Stanley Tippett, or why I’ve Privatized Posts

This morning I got an email letting me know that I had a comment on the blog ready to be moderated. I went to read it, and some of the most vitriolic words I’ve read on-line jumped from the screen. Since I published, and subsequently apologized for, a post that compared Stanley Tippett to a movie character with facial deformities, these two posts have driven the highest amount of traffic to this website. It’s something that I’m not particularly proud of—that my adolescent comment about someone is the most popular post—and comments on the post indicate to me that it is polarizing issue. But this is not a blog about Stanley Tippett. I don’t need to host adjective-laden conversations concerning Tippett’s character, or my character for being so foolish to post it originally. So, I’m making these posts private—in effect, deleting them.

But this is the Internet. Making them private does not make them disappear. People with interest and a little know-how can find them. Which is why I’m talking about it and justifying my decision. I’m not making these posts private because of what I wrote. The original post was stupid and a mistake, yes, but I chose to leave it up for over a year precisely for the reason that things just don’t disappear on-line. Deleting the posts could be interpreted as trying to hide what I did or said. The post and the subsequent apology were a learning experience for me. I continue to own my actions.

Now, however, I am no longer interested in the posts becoming a sounding board for anonymous commenters spouting hate. Trolls, be gone.