The Anchoress

NOTE:::BLOG ADMINISTRATOR IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR COMMENTARY CONTENT:::OPINIONS IN COMMENTS SECTION DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF ADMIN:::

I mentioned a week ago that I had my site debugged and in the process the “moderate comments” thingie got flipped on. For the heck of it, I decided to try it out and I’ve decided I like moderating comments; I get to actually read them all, now.

For the record, I haven’t zapped a comment yet, and I probably won’t be inclined to, unless it’s really offensive or it hijacks the site. In the nearly two years I’ve run the blog I have only ever banned two people, one for going after my faith in a manner that I wasn’t having, and another for calling me the C-word (female version). And he even got reinstated, once he apologized and promised to tidy up his cesspool of a mouth.

I’m no prude and in r/l I’ve been known to speak the sailor’s tongue from time to time, but I do have a couple of “rules” about comments that I’d like to review - don’t worry, like St. Benedict in his Rule, I prescribe “nothing harsh or burdensome.”

1) No referring to Presidents, ex-presidents, or others by disgusting or vulgar nicknames. I don’t do it myself - out of respect for the office, and also because it is simply infantile - and I would prefer it not be done on my site. A simple last name is sufficient. And since we’re all about keeping it civil, if you are civil, you won’t want to defame or slander anyone, anyway.

2) No carrying on about what people look like. I have been accused (by a lefty blogger who has accuracy problems) of having called Hillary Clinton “fat,” which is a lie. I happen to think she is a perfectly attractive woman, and I have said so here - I once even defended her right to show cleavage. I never comment on people’s looks or weight (unless I can do so positively) because there is enough of that in the world, and deriding people for their looks is - again - infantile. I will comment about grooming, though, as in “please wash your freaking hair,” or whatever, and I did once wonder if someone would tell Andrea Mitchell that a soft auburn would work better than blonde with her skintone, but overall, people’s appearances are not fodder for this site. I’d appreciate it if commenters did not refer to other people - even public figures, who are considered “fair game” for a lot of scorn - as “fat pigs” or “bubble-eyed” or whatever, just as I’d rather they didn’t waste their time attacking other commenters. It’s just about being civil and acting like adults. That sort of writing betrays one’s interior noise and adds nothing to one’s argument.

3) I have no problem with hell, damn, balls, cojones, or crap, nor “bitch” when it is used as a verb. Asshat is sometimes an absolutely necessary word in the English language, as is “screw that,” “screw this,” and “Screw me? Hey, screw you!” (I am from New York.) Beyond that, don’t tempt me. If you are inclined to the F-word, “freaking” will do quite nicely, and as stated before, both C-words (male and female) will get you banned until you grovel as you have never grovelled before.

4) No taking the name of the Lord in vain. I don’t care whether He’s your Lord or not, I’d ask you to respect my sensibilities, here. If that offends you, think of compliance with my wishes as being multi-culti tolerant, then it should sit better.

5) I can only think of 4. I told you I was easy! Oh, yeah. Don’t SLANDER anyone (if I recognize something as slander, I’ll delete it) and Don’t use a fake email address. I’m not interested in emailing you, but if you’re going to register with the email address “Die_Anchoress_Die@mail.com” I’m not going to welcome you…I mean, I’m a tolerant sort of gal, but if you’re going to wish death on me or those I love, go do it somewhere else. Also, please try to stick to the topic at hand. I know debates can meander, but when things devolve into unruliness and name-calling, I will close a discussion. I’m just not into that crap.

Happily for me, I have some of the coolest readers in the ’sphere and most of them have never broken a-one of these rules. But I see a few are coming close, so I figured I’d put up the warning, which my kids call “the look.” When they are skating near the edge of my patience or endurance, they will get “the look” from me which means, “control that lip, child, before I pull it over your head…”

Only yesterday I was remarking to Buster that he’d had a pretty easy time of it growing up, that I hadn’t had to do much more than throw him “the look” to keep him in line. He said, “well, that’s because I’m not stupid. The few times you did lose it, it was a little like watching Samuel L. Jackson recite that passage from Ezekiel in Pulp Fiction before blowing holes in people. I never wanted to be on the receiving end of that!”

‘zactly.

UPDATED: I can’t believe I even have to say it, but if anyone openly speculates about the murder of a president or ex-president (or anyone else) by an ex-first lady (or anyone else) I will delete the thing, outright.