I will admit that I didn't read every post you linked to
No problem - I did link to a whole lot of posts, after all :)
people are not actually arguing with you
My first thought was to say "Some of them do..." but after I read the rest, I think I understand what you mean - sometimes I feel the same way about people who seem to argue with me, because when that happens I feel that my beliefs are being challenged as well. (And, unfortunately, a lot of the time they are...)
That is why worrying about what people on the Internet think of you is depressing...they make snap judgements based on what they THINK they know.
That's also why actually knowing what people on the Internet think of me is depressing... if only there weren't so many people that make judgements that way. :(
They saw this one mistake I'd made (because I'm a human being, and human beings make mistakes) and assumed that I was an awful person.
They chose to be rude instead of thoughtful.
Exactly! I wish people didn't make assumptions like that so often...
You are a good person, and no one gets to decide that but you.
Just wait until I post the rest of the currently incomplete list of things I'm worried about (and I know it'll probably never be a 100% complete list, but there are a lot of things I plan to include). Some of the things I've said and done outside LJ are a lot worse than what I've already posted of that list (the series of entries starting with http://matt1993.livejournal.com/242472.html)...
In fact, if that wasn't one of the links you clicked, you might want to read at least part of it now. The comments I've received on it so far have made me feel better about many of those things, but much worse about others...
(And don't get me wrong - your comments helped me feel a little better :) I just still probably won't be able to get over this completely until I finish the rest of that list and post it...)
no subject
No problem - I did link to a whole lot of posts, after all :)
people are not actually arguing with you
My first thought was to say "Some of them do..." but after I read the rest, I think I understand what you mean - sometimes I feel the same way about people who seem to argue with me, because when that happens I feel that my beliefs are being challenged as well. (And, unfortunately, a lot of the time they are...)
That is why worrying about what people on the Internet think of you is depressing...they make snap judgements based on what they THINK they know.
That's also why actually knowing what people on the Internet think of me is depressing... if only there weren't so many people that make judgements that way. :(
They saw this one mistake I'd made (because I'm a human being, and human beings make mistakes) and assumed that I was an awful person.
They chose to be rude instead of thoughtful.
Exactly! I wish people didn't make assumptions like that so often...
You are a good person, and no one gets to decide that but you.
Just wait until I post the rest of the currently incomplete list of things I'm worried about (and I know it'll probably never be a 100% complete list, but there are a lot of things I plan to include). Some of the things I've said and done outside LJ are a lot worse than what I've already posted of that list (the series of entries starting with http://matt1993.livejournal.com/242472.html)...
In fact, if that wasn't one of the links you clicked, you might want to read at least part of it now. The comments I've received on it so far have made me feel better about many of those things, but much worse about others...
(And don't get me wrong - your comments helped me feel a little better :) I just still probably won't be able to get over this completely until I finish the rest of that list and post it...)