Anonymous Comments

A month or so ago, I posted in this blog that I welcome any comments, and that I would moderate these comments so as to guard against spam. I also stated that I wouldn’t accept comments that were ad hominem in nature or abusive.

After this morning’s post, I received the following comment from “Anonymous”:

“Chris

I would kindly point out to tread lightly on calling others out. There is much within these blogs that would endure much the same ridicule on the jobsite. 112 days to build a deck, come on dude, that is nothing but self gratifying arrogance. There is no intrinsic beauty to your methods, nor honesty in your work. Maybe you should reread the works of David Pye and Soetsu Yanagi. One should be careful as to what they spew on the internet. “

I thought a while about whether to publish this or not, and how to address it. It was upsetting to read. I will decline to comment on the subject matter of the piece by Anonymous, other than to note that something I wrote in my previous post clearly pushed a button.

I realize that I have some strong opinions about various matters, and I try to explain my justifications for those reasons in my writing – in fact I take pains to do so. I am not the oracle of truth, simply another guy with an opinion. I do make criticisms of various things, of various people, but I won’t make personal attacks on another’s character or their intrinsic being. It’s not my intention to hurt anyone. However, since I choose to voice my opinions, it is inevitable that some readers will object to things I say, and some may become upset, as evidenced by the above comment.

Still, I welcome all comments, critical or otherwise, so long as they stick to discussing issues and not sink to ad hominem or abuse. I now add a further condition: I will only post comments by people who are willing, as I am, to put their real name behind their words.