Especially people who leave comments on YouTube. This is why I only rarely put a direct link to YouTube. If a video can be put up here, that’s where it will go. I just prefer to have you listen to something I like or find interesting without having to even take a glance at the comments below the video, which is what you’ll find if you go to the YouTube site. Emily blogs about a few mean comments. I mean really … do people find some sort of joy in being so horrible?
And the final one: 1. “My teacher says you’re a hack.” … well … shame on that teacher. We are examples to our students. We should never call another musician a “hack”. We can say we don’t care for someone’s playing and explain why. But name calling? I would suggests teachers who do that might consider doing something else. I find it unprofessional. (But now I’m calling that unknown teacher unprofessional so … uh-oh … does that make me unprofessional?! Hmm.)
I refuse to write mean things. I refuse to say anything at all on YouTube unless it’s positive.
The other day I found a lot of videos by a rather young oboe player. They weren’t exceptional. They were just the sounds of your typical beginning oboist. I love the sound, only because that is the way we all start and I get a kick out of that raw squawking we make. Because the oboist was young and raw, though, I decided not to post it here. I am thinking that anyone who reads this blog wouldn’t be unkind, but I still worried. I also didn’t want the young player to think that I was making fun of him.
We were all beginners once.
And hey, Emily … I just say BOO HISS to those mean people. So there.
The old adage: IF you can’t say something nice don’t say anything at all.
I’m sorry for the bad comments. All I can think is some very sad people need to tear others down in order to justify their own sad state.
pppbffftttt to those sad people!
Have you ever gone on YouTube and read some of the very nasty comments. I’m always amazed. People can be so darn cruel when there are no consequences.
And yes, my mom taught me the “If you can’t say anything nice …”.
Sadly I sometimes forget that on my own little blog (or Facebook or Google+). Makes me angry with myself when I do.
Your post brings up a very interesting point about comments in general.
I’ve noticed that nasty comments are most prevalent in news stories and YouTube; something about the very public nature of these forums encourages people without grace, tact or education to post their narrowminded views.
Take the articles in every online “newspaper” about orchestras’ problems as an example. People leave all sorts of negative comments. If one were to believe these folks, symphony orchestras would not exist at all.
I once participated in a music-sharing site where most people raked my music compositions over the coals, when obviously they were not musically educated. The more informed ones seemed to have more musical knowledge, and were therefore more constructive in their critiques.
But most of the comments were downright mean-spirited, so I quit the site.
Blogs usually have more of a personal component because of connections with like-minded people, as well as the blog author being able to filter comments. They seem to be more positive, while the more public forums can attract negative postings.
It is altogether too easy to avoid taking responsibility for what one writes on the Internet, because it is not a face-to-face interaction.
Maybe it’s time for someone like Emily Post to publish a book on “Netiquette”! It is badly needed, wouldn’t you say?
Yep, Cameron, a book would be good … but would the mean spirited folk read it? I’m guessing not.
I am really horrified when I read comments people write via the Mercury News. When someone has had a car accident and died people can write the most horrendous things. I wish the Merc DID do a bit of filtering. Some things are just not worth seeing in print.
I especially dislike the anonymous unkind poster. How easy it is to say mean things when one can then run and hide. Sigh.
Thankfully I have only rarely had a mean comment here, and some were aimed at me when I deserved them! If I post something hurtful, I deserve to be called on the carpet! (Of course maybe those comments shouldn’t even be called mean … they were just honest!)