Many of you know that I’ve become involved in an online organization of writers from everywhere. Mostly, it’s people like you and me who just enjoy writing. At this site, whatever story, article, essay or debate you write is rated by all the other people who have joined this community of writers. Everyone gets to rate everyone else’s writings. I’m new at this, and only joined because I was cruising around to see what was offered for publishing one’s own work.
So, I’ve found Helium.com (no longer what it used to be) to be an excellent place to write about whatever I know something about. Mostly I’m having a ball. I just snoop around, pick a subject and start writing. Once I’ve checked it for errors, I submit it, at which time I am snapped into a place where I get to rate other people’s work while mine is being rated by others. This is fun!
I started noticing that I was getting pretty good at this when I received my very first ratings. I was just honored! I hadn’t gotten a gold star since the third grade. What elation! I was just on cloud nine. I started writing more and more and would click into the site to check my rating. Egad! I was rating in the top one quarter of most everything I wrote! Conceit was looming.
Last week, while checking my ratings, I noticed that my most current article was rated #1 of 26. Well, there went my ego, right through the roof. Oh! But there’s more! I had a blue star for writing. Well, this spurred me on to write again. I was so excited I could hardly contain myself, and soon I was snooping around for a subject too write about.
And there it was. A debate. Well, I’ve never been very competitive, with the exception of trying to secure more floor in family yack-a-thons. So, I wondered if I could pull this one off. The debate was Should Smokers Bear the Responsibility for Health Risks of Cigarette Smoking? Of course, there was a YES or a NO vote. Clicked on the NO vote, and a blank page popped up for me to begin writing. It didn’t take me long, and when I finished and checked it for errors, I submitted.
Of course, I was checking in and out of Helium to see what my rating was. There weren’t very many submissions yet, but I was #2 of 4 for the NO side of the debate. Not too bad. I decided to check my e-mail before going about my usual chores around the house. I’d check ratings again later.
What a nice surprise! I had an e-mail from one of the other writers. She had placed just one point under me in the ratings. Her note was very pleasant and flattering. Oh! I liked her immediately. I wrote her back and told her thanks very much for the kind and flattering words. And that I liked her article too.
BUT WAIT!!!!!! There was another e-mail from yet another member of Helium. Gosh! I’ll be getting flowers and speaking engagements next. I clicked into that e-mail and read:
“The government made me do it. The ad campaign made me do. Help! Help! I can't control myself, I'm under the control of a mind bending, death ray and nothing is my fault. You are where you are because you put yourself there. To shirk responsibility is juvenile.” Napoleon
Many of you will be pleased to know that I did NOT address this man as Dear Mr. Hot-Snot! No sireee. I maintained a certain amount of brevity and dignity in my response with:
I'm guessing you don't and never have smoked or had any other vices....ever.
I did choose to smoke, albeit at age 14. I also chose to continue to smoke. Unfortunately, it took something stronger than my urge to smoke to quit.
I'm so glad you're free of any bad habits, or anything socially unacceptable.
I read your article too, and it was fair.
M. Brown
He responded with:
"What's fair? The weather is fair. What did you think?
I've got more than my share of bad habits, but I don't point at other things or people and say that's why I'm bad. Everything I am or will every be begins with me. It's called taking responsitility for my actions. If I make a mistake, I try to correct it. If I cause pain to others, I generally apologize. Of course, I smoked just like most kids raised in the 50's and 60's, but just like I said, I knew then that cigarettes were bad for me, I ignored that and continued to smoke. When it came time to quit, I quit. It's that simple."
Napoleon
I don’t mind saying that I was tiring of this little twerp, so I went back and found his article, which was listed as #4 of 5. As I gazed at it, trying to get through, I noticed that he had a particularly long dissertation with NO paragraphs. And, He’d voted on the wrong side. His story indicated that he most certainly did believe that smokers should bear all of the responsibility for the health risks of cigarette smoking. I also clicked in to “Read more about this author.” The only thing there was his dissertation about Smoking. Bingo! I shot back:
"I think you need to learn how to use paragraphs. It makes it easier to read.
You voted on the wrong side. The question was Should Smokers Bear the Responsibility for the Health Risks of Cigarette Smoking? You voted NO. The way your debate Article read, you really meant to say YES Smokers Should Bear the Responsibility of the Health Risks of Cigarette Smoking.
In my debate Article, I’m not shirking responsibility. I own the mistakes I’ve made, and I know what they are without having to have someone else enumerate them for me.
My statement was (and still is) that No, smokers should not have to bear all of the responsibility. We all know the difference between right and wrong by the time we are 5 years old. However, a person still needs guidance for making decisions until they are more of an adult. People who are responsible for targeting minors for their own gain should shoulder the blame as well.
This is a debate, not a rock throwing contest, nor a contest to get on the Don Rickles Heckling Hour.” M. Brown
I have not heard a peep out of “L.T.” since I shot that last note to him. I do hope he learns to use paragraphs, and I wish him success.
I feel much better for having responded to “L.T.”, but I guess it doesn’t really matter. I wonder if he wrote that little note to other debaters. But again, I guess it doesn’t matter anyway.
I just clicked into Helium. I’m #1 of 8 on the NO side. My day is made!
No comments:
Post a Comment