in it (and I don't plan on it either), means:

Patrick M is Asshat of the Week!

So far, two people have made AOTW both this year and last.  President Obama, and now I Myself.  I envy Obama, because he has a bunch of yes-men, hangers on, and someone to share a bed with that will validate his existence.  I, on the other hand, staked a lot of myself in this blog.

The phrase "stupid motherfucker" doesn't even begin to describe what this does to an ego.

I've tried, for most of the blog, to attract people by having rational discussions.  Unfortunately, those posts tend to take a lot of work (especially with preschoolers) and don't garner a lot of response.  I've also let my humorous side come out, sometimes having fun with the ridiculous (the invective cited from my Obama SOTU speech would be an example).  And rarely, I do unleash an angry tirade, usually when there's nothing really to discuss because the political class has done something monumentally stupid or wasteful with our money or has signed away another piece of our freedom.  Either way, while the blog and my political views have evolved over time, I really haven't changed much since a post where I started by mocking the Code Pinkos.

All of this seems to have been in vain.  And it's managed to take something that I've been enjoying and make it a sucktastic drudgery, because I end up either having to ignore comments, or defend shit that shouldn't have to be defended.  It's also given me a lot of blog material that I shouldn't have had to keep going over (this post being one of those times).

So I'm certainly an asshat for being who I am and thinking people would figure out what was substance, and what was me having a little fun.

In any event, I'm going to sit out any comments made here, and just read.  If I get the fire for another post, I may write one.  But I'm also going to take the comments and see if the direction I want to go is the direction the people still reading me expect.  Then I'll decide if and how I'm going to continue this blog.

So while I am reading your comments and having some discussions with a few people as to the future of SPD, here's a little fun with geography:

Update: I forgot to check the formatting on that game. It doesn't fit on this page. Here's the link.

17 comments:

Dave Miller said...

Congrats Patrick on your award. May it be everything you always hoped it would be...

Hang in there, there are still some who like rational discussion...

Dave Miller said...

Here's a thought, since a lot of commenters cannot read, [at least I perceive this to be true because they do not comment on what has been written,] perhaps you could turn that little letter deal on and then the less intelligent people would not be able to leave their incoherent rants that have nothing with your posts.

It's a joke folks...

Anonymous said...

Yes, Congratulations on your award Patrick. For once you got it right. You do fit the title of Asshat. Yes you did lose readership in the past few months and hopefully you will lose even more in the months to come.
Sitting on both sides of the fence never worked and talking out of both sides works even less. Using shocking vocabulary words attract readers either.
Your liberal friends are out for one thing and one thing only, to get you to agree with them on their terms or to make you look like a fool when you don’t agree with them. We conservatives are really are a people of God, we might have to start acting that way, if we are going to get anywhere. The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they are ignorant, ... and this is the specter our well-meaning liberal friends refuse to face.
If Obama gets his original health care proposal, look for legalized abortions to skyrocket in America. Look for Pro-choice forces across the country to mobilize public opinion so that this terrible pay for abortions all over the world law will eventually pass. And thousands - perhaps millions - of babies that could have been born to be destroyed. I truly pray that this health care bill will die a permanent death. It is something that the majority of Americans do NOT want and that does not respect life or freedom. But Patrick, we never see you take a stand on these issues. A blogger needs to step up to the plate. Who care about computer tech questions? Most of us don’t care one bit about it yet you waste so much time and effort on it.
While your liberals friends walk all over this God forsaken blog. It’s time you gave it up and hung up your keyboard. It’s time for you to take up a new hobby, this one has bitten the dust. You have turned it into a liberal haven. I have stopped commenting here long ago but I just wanted to say what I had to say and get it off of my chest.. Good bye.

I am so damn tired of hearing about you patting yourself on your own back, And your dirty filth mouth is no longer cute.

Anonymous said...

Take the hint and take me off of your blogroll. I don’t wish to be listed ( associated ) with your liberal or should I say (Progressive) friends.

Hear Me Good said...

Deleting spam or advertisements is one thing I can understand, but you're not actually deleting any commentary that way, and your censorship isn't that of your fellow readers and writers, but rather that of a spam-bot or ad company.

But I’m speak of deleting relevant comments that people post and that YOU feel is not referent to YOUR topic I think that’s bull shit. You did it to me more than once and I stopped posting here and I will never post here again after this post.
The other commenter who said “It’s time to hang up your keyboard” was correct. You are no longer referent.

Toad734 said...

Glad to see you have so many friends.

Umm, just in his defense, Patrick is in no way a liberal...not that that's a good thing but if by "liberal" you mean someone who reads and actually thinks for himself instead of just running to see what Hannity tells him to think, or someone who realizes that Bush was a bad president who was in no way a small government conservative...then ya, maybe you are right.

Miz Nancy said...

I was checking back to see if you were still here and I was disappointed to see that you were.. Why not delete the whole blog? No one but those 4 turds truth101, Tao, Shaw and the Hare Krishna Nut case bother to post here anyway!

Shaw Kenawe said...

Patrick,

Count me in as someone who expects you to continue with your blog. We don't agree on very much, but that doesn't mean we can't have a back and forth without demonizing each other.

Apparently that annoys some of the commenters [trolls] here--Anonymous, for example.

Keep blogging and people will continue to read and comment.

Ignore the trolls. They are too stupid to give a second thought to. Don't waste your precious time with such trash. Trash like this:

We conservatives are really are a people of God, we might have to start acting that way, if we are going to get anywhere.

If that doesn't sound like something the crazy Talibanic nutjobs would write, I don't know what does. I fell off my chair laughing when I read it. These people are soooooooooooooooo un-self-aware, it's comedy gold!

Anonymous continues with this garbled non-sequiter: "The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they are ignorant, ... and this is the specter our well-meaning liberal friends refuse to face.

If this is the best of your critics, then I would say you have absolutely NOTHING to worry about. You'll be just fine.

Anonymous [or could it be BETH????]:

"If Obama gets his original health care proposal, look for legalized abortions to skyrocket in America. Look for Pro-choice forces across the country to mobilize public opinion so that this terrible pay for abortions all over the world law will eventually pass. And thousands - perhaps millions - of babies that could have been born to be destroyed."

As I said, if this is the best they can throw at you, you'll be fine.

Anonymous said...

I think that you are utterly ignorant of facts. you are making up lies about late term abortion, so of course I assume you're lying about being conservative as well. .

Wjy all of a sudden the self pity? What are you so defensive about?
You are the worst kind of anti-choicer because you are so dishonest.
Your missive reeks with the worst kind of hypocrisy.
Nothing you have written is believable, including the claim you don't condone Tiller's murder.
Sounds more like you are thrilled. To have these people that you say you disagree with here on your blog to stroke you.
And those pictured on the blog below are the most disgusting thing ever. Goes to show that you are a pervert not a conservative.

Take the advice from the Queen Asshat above you deserve each other.

Pamela Zydel said...

Patrick: You said, So I’m certainly an asshat for being who I am. I must disagree with you on that assessment! You would be an asshat, Patrick, for NOT being who you are! It’s MOST important to be TRUE to yourself!

It doesn’t matter what trolls, like the anonymous ones here have proven, say. They aren’t your friends if they are willing to turn their back on you. A friend is someone who stands by you NO MATTER WHAT. These trolls are angry, bitter people who can’t even divulge their real identities when telling you their opinions--the cowards.

I like your blog, Patrick, although I don’t comment as often as I should. I will be honest and tell you that I don’t care for the profanity but it won’t stop me from reading your blog as I also read another blog where the author sometimes uses profanity to get his point across. I’m an adult therefore I can handle it and I just bypass that “stuff” and pay attention to the relevant facts.

I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but I deal with some on the Right who think I shouldn’t allow Liberals on my blog and I shouldn’t be blogging on Liberal sites. Some have even tried intimidating me by “banning” my blog and threatening to “spread the word” about me. They refuse to understand that I like opposing views and continue to harangue me about the issue. My advice to you will be the same advice I have given myself: Do what YOU feel is right and ignore those who CLAIM to be on your side because you will find out soon enough who is truly in your corner and who is not.

A WISE MAN said...

MY ADVICE TO YOU IS TO PUT LESS SUGAR IN YOUR LATTE
AND NOT TO QUIT YOUR DAY JOB.

Beth said...

I just ignore comments that attack the messenger and not the message, knowing that when they resort to personal attacks, it means you are striking a nerve, and they have no real come back against your words.

So, I agree with the comments that say: keep up the good work!

Shaw Kenawe said...

As I said, Patrick, if this is what your critics sound like:

ANONYMOUS @Take the advice from the Queen Asshat above you deserve each other.
February 1, 2010 5:48 PM


you've nothing to worry about. Notice how the Anonymous troll attacks me, and as Pam points out, hides behind an "Anonymous" ID. Essentially these sort of trolls are unhappy little cowards. Why spend a nanosecond of your time caring about the trash they post here.

Keep on blogging! We've got your back.

Pamela Zydel said...

Anonymous said...

Take the hint and take me off of your blogroll. I don’t wish to be listed ( associated ) with your liberal or should I say (Progressive) friends.

February 1, 2010 4:00 PM


Patrick: That comment is priceless! Anonymous wants you to take him/her off your blogroll, yet he/she is ANONYMOUS! How are you to take him/her off your blogroll if you don’t know who the heck it is? Just goes to show that not only do you NEED to DELETE these cowardly trolls but ignore their silly rants while you are hitting that handy-dandy little button!

Anonymous said...

Shaw Kenawe is a fine one to give advice to anyone!

Shaw Kenawe said...

Thank you, Anonymous. I appreciate that you think I am a fine enough person to give advice.

*Mwah*

BB-Idaho said...

Sorry I'm late. Got hung up on the state puzzles you linked. How did Rhode Island get there? Interesting blog, and that is as controversial as I can get....