The gall of that girl! (Yeah, me)
A couple of weeks ago, I went to see a production of Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at a local school and I wrote a column about it for The Kingston Whig-Standard.
In the column, in which I praise the outstanding talent of the young actors, I explain that I went to the musical because my "stepson" had a starring role in it.
The day the column was published, the Fiance, formerly known as the BF, got a phone call at work that went exactly like this:
"Hi. I'm just calling to tell you that Sarah made a MISTAKE in her column. He can't be her stepson if you're not married. Goodbye."
Well, I'm going to take the high road here and not get nasty, but let me just stay this: Geez. Isn't it terrible that there's someone in this cruel, crazy world who looks out for a child, wants the very best for him, is proud of him?
Yeah, I'm a massive jerkhead.
What was I thinking?
(P.S. I know who you are ...)
In the column, in which I praise the outstanding talent of the young actors, I explain that I went to the musical because my "stepson" had a starring role in it.
The day the column was published, the Fiance, formerly known as the BF, got a phone call at work that went exactly like this:
"Hi. I'm just calling to tell you that Sarah made a MISTAKE in her column. He can't be her stepson if you're not married. Goodbye."
Well, I'm going to take the high road here and not get nasty, but let me just stay this: Geez. Isn't it terrible that there's someone in this cruel, crazy world who looks out for a child, wants the very best for him, is proud of him?
Yeah, I'm a massive jerkhead.
What was I thinking?
(P.S. I know who you are ...)
11 Comments:
Yawn.
Dear Burlington,
Perhaps if you didn't read my website so early in the morning you wouldn't be so tired. A lack of sleep makes me cranky, too.
Sarah :)
I like your blog. You're a good writer.
What bothers me sometimes, however, is that you're constantly trying to justify yourself. It seems like you believe the negative things people say. You justify that your love life is great, not by stating that it is and leaving it at that, but by comparison to others that you see; you don't write a glowing entry in your blog about your stepson's magical play (which did sound great in the article) you take the opportunity, instead, to justify yourself against ONE negative reaction to said article; you only respond to negative comments left on here.
Look, if you have a great job at a newspaper, a fiance who clearly adores you, and are continually up for writing awards, you should start believing that you're worth what you have... stop encouraging the cycle of negative attitudes by trying to justify yourself against them!
There are always going to be the "haters"... but, trying to justify yourself against them is a win-lose: you only encourage them to continue, AND you start to believe it yourself.
Regardless, I'll be here to read your next entry! Just, believe there are more people out here like me, who actually DO like you!
Hi anonymous,
That was a very thoughtful response ...
Here's what I'd like to say though:
It's not that I choose not to respond to the positive comments, it's more that I like to poke the negative responders because they always post under the name "anonymous" and that makes them feel invincible. I like to give them a gentle poke to say "Hey twit, why so cranky, huh?"
I don't think negative comments bother me any more than they would anyone else - and I get a lot more of them than most people do; being in the public eye you expect it but no one is impervious to it. Are they?
I chose to post about the negative "stepson" caller just to show people that there are dinkwads in the world. It's that person, not me, who has a problem, who's obviously dealing with some issue about step-parenting.
That comment is there for other stepparents to read and know they're not alone, and to show that we aren't always such a liberal society. Who really bloody cares if I have a wedding ring on or not to call myself a "stepparent?"
That person needed to poop on my parade to make herself feel big, powerful and successful. I was simply pointing out her view is small-town and silly.
My style of writing is often self-deprecating; that's the way I am, it's the way I write. People, I think, find comfort when I expose the inadequacies, the failures, the shortcomings, the boo boos of my life. There are sooooo, sooooo, soooo many people full of crap, full of bravado, full of ego both in newspapers and in the real world and I don't really want to be a part of that.
And for the record, two things:
1) I do believe I'm worthy of the Fiance. I work hard on my relationship and my family and I've had to put up with a bucket load of crap and stress to be with him; far more crap than most people have to endure to be with someone.
2) I'm not up for a billion writing awards. I've been nominated for two. One. Two. Just two. Two. That's all.
It's fine to me for people to post "negative" and "positive" comments on here. I read them all.
Some bloggers filter their comments and only allow positive ones. I post them all - except for ones that attack my family or the character of others.
sarah :)
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To "anonymous":
I did post a reply to you but I decided against it.
It's been three years. Get over it already.
sarah :)
I read your column in the Whig. Although it was about the young stars, you still manage to make it all about you, rattling off shows that you have attended and getting YOUR family in there as well. I thought motherhood would make you less self centred. I assumed incorrectly, it seems.
Wow, this is, like, totally, crap on Sarah month.
I deleted a post the other day because it was a personal attack and now, there's a new tirade.
OK, let me quickly address this: My column in the Whig is supposed to be a mix of what's going on in the world culturally PLUS a mix of my own life thrown in. That's what columnists do. They mix their own personal experiences with things from the outside world.
Do you read other columnists? Rebecca Eckler, Lynwood Barclay, Rosie DiManno all use personal experiences in their columns. It's not some writing style I pioneered.
I used my own experience, my expertise, to praise the students at Lourdes. What good am I as some to dole out praise if I'd never seen a show before? I have the background to critique. That was the point of outlining the plays I'd gone to, to say "Hey, I've been to many and this was first class."
If you really hate my column, instead of writing me on here, send a letter to the editor:
Letters to the Editor
c/o The Kingston Whig-Standard
6 Cataraqui St. Kingston, Ont.
P.O. Box 2300, K7L 4Z7.
Feeling the love people, feeling the love.
sarah :)
Sarah,
I don't know what this persons problem is but I do know that it probably has little to do with you. I think most people can recognize that your writing is clever, witty, funny and entertaining. All this other garbage that keeps being posted seems to be nothing more than mean heartedness tossed with a little envy.
Keep doing your thing. You do it well.
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