Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Holy Tuesday

Clergy renewal of ordination vows, preceded by a stations walk from the cathedral to the capital building.

On such a holy day, I deleted yet another creepy "anonymous" comment from the previous post. I wonder what it's like inside the head of the trolls on the internet who troll for blog posts on which they can leave demeaning screeds. If it takes time for you to see your comment on a blog post, it is due to these people for whom I feel terribly sorry because they are so full of anger, and I have to preview all comments in order to filter them out and leave them voiceless because their comments are creepy. Sadly, while I protect readers from them, I'm assaulted by their hit-and-run maneuvers while I am determining their comment must be deleted. And I'm sure the trolls are well pleased that I feel assaulted by their words. That's their whole point.

It's not true that, while sticks and stones may break my bones, words can never hurt me. I learned that when I was a child. It's a lie.

Today we pray in opposition to the death penalty as we walk the stations of the cross through the streets of the capital city of this state. While I'm walking I shall remember the web trolls and whatever it is in them that compels them. I pray Peace for them, for you, Anonymous, that you may stop needing to leave scary comments on blogs all over the world. God's Peace.

2 comments:

MadPriest said...

I think it must be primarily about loneliness. If you could make friends in a normal way and interact with people normally then you wouldn't spend your time leaving anonymous comments on the blogs of people you do not know. You would, instead, be conversing with your friends, like most people do. Being unable to make and maintain friendships in the world and on the net, trolls do what they do as it is at least some form of contact with other people, albeit a perversion of natural interaction. All this makes me more sad than mad.

Lois Keen said...

Thanks, MP. I'm sure you're right, and all that loneliness makes them angry. So I do feel sorry for them.