Yes I have HR'ed diary Tip Jars and comments that I shouldn't have. And yes people have HR'ed my comments and diaries. I am not a saint. But, I have learned. I learned that HR abuse harms us all.
Yes there are comments that deserve to be HR'ed. In my opinion they are very very few. There are even a few diaries that deserve their Tip Jar HR'ed. I haven't run into one of those ever, though I have done it and was roundly and rightly criticized by other users for doing so. I have learned.
So what prompts this. Well I read a diary titled Only Fools Listen to the Anti-Obama Crowd. The diary's Tip Jar as of this writing has 102 tips and 22 hide ratings. The diary is also on the recommended list.
I disagree deeply with parts of the diary. I have neither recommended or tipped the diary, nor do I think the diary deserves to be on the recommended list. Yet 22 people hide rated the Tip Jar.
Yes some may be offended by parts of the diary and the title Only Fools Listen to the Anti-Obama Crowd. You shouldn't be. Nothing was directed at a particular person or even a small group of people. Some may consider me a part of the "Anti-Obama" crowd because I do soundly criticize the President, particularly on economics, war, and torture. But, I do not believe the author is calling me personally a fool. The author is calling for patience.
Yes, I wish the author did not refer to "left wing crazies." I might be considered a member of that group. But so what? I am not being attacked personally. The diary does not even attack an individual diary. So why the hide ratings? In my opinion there simply is no good reason.
I almost always find hide ratings offensive. I hate the "Mojo Friday" diaries, but I do not hide rate them. Disagreeing and hating something just are not good reasons to hide rate.
So I ask everyone, please think before hide rating and only hide rate truly offensive as in racist, sexist, personal attacks, . . . comments and diary Tip Jars.
Thank you