"Political Correctness" isn't just about politics.

Fuck! This is the third time I've tried to write this post today. The first time, I accidentally pulled the power cord on my laptop. The second time I accidentally closed the browser. I guess that'll give me the chance to state what I need to in exactly the words I need, huh?

I'm not a very opinionated person (shock! awe!). I can be downright ambivalent when it comes to many topics that most people see as black or white. It may take me years to take a stance on an issue. For example, at the begining of my pregnancy I knew I had a few choices concerning how I would feed my kid. I knew there were some very staunch supporters of breastfeeding whose all-or-nothing approach turned me off. I also knew that in the professional environment I was working in at the time, maintaining a breastfeeding/pumping schedule would be almost impossible to maintain. I held off on making a decision because I didn't feel like I had enough information relevant to me. I even appealed to my readers for their opinions. It wasn't until a month ago that I made a decision.

Frankly, I'd rather have no opinion at all than to be unwilling to listen to the other side of a debate and to flame my opponents.

Why would I even bring this up? Well, here's the thing. I normally avoid participating in boards and forums because far too often, as is the case when people try to interpret written word, people become irrational and can't walk away from a debate. Even if I have no clearcut opinion, I am far too often offended by the behavior people exhibit in these forums. They're quick to take offense and to retaliate by in turn offending entire groups of people who aren't even involved in the discussion. Everything is a reason for division.

Normally, after lurking for a sufficient amount of time to determine if a board is something I want to post on, I leave it be. A couple of months ago I did become a member of one particular local group thinking that since so many of these women meet in person regularly that they must certainly be more tolerant of each other online.

Not so. In fact, in the past week the negative posts have skyrocketed. One person will state that certain people are intolerant and want to squash the expression of their beliefs. The other side will retaliate by saying that it wasn't their intention to surpress anyone's beliefs, but at the same time they didn't want to be forced to particpate in what they do not believe.

And yada yada yada. The fact of the matter is that there are certain ways to communicate that are respectful. (Someone actually brought that up and another person promptly replied with an eye roll smiley.) Did I forget to mention that these are all adults with children?

As of today, I'm sufficently enraged that I'm asking the moderators to delete my profile and telling them why. Actually, I just clicked "send" on the email two seconds ago. I would share the contents of my message, but I've pretty much already stated it here.

Perhaps I'm just oversensitive, and that may be true, but in this instance keeping my blood pressure low is the most important item on my agenda. If I miss out on networking with a few people who could be good real-life friends later, so be it. If my kid misses out on some play dates, oh well.

Perhaps tomorrow if I'm still looking for something to distract me from the fact that I'm still pregnant I'll tell you my opinion on Stepford-like Mommies.

Posted by Tiffany at November 17, 2006 11:47 PM | TrackBack