Two days ago I posted a diary about private health care and how I became a member in that institution. When describing my personal experience I used words that created a startling negative reaction. By negative reaction, I mean I received 40 negative recommendations. Those negative votes were based on just two words I used to describe my past experience.
Those two words were used because they were in my past experience. They were part of my past and part of the reason behind the choices I made in the past. In my mind, what those words represented, was of vital importance in the decision process leading to the conclusion I was attempting to support.
The words I used were true words. They were used by many people and many people directed them at me. Even though I desired to be indirect in their implication toward me, I thought I gave plenty of hints to the contrary.
I was taken completely by surprise when those two words, meant to add depth and meaning to my story, became the story itself.
There have been so many times that I have had to protect the truth from the corruption of lies. There have been so many times when I wanted to just give in to those lies because defending the truth is exhausting. But I have to say I've never before seen the level of inaccurate assessment, false judgement and misplaced animosity from Daily Kos participants as I have today. Yes, I was the recipient of these accusations and it may appear as if I'm defending myself, but I'm not. I'm defending anyone and everyone who receives such treatment.
The reaction my words elicited were nearly universal in their negativity, absolute in their condemnation and unwavering in their judgement.
I now understand how Shirley Sherrod, Valerie Plame, Barrack Obama, Treyvon Martin and others feel being the recipients of false judgements. It doesn't feel good at all.
There's really nothing else I can add. I haven't bowed to the demands to change my words and I will not. I cannot.
I apologize to those who were hurt because of my words, but I won't apologize for my words. My words were not meant to inflict pain on anyone. They were meant to explain pain.
Now I'm debating on whether to post this diary. All of a sudden I am concerned that this diary will be taken out of context and judged to be arrogant or conceited. I've never had that fear before.
If there's any lesson to learn from this experience I guess it would be that negative campaigning really does work. Distrust preempts trust, regardless of political leaning.
And that is a sad truth.
