I recently asked for help on DK – something that was difficult to do. And the community responded with amazing support and warmth. (I don't cry often. But I did when people reacted with such grace to a plea for help I made after speaking with a potential publisher for my book).
Today, I found myself being defamed for asking for help. And I'm not going to lie – it hurts. It hurts to be cast as a beggar and a manipulator after asking for help. It hurts to be cast as a propagandist writing here at DK for purely selfish and self-serving purposes after asking for help.
And while I've REALLY been working on developing a thicker skin, this defamation, this attack on my character and credibility warrants a defense on my part. Or at least a response.
Let me explain...
Several weeks ago, I asked for Twitter followers after receiving a call from a publisher who (declining the book) suggested I build up a quantifiable platform to better my chances.
So I did. And doing so was difficult.
I have now found that there are some here who are hell-bent on attacking my character and destroying my credibility by claiming that my writing at DK has one goal: to acquire more Twitter followers. That my writing here is for one thing: to increase chances of having a book published. That my writing here is intentionally dishonest, intentionally manipulate, and willful propaganda that is nothing more than a trick tacked on to my original begging.
I don't even know where to begin. I write here (those of you who know me likely do so for my I/P diaries) because I care deeply about the issues. I care deeply about using the power of language to translate and transmit material with an eye toward compromise and conflict resolution. I do so from an admittedly leftist perspective, but I do so honestly and passionately.
My writing here is not veiled begging. My writing here is not propaganda. I'm not some scheming manipulator.
I'm a community member who has found a home for my writing at Daily Kos, who has found it to be an important and powerful place in which to engage in dialogue about the ideas and information that is important to me.
I ask, publicly because of the public nature of the defamation, that those who don't agree with the content of my diaries engage me on issues of content. I thrive on differing opinions. I embrace such an environment.
And I ask this of all of us: if we disagree with a diarist's position, please don't try and tear down that diarist's character and credibility as a means of attack. Real people are behind the screen names here. It hurts. Just disagree with the content.
Please.
Author's Note 1: There's no need to recommend this diary! This is meant for the wider community to read and acknowledge, but it's not newsworthy or an important issue we should dwell on. This is simply a defense on my part, and a call for us to engage with more civility. Thanks.
Author's Note 2: I've just come back online, and see a lot of you didn't take my advice. There really was no need to recommend this, though my heartfelt thanks for those of you who were eager to support me and offered kind words. What I wrote, I wrote in the heat of the moment, and I truly appreciate how amazing most of you are. I've only skimmed the comments (on my way to make dinner for the family) and see that there were more accusations made against me. I'm just going to take the advice many offered and simply let it go.
