Thank you Sir, may I have another?

There are so many things running through my mind which I want to write down, it contrasts beautifully with a short while ago when I first began blogging publicly and had to basically write about having nothing to write.
I had a lovely blog forming in my brain but now it is replaced by something making me giddy. My previously horrible day is now marvelous.

Everyone runs into situations where they are faced by something so abrasive to the fiber of their soul that they cannot help but be compelled to action. These can be things like bottled water wasting our natural resources and being an around bad idea (now banned from SRKF) or they can be little things which don't really matter, for example, some being wrong on the internet.

The other day I was on youtube, mainly watching Henry Rollins videos when I came upon a clip, a rant about pseudo-science, whose description made my sensibilities hurt. I read through the whole thing carefully multiple times, saying aloud to myself, "This cannot be, the irony is too perfect." at this point, ladies and gentlemen, the author's ignorance is palpable, leaving a taste like the scent of brakes burning in the back of my mouth. I couldn't resist my compulsion, so I started writing a message.

Understand that from my perspective, the piece of writing had no redeeming qualities; therefore, I had no positive feedback with which to temper the bad. In the past, any time I have put myself in such a discussion, it ends badly, with me coming off too aggressively when in reality I'm just overly blunt. However, this time was different, watching all that Henry Rollins must have paid off because in my message I basically called him a waste of skin in regards to writing but did it in such a way that he thanked me! That has never happened to me before so I feel triumphant, and I blame it on a change in my writing style and the fact that the user seems like a thoroughly reasonable sort.

Rather than doing it my old method which was to walk in and say, "You're wrong, all wrong; here's why..." I tried something new; I tried to open his mouth BEFORE shoving a fist full of opposing data down his throat. So as not to come off as arrogant I opened the message by making clear my status as amateur and then, rather than attaching my arguments to him, ie. "You're wrong." I targeted the writing itself, ie. "It is wrong." I then proceeded to politely tell him what a waste of perfectly good words the piece was and closed by voicing my hope that he can back up what he said, inviting him to change my mind rather than telling him to change his.

In response I was thanked for my message and informed that though he posted it, he did not write it. Therefore, it was a good choice on my part to address the piece itself rather than attaching it to the him. He also said I can expect a rebuttal within the week, giving him time to produce something well thought out. I am looking forward to it.

It's the little things, not fancy cars, which make life happy.

Ben Davies
Silent River Kung Fu
www.silentriverkungfu.com
Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada