This is my baggage.
So, up front. This is my baggage. This is my perspective on the world. It affects how I respond to a LOT of things; I'm sharing this because I think it might explain my views and, more importantly, my reactions. (Excuse 'em? No. That's on me.)
I am certainly not suggesting that my perspective is "the only thing that's right". It's not right, it's just my perspective.
So basically this (forgive the liberal use of "you" here -- I'm very likely not talking about specific-you, I'm talking about the generic-you):
- I don't want to hear about stuff someone doesn't like. That's negativity. At best, it's a hate-amplifier ("Yeah, I hate that too!"). At worst, it's outright joycrapping: smearing your poop over the stuff other people like. That's only going to make them upset (it certainly makes me upset).
- Corollary to the above: On the internet, debate about something falling under the above scenario doesn't exist. On the internet, debate is made of two separate things that happen to have been knotted together: negativity and discussion. Those are two separate things. The discussion might be all for the good, but the negativity will guarantee I won't find it tolerable. The only time I really find myself able to handle debate of any kind is in person, and even then I find the adrenaline surging and the anger ready to let rip.
- Second corollary: Exceptions exist, usually solely on the basis of being able to add something positive to the expression of dislike that raises its net value above the zero line. Yahtzee's video game reviews are a good example of expressing dislike in a way that is raucously funny -- that's a net positive. Entertainment's not the only way to do it, but it is oriented on making the audience happy, which is a damned good idea. But if not entertainment, the other way to go is constructiveness. Dislike something? Fine -- propose solutions; suggest ways to overcome the situation. (Your solutions might not make the audience happy, though. My money, then, is usually on entertainment, though that carries the risk that you might not actually be entertaining people.)
I don't necessarily like that I'm built this way. But it's how I'm built, and it's a strong (and sometimes relentless) shaper of my behavior online.
It's why I've pretty much given up on regular participation on any forum.
It's why, as much as I'd like to make a habit of doing television and movie reviews, I know I shouldn't -- because someone's gonna talk about how they didn't like it, and my stupid frickin' lizard brain is going to respond to them like a mama bear defending her cubs. Not a good scene.
And it's why I charge like an angry bull at (frankly, far too many) proclamations of dislike about things I like. I hate that part of my wiring, and I've been spending the past decade trying to get better at recognizing the fact that something is a red flag getting waved in my face before my adrenal system takes over and insists on lizard brain responses.
So. I'm interested in getting my mitts around some joy today. I'm interested in knowing what folks like. I'm interested in knowing what excites them. I've got a lot of that stuff in my life, and it's so much more rewarding to focus on that, and feel the connection with people who share some of the glee in that.
I'm excited about my wife being eight months pregnant. I'm excited that I'm gonna get to have a daughter who doesn't have to beg her parents to get a relentlessly purple bedroom.
I'm excited about doing regular art direction and layout for Hero Games. When I was 18 years old, I knew I wanted to do desktop publishing stuff. Then I went to college and promptly lost sight of it. In the final couple years of my undergrad phase I sort of remembered it, but the hurdles necessary to pursue that at the University of Florida were sort of ridiculous (get a Journalism degree, really?) and so that petered out. It took near on 10 years after that point to really reconnect with it as something core to the idea of jobs that make me happy. I'm ridiculously happy to be putting books together for a living (or at least, for money -- a living's hard to come by in the hobby industry).
I'm excited by how far ahead the Dresden Files RPG has managed to get in the last 6 months. Compared to every 6 month timeslice prior to this one, I think this has been the most productive -- both for my involvement, and the team of really great people I've incrementally assembled for it. (Give my buddy Ryan Macklin some love for adding his magic to the mix. We didn't know it at the time but he's really proven to be the missing piece.)
I'm excited to be working with Chris Hanrahan on rebooting That's How We Roll. But more on that when it happens.
What are YOU excited about? What's your joy?
Tell me.
(Comments that contain dislike will be screened or outright deleted. Should go without sayin', yo.)
I am certainly not suggesting that my perspective is "the only thing that's right". It's not right, it's just my perspective.
So basically this (forgive the liberal use of "you" here -- I'm very likely not talking about specific-you, I'm talking about the generic-you):
- I don't want to hear about stuff someone doesn't like. That's negativity. At best, it's a hate-amplifier ("Yeah, I hate that too!"). At worst, it's outright joycrapping: smearing your poop over the stuff other people like. That's only going to make them upset (it certainly makes me upset).
- Corollary to the above: On the internet, debate about something falling under the above scenario doesn't exist. On the internet, debate is made of two separate things that happen to have been knotted together: negativity and discussion. Those are two separate things. The discussion might be all for the good, but the negativity will guarantee I won't find it tolerable. The only time I really find myself able to handle debate of any kind is in person, and even then I find the adrenaline surging and the anger ready to let rip.
- Second corollary: Exceptions exist, usually solely on the basis of being able to add something positive to the expression of dislike that raises its net value above the zero line. Yahtzee's video game reviews are a good example of expressing dislike in a way that is raucously funny -- that's a net positive. Entertainment's not the only way to do it, but it is oriented on making the audience happy, which is a damned good idea. But if not entertainment, the other way to go is constructiveness. Dislike something? Fine -- propose solutions; suggest ways to overcome the situation. (Your solutions might not make the audience happy, though. My money, then, is usually on entertainment, though that carries the risk that you might not actually be entertaining people.)
I don't necessarily like that I'm built this way. But it's how I'm built, and it's a strong (and sometimes relentless) shaper of my behavior online.
It's why I've pretty much given up on regular participation on any forum.
It's why, as much as I'd like to make a habit of doing television and movie reviews, I know I shouldn't -- because someone's gonna talk about how they didn't like it, and my stupid frickin' lizard brain is going to respond to them like a mama bear defending her cubs. Not a good scene.
And it's why I charge like an angry bull at (frankly, far too many) proclamations of dislike about things I like. I hate that part of my wiring, and I've been spending the past decade trying to get better at recognizing the fact that something is a red flag getting waved in my face before my adrenal system takes over and insists on lizard brain responses.
So. I'm interested in getting my mitts around some joy today. I'm interested in knowing what folks like. I'm interested in knowing what excites them. I've got a lot of that stuff in my life, and it's so much more rewarding to focus on that, and feel the connection with people who share some of the glee in that.
I'm excited about my wife being eight months pregnant. I'm excited that I'm gonna get to have a daughter who doesn't have to beg her parents to get a relentlessly purple bedroom.
I'm excited about doing regular art direction and layout for Hero Games. When I was 18 years old, I knew I wanted to do desktop publishing stuff. Then I went to college and promptly lost sight of it. In the final couple years of my undergrad phase I sort of remembered it, but the hurdles necessary to pursue that at the University of Florida were sort of ridiculous (get a Journalism degree, really?) and so that petered out. It took near on 10 years after that point to really reconnect with it as something core to the idea of jobs that make me happy. I'm ridiculously happy to be putting books together for a living (or at least, for money -- a living's hard to come by in the hobby industry).
I'm excited by how far ahead the Dresden Files RPG has managed to get in the last 6 months. Compared to every 6 month timeslice prior to this one, I think this has been the most productive -- both for my involvement, and the team of really great people I've incrementally assembled for it. (Give my buddy Ryan Macklin some love for adding his magic to the mix. We didn't know it at the time but he's really proven to be the missing piece.)
I'm excited to be working with Chris Hanrahan on rebooting That's How We Roll. But more on that when it happens.
What are YOU excited about? What's your joy?
Tell me.
(Comments that contain dislike will be screened or outright deleted. Should go without sayin', yo.)