Blogs that accept comments are meant to be slow-motion conversations, sometimes, slow-motion debates, sometimes, slow-motion arguments. Some blogs make it quite clear that they have no interest in contrary views; they tend to be arguments among the already convinced. The Daily Kos would be one such blog; those on the left would suggest Little Green Footballs is the same. I suspect many blogs, even those that have a very particular point of view, are open to discussions. My Blog fairly consistently takes a conservative outlook (which I maintain is traditionally liberal) and on the BIG questions, war and peace, I generally agree with those who are characterized as Neocons. However, especially since I see the current era as being one which rewards the most pessimistic points of view, I welcome comments from those who try to convince me I am wrong. Recently, I have given some thought to the different types of comments I receive and what the comments reflect in the Commenters.
Passover is coming up this week and within the story are some useful concepts that can be applied to Blog commenting.
At Passover, Jews around the world gather for a Seder in which the story of the Exodus is told to the children. The point is made, throughout, that our current freedom stems from our forefather's escape from slavery. We personally thank God as if he freed us today, not just our ancestors thousands of years ago. The story is meant to be alive and applicable today; many have adopted as a relatively new tradition the inclusion of stories and thoughts of other people caught in slavery and oppression who seek freedom. We may speak of Christians being persecuted in Nigeria, or Black Africans being slaughtered in Darfur, or Jews being attacked in Europe with a renewal of traditional European anti-Semitism in new guises, and offer our prayers for their deliverance from evil oppression.
In the Passover Haggadah, which tells the story of the Jewish exodus from bondage in Egypt, there is a passage based on the Torah which describes four types of children:
"one who is wise, and one who is wicked, one who is simple, and one who does not know how to ask."
I think this offers an interesting model for a taxonomy of Blog Commenters, so without further ado, here is SW's proposed Taxonomy of Blog Commenters:
The Commenter who does not know how to ask
Typically, these people don't comment. They often feel they don't know enough about a subject to comment and prefer to be silent rather than seem naive. One of the goals of a good blog should be to slowly turn these people into:
The Simple Commenter
The simple commenter is always welcome if they follow the ethical guidelines. I have been blogging for over a year and many of my arguments have been addressed in detail in earlier posts, which I sometimes alludes to and link to, but often see as a baseline assumption. For example, if you are new to my blog and honestly do not think the MSM is biased, please don't ask me to document such bias. I have done some of that myself, many others have blogs specifically devoted to the subject, and as with any discussion, when you walk into the middle of an argument, it pays to wait a while until you get a sense of the basis and path of the argument before wadding in. That being said, on many matters, a naive or pseudo-naive question if done respectfully, usually gets a reasonable answer from me or those who I hope you someday turn into:
The Wise Commenter
These are people who accept that even when we have disagreements, even significant disagreements, we all have a shared set of values which includes our freedom from bondage (of all kinds) and that the goal of comments (as well as the bloggers they read) is to find ways to maximize our freedoms while maintaining our responsibility to support the conditions that allow those freedoms to flourish. Certainly we are discussing extremely important issues that raise passions and can become short tempered with those who question our obvious wisdom. [Two important points: Generally speaking, our annoyance and anger rise in direction proportion to our difficulty in making our case. And all too often comments meant to be humorous are not always read that way by everyone.] This is why a code of ethical commenting is often necessary. On this blog I discourage ad hominem arguments and profanity (which represents a failure of language). The key point is that if a commenter takes issue with a post and they do it in a respectful way, it is welcome; if they not only take issue, are respectful, and offer a good supporting argument, their comments are especially welcome. The best comments from those who agree with my position are those which include some new insight or offer ways to sharpen my arguments; those who usually disagree but have found a place where I have taken my argument too far or become blinded by my own emotional investment in my points are also very helpful (though it may take a while for my initial shock and irritation to wear off enough to allow me to see where I was wrong and you were right.)
Remember: Friends don't let Bloggers Blog drunk (on their own ideas.)
While I welcome the Wise Commenter, there is an inherent problem with them. They often have such good things to say that before long they start their own blogs and their comments decrease precipitously; then we lose their input here and have to add another new blog to the blog roll which becomes an exponential process; but I digress. Finally, there are those who do not see themselves as sharing a common set of values with me:
The Wicked Commenter
Obvious trolls are not the problem here; the problem is those who comment, often seeming wise, but with a hidden agenda which does not aim to advance the discussion but rather to side track and derail the discussion. It is not often possible to tell the difference initially; furthermore, if you treat a Wise Commenter as if he is a Wicked Commenter, you can easily turn him into a Wicked Commenter and lose a reader who might be very helpful and have a lot to add. This is the trickiest part of the Blogger-Commenter interaction. The best approach for the Blogger and his Commenters in these cases is to treat the Commenter as if he is making a Wise Comment. Allow the Commenter to join in the discussion. Even when no resolution takes place, Wise Commenters can often draw in the potentially Wicked Commenter and co-opt him into becoming a Wise Commenter. Thus, another mind can be engaged, and all of us benefit.
It is primarily through the engagement in an open marketplace of ideas that we will be best able to approach the most rational understanding of the world; it is in all of our best interests to create, find, and engage Wise Commenters of all persuasions. It also behooves us to recognize the few Wicked Commenters whose purpose is to destroy rational discourse rather than wrestle with difficult ideas and disagreements.
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