yes and no

[verbminx]

First - hey paid members, this is for you.

-
Next - I have been thinking tonight of things that I like and do not like on LJ.

I generally like most people I come across. There are good ideas, interesting thoughts, and so on to be seen here. I don't know how to say this without it sounding trite - it's no great revelation.

However, there are things that I notice and either look askance at, or think are just plain...
weird.

One thing that I dislike is snobbery and politicking. This creeps in in a lot of ways... whether it's stuff I've been feeling lately about a former friend cozening up to someone on my friends list (something I really want to stay out of - I like the person involved & don't want to create a political issue out of it), or debating whether to add a controversial figure to mine, or seeing other people fight about silly things... that sort of thing. I think the usual appropriate response is to do nothing in either direction. Throw my hands up in the air and either ignore whatever is going on, or, if I am involved, try to behave like a grownup rather than a junior high school girl. I don't like cliques, cabals, or most cults of personality.

One of my utmost dislikes is the rather posturing debate about what differentiates a "journal" from a "mere diary". Don't try so fucking hard. I'm here because I want to know how your day was, not read your little prefab essay that is supposed to prove how brilliant and talented you are. "jour" is the french word for "day" - both "diary" and "journal" refer to daily records. I like to read people's commentary about things they've watched or seen, and I like to see the occasional photo. I do not like to feel like someone is putting on a show. (I keep people like that off my list, usually... I just can't deal with the pretentions.)

Speaking of prefab - yes, in most cases, it bothers me when I feel that someone has written an entire entry (not fiction or poetry or anything, that's a little different) in a notebook first and then rewritten it to put up here on LJ, usually turning absolutely every sentence into a metaphor. And speaking of metaphor, poetry is not entirely comprised thereof. There has to be an idea behind it... or more often, several. Bad poetry makes my teeth hurt. (especially when i'm the perp.)

I'm really not ragging on anyone in particular... in fact, if you're reading this, it's a pretty safe bet that I'm not referring to you. More just... journals I've stumbled on and run from while choking on my screams, and debates I see either in my friends' comment areas, or referred to in their entries or in the public forums relating to LJ.

This is a good place, and still a very good thing in spite of its problems.

Comments

Re: Just a few

[whorlpool.livejournal.com]

"struggling, in the blanched depths of snow, soaking to our knees, chilblain-bait, we made our weary way through the cruel shooting traffic, though at a light of ruby hue, and to the great warmth and new light of Balthazar's Coffee, verily the caffeine-rich paradise of the entire town. Our server, our helper, hair of golden hue, buxom as the milkmaid she resembled, inquired in honeyed tones as to our desires, and soon, soon, our miserable visages were warmed with the steam of hot, richly-chocolated fruit of the dairy."

If you're going to use my words, you should credit me for it!! lol :)

Oh wow, I'm still laughing. How wonderful.