Addressing the Haterz
Thank you for coming to my defense against the negative commenters here and on the scholarship site message board with your own comments and supportive e-mails. You all are incredible.
Since this is my blog and I get to have the floor whenever I want to, I want to take just a moment to address my own reaction to these people. I have chosen to ignore them (other than this post), and you all should do the same. Your time is much, much too valuable to waste responding to their vitriol! I have the ability to delete their comments, but thought I’d leave them up for my own and your entertainment.
I knew when I hit the submit button for this contest that I was opening myself up to the possibility of such negativity. I knew when I applied for the scholarship that public voting was a part of it and that it meant that whatever anonymity I had left would probably be stripped away. (I had no idea that your response was going to be as amazing as it has been, however!) I have been reading the blogs of some of the other finalists, and many of them have experienced similar kinds of negativity. That is to be expected, though. After all, there’s a lot of money on the line, and the promise of cash seems to bring out the worst in people sometimes. It’s interesting that it’s not bringing out the worst in the other finalists, though, but instead in other people who are not even in the running for the money.
Please rest assured, however, that these comments don’t bother me at all. There’s too much that’s positive in my life right now for me to find them at all hurtful. I actually think they’re kind of funny and as Mieke said, those commenters get my pity vote as much as anything. To take the time to come to my blog, read some posts (if they even read any of them) and then to leave a comment about the ways in which they think I am undeserving of this scholarship tells me that they definitely have too much time on their hands. How bereft of love and happiness must their lives be that they feel they need to express their opinions about a complete stranger in that way? It’s really sad, truly, and I think they deserve our pity more than anything else.
That said, I’d like to respond briefly to their comments.
Dear robo man, I hope that no one has you tied to a chair in front of a computer screen displaying my blog, forcing you to wade through the “wasteland of uninteresting content” day after day. Short of that, one great thing about living in the United States is that you don’t ever have to subject yourself to my writing. You have a choice, and can avoid reading what you don’t like by not visiting my blog. Just close the screen and move on. Seriously, dude, it’s no skin off my back.
And Chone, sweetheart, I’d like to set the record straight by pointing out the fact that the Blogging Scholarship requirements listed on the CollegeScholarships.org website required applicants to be current students in a post-secondary education program. Whether or not you want it to, law school does indeed fit that description. If the decision-makers thought that my blog was not eligible for the scholarship, they probably would not have chosen me as one of the finalists. In addition, I am not the only graduate student finalist. And although I don’t owe you any explanation, I’d also like to let you know that I am planning to practice public interest law after I graduate. That's not exactly a lucrative area to work in as an attorney. I can predict my eventual income within a few thousand dollars and it will be a mere fraction of that of many of my law school classmates, although my student loan balance will be exactly the same as theirs. It sounds like you might be a little jealous of the supposed earning power of the legal profession, in which case I suggest that you enter it yourself and take advantage of what you see as easy money.
And my dear friends, thanks again for your support and for your wonderful defense of me and my blog. You guys are too cool.
Comments
Good for you, Kim! Those little boys are stupid teenagers with no idea what they are talking about. Once they get out in the real world and see how quickly medical bills can turn into an unescapable tidal wave or how a law degree is often worth less than the paper it's printed on, they will realize they knew nothing. But you can't tell a teenager anything because, of course, they know it all.
Posted by: PT-LawMom | October 11, 2007 11:49 AM
Wow, advantage to the defense. Mortal wound struck on the prosecution, or in this case, the persecution. Perhaps its time for the bailiff to lead robo man and Chone off in chains and shackles for some "alone time" in time out! Otherwise the general population of any prison would take care of them in no time.
Glad you are not letting the small doses of negativity rain on your parade. You have achieved much by being recognized among the finalists, and the master stroke would be for the pen on your banner to scribble out a check for $10K. Let's keep it going!
Posted by: Sonofasailor | October 11, 2007 11:57 AM
Wow, look at what I miss for not reading comments and just keeping up in Google Reader! Honestly, some people need to have their internet privileges revoked.
Posted by: Leah | October 11, 2007 12:26 PM
Well, one thing is certain... based on the writing quality in their comments, you aren't taking any prize money away from "robo man" or "Chone". :)
What's really sad is that Chone falls prey to the misconception that (1) all lawyers make a lot of money; and (2) that law school doesn't cost a small fortune!
Posted by: Dave! | October 11, 2007 12:55 PM
You go girl.
Posted by: Ree | October 11, 2007 01:24 PM
Hahahaha, I'm always amused by the naive people who think all lawyers make the big bucks. I'm even more amused by the people who feel strongly enough about something to write hateful messages, but are still cowardly enough to remain anonymous. Ah, the internet... the playground of the ignorant.
Glad you're in the lead! Keep up the good work!! :)
Posted by: Proto Attorney | October 11, 2007 01:39 PM
Don't worry, Kim-- we all know you are WAY too strong and WAY too classy to be in any way affected by the nitwittery...
Your friends by FAR outnumber the hurtful twits out there... as your stats clearly show!! Going forward, we'll all just focus on that.
I'm so proud to be counted amongst your friends--
Love, as always,
CGF xo
Posted by: candygirlflies | October 11, 2007 02:58 PM
No matter where we go in life, what we do, what we say, there will be "nay sayers". What have I learned through breast cancer?? Oh soooo much. One thing right off the bat, as soon as I was diagnosed...ixnay the negative. Anyone, anything that was negative and draining? Out the door, down the drain an adios...
People who don't get me or don't like me? Yeah, life's like that.
Hold your head up...this is your space, your life...and it all gets to be about you. Those who don't like? Don't leave a message, don't knock on the door...keep on walking!!
Posted by: sherry | October 11, 2007 04:02 PM
When I heard about your story and first visited your blog, I had respect for you and thought you were an inspiration.
Now I have respect for you, think you're an inspiration, and after reading your response, think that we could be friends in real life!
Keep kicking ass girl.
Posted by: Minivan mom | October 11, 2007 08:17 PM
I haven't been keeping up on your comments, so I am sitting here completely idle.
And I don't sit idle when people mess with my family. But those fuckin' cowards, forgot to let me know how to get to them.
Mieke, thank you! Just reading your response made me feel better. And Kim, it's not a waste of our time when we're defending someone we love!
Jealous assholes.
Posted by: Victoria | October 11, 2007 09:29 PM
I have enjoyed the laughs!! You can't possibly take any of those comments seriously. Enjoy you good week and your new hair and we ALL see the light at the end of the tunnel! Sending good vibes. Love Ya
Posted by: Beth | October 11, 2007 10:51 PM
Yet another way for everyone to see just how strong of a woman you are. You showed them (and the world for that fact), that nothing is gonna get you down!!! You keep up this fight.. We are all praying for you and mostly keeping our fingers crossed that you win this contest!! I too have visited other blogs and you are by far NUMBER ONE!!!!
Posted by: Amy | October 12, 2007 01:22 PM
I'm the one holding the contest and I'm actually getting hater mail...telling me that the voting system is not 'fair' or whatever. I just brush it off and figure perhaps the haters can get their own money together and give it to whichever finalist they support most.
Posted by: Daniel Kovach | October 12, 2007 01:48 PM
Wow, I don't get what's "unfair" about it. All of us who have voted are individual people choosing to vote for you. We're getting the word out by telling our friends and family and coworkers. Can't the other 19 contestants do the same? Seems silly that they would email Mr. Kovach to say these things.
Posted by: PT-LawMom | October 12, 2007 02:14 PM
Way to go, Kim!
Posted by: WhyMommy | October 12, 2007 04:31 PM
I found your blog because of the scholarship site. (But I have to throw my support behind Stephanie Collins at Poorer Than You since she's a personal finance blogger like me.)
But you did beautifully to address your detractors. Don't let the trolls bother you. They're everywhere.
Good luck fighting your illness. It's breast cancer awareness month right now and I'll be sending good vibes your way.
Posted by: mapgirl | October 14, 2007 09:35 PM
I guess I am not the only one who defended you. I was hesitant to submit that comment but I am glad that I did!!! Always keep your head high. For the people who do not have much to do but send negative comments..you've shut them up...=) take care & continue with your recovery!
Posted by: meg | October 14, 2007 10:11 PM
That's the downside of giving such easy access to your beautiful work here to troublemakers -- they use their idle time to spit hate. And it's not only toward you, or contest takers. Last week I got a comment on my blog post, which was something tame, like "I'm into comfort food," saying "You sound like such a bitch!"
I delete anything gratuitously nasty written about anyone. I detest meanness and will not have it on my blog. If they come back here repeatedly, let me put in a vote for getting them off permanently. You can never argue with them -- their points are typically obtuse.
Anyway, I am so happy you're not bothered by it.
Posted by: nina | October 15, 2007 06:48 PM