Write Something Worth Reading…

I think this is my new mantra.

write something worth reading

Every time I see a disparaging, hateful, hostile, racist, cruel, or combative comment thread on a website that makes me want to scream (which is pretty much all the time), I’m going to think about this saying instead my head. As a reminder to myself that I don’t need to get sucked into the trainwreck. I need to close that browser tab stat and write. Or, just read something better.

There is so much good stuff out there, so much of it that I never get to, and instead I find myself too frequently down the rabbit hole like so many of us, sucked into the darker side of human nature, the pettiness and the awfulness; losing time better spent pretty much anywhere else.

That includes staring at my ceiling.

Here are just a few posts that have made me think this week. Posts that are worth reading. Highly opinionated, passionate, but still thoughtful and respectful. I wish the world worked more that way. Or maybe just the internet.

Anil Dash: If Your Website’s Full of Assholes It’s Your Fault
(h/t Wandering Scientist)

Rebecca Woolf: Boy Culture: On Masks and Eyepatches

Wesley Hall: What I Want You To Know About Being a Young Black Man in America

The Dalai Mama: My Trayvon Martin

Doug French: Of the Girls, By the Girls and For the Girls

Kristen Chase: Perfectionism is Killing Me

Asha Dornfest: Think Your Worklife is Lost On Your Kids? Think Again.

Lisa Endlich Heffernan: Four Most Dreaded Words for a Stay at Home Mom

Kelly Wickham: Calling Out My Sisters

 

 

{26 Comments}

26 thoughts on “Write Something Worth Reading…”

  1. For the first time I was the target of a lot of hate, people who suggested I should never have had children and took very personal shots. It is an aspect of blogging that I do not know how you prepare for.

    1. Oof. I’m sorry. I know that hurts even when it’s the furthest thing from the truth. When I wrote about sleep training, a million years ago, I was told I should have my uterus forcibly removed. Fortunately I have great kids. Not so sure about that crazy person.

      PS that’s awesome. I’m adding it to my links. Great piece.

  2. An excellent mantra indeed! I, too, try hard not to take the bait on certain comment threads, but it’s hard when it feels like not condemning awful statements seems like tacit approval.

    Thank you for the wonderful links. I’ve never been disappointed by your blog reading suggestions and have been led to some amazing writing.

      1. Wow. Amazing stuff. Thank you.

        And you never know where things will lead. I was quite struck by Rebecca’s post about pirates. My kids’ school has a pirate as a mascot and I’ve never liked it. Today I started contacting people in the PTO and Student Governance Council to see if maybe we can have the kids vote on something new. Thanks for the inspiration.

  3. I haven’t written in a few weeks, and it’s because I’ve been *doing*. Thanks for the change in perspective that helped me see the upside of not writing for a bit.

  4. Thank you for the linkup, and for what you said here. It’s on my mind a lot even though most of my attention is offline right now.

  5. At school we talk a lot about setting students up for success…how important it is to create spaces with boundaries for healthy choices…not confining, but safe. Community in every form should do the same. Humans have such capacity toward kindness and generosity…anonymity and mob mentality often breed the opposite. Speaking up and speaking out is so important. What did the (Australian?) army head say about sexual harassment? The standard we walk by is the standard we accept.

  6. Thank you for being a leader in our community. I’m glad to have surrounded myself with people who are the opposite of hateful, hostile and cruel. All I can say to others is, “Go toward the light!” You’ll be so glad you did.

    1. GO TO THE LIGHT CAROL ANN!

      (Sorry that’s what comes to mind first. And thank you Katherine. I think of you the same way.)

  7. I am a big fan of closing the tab. Not finishing that article, not watching til the end of the video. I wouldn’t eat poison, so why should I read something that feels like it? Thanks for shining some light on the brighter corners of the Internet.

  8. The only way to fight darkness is with light. More dark just makes things exactly that: more dark. Thank you for this.

  9. My mantra recently has been, “Don’t Read The Comment Section.”

    I like yours better. I want to be challenged to think, lifted up, or feel a connection to what I read.

  10. Yeah, I’m with Karen… I just don’t read the comments. I’m probably missing out on some good stuff, though. It’s good to have a calming mantra… especially when the media frenzy starts to envelop you.

  11. While googling articles on Trayvon Martin – I came across this website. First of all, great site with interesting articles & comments and I give applause to all the dedicated moms. But secondly, this is the first time I’ve read thru many of the sites dedicated to parenting and it is amazing how sensitive women are over comments. Wowsers! The slightest hint of doing something differently or disagreement and mothers are so offended. I do understand some of the wacko comments mentioned above are way out of line – but I’m speaking to things on a far smaller scale. While no mother is perfect, be confident – you children will adore you for that.

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