GAIL-SAN GAIL-SAN HOW DO I BREAK IN TO CO--but seriously, I just want to thank you for being the most patient and level-headed person I've ever seen on the internet. It's really impressive.

Oh, jeez, thank you, but man, I WISH I were patient and level-headed.

I’ve thrown tantrums on the net, I’ve been dismissive when proven wrong, I’ve been a complete and utter twit too many times to count. I had a ridiculous feud at Scans Daily that in retrospect was my fault, I’ve had blow-ups on Tumblr when I should have just shut up and listened, I have pretty much filled up every space on the clueless jerk bingo card at one time or another (or many times or another).

But I do find that Tumblr has been really really good for me to learn to try not to repeat mistakes. I think it’s helped me learn tremendously, not from participating in discussions, it’s not about me, but from reading people’s true, raw, unfiltered experiences.

That’s really why I stay on Tumblr and why I read it every day. The media clearly isn’t going to represent these voices fairly. But that just makes their opinions more valuable.  It’s hard to read some of this stuff and confront your own privilege a little bit, and realize how you’re still ignorant of so much. But it does make you a little less prone to be smug and condescending about topics in which you are a tourist at best.

I’m pretty thankful for Tumblr for that reason…I would have little exposure to many of these people otherwise and their voices have meant a great deal to me. I hope they make me a little smarter and kinder. But I still manage to screw up pretty regularly.

I appreciate the kind thought, though!