Opinions are like assholes. Linky Lovin' Friday {17th October 2014} // Blogging

It's a funny online world we live in. There are so many things that amuse me. So many things that I read and just shake my head about. I learnt pretty quickly when I used to read The Punch on a daily basis to either stop reading comments sections on blogs run by big-name newspapers and media outlets or just skim one or two. It wasn't worth the feeling of needing to shove something through my eye because of all the stupid.

After so many years online I've discovered that much like in offline life, sometimes it's far better and easier to not say anything at all, rather than start a flame war because some person somewhere will always take things the wrong way. Tone is such an important thing when it comes to communicating with our fellow humans, and it's ridiculously hard to accurately convey tone online. Just another reason why we really need to get on the designing of that sarcasm font pronto. While we're at it we should probably do some work on a satire font and an irony font too!

I admire people who are willing to put it all out there, express opinions that they know are not going to be popular. I am a lot more outspoken and opinionated in my offline life than I am online. Some people may think this is being dishonest or disingenuous. The thing is, I really just have an aversion to drama. I just can't be bothered with it, especially online. It's why I often won't bother wading in to an argument online unless it's something I feel really, really passionate about.

In my offline life I know the people I interact with on a daily or regular basis. They know me. I know what things I can and can't say to some people without them being hurt or offended. It doesn't mean I don't say anything at all, it just means that the way I frame things about a certain topic or issue will be different depending on the person I'm talking to. Because I don't want to cause and deal with drama.

There are people in my offline world who have issues with Muslims and tar them all with the same Islamic State brush. Same goes for asylum seekers. Generally I try to avoid talking about those issues with certain people all together, but when it does come up, I think very carefully about how to word my thoughts and opinions so as to not insult them or get them worked up. I've learned that a discussion works much better if you don't just spew thoughts from your head and get people's backs up. If you're calm, and present your opinion in a rational and respectful way, people are much more inclined to listen and not shut you down.

Yes, I actually did take this photo. Back in 2010, on a hens night. Walking down a street in The Rocks, minding our own business.
When we came across this.  As if I wasn't going to take a photo!

The thing about an opinion is that just like assholes, everybody has one. And when you express an opinion on social media particularly, you need to be prepared to take the heat when people misinterpret the meaning or tone of your opinion. Of course, there are just some people who like a good verbal attack and will have a go no matter what or how you say it, and love to debate the people rather than the point. If you are happy to deal with the drama that expressing an opinion on social media brings then by all means, go straight ahead.

Every time I write something online I always expect someone to take issue with it and prepare for that. Thankfully it hardly ever happens. There have been occasions when I've written posts with very strongly-worded opinions and I know before I even hit publish that some people are not going to agree and will get het up. I also know that even a seemingly innocuous post can get people riled.

I do think sometimes though, in some circumstances, that opinions on some things just don't need to be shared. It's just not worth the time or the energy. For me, I choose the things I do and don't want to fight about, and some things just aren't worth it. Some things are just better left unsaid to certain people for the sake of your own happiness and sanity.

To be honest, I've gotten to a point now while writing this post that I'm not even sure what kind of point I'm even trying to make anymore. This is what happens when you have a tiny seed of a thought and you just start writing.

So, on that confused note, on to my links of choice for the week. Articles and writing that actually have a point, and people who know exactly what they are trying to say!

(And in case anyone was wondering, this hasn't been inspired by anyone or anything, it's just something that has been brewing in the back of my brain for a while, maybe most of the year actually).

I nicked this post from Lara's post (link below), who in turn nicked it from this article

Shame About That Bass by This Charming Mum

...I think All About That Bass is a wasted opportunity to put forward a truly equitable message about being comfortable in your own skin.

Love, love, love this post from Lara. She writes about some of the things that haven't quite hit the mark in the hit song All About that Bass. You can also read my mini-rant in the comments section once you're done reading her well-thought out post.

--------------------

Minimalism: I threw out more than 20,000 items by Brooke McAlary

And on top of that was the stuff we already owned. It was suffocating. Years of accumulation. Wardrobes overflowing with clothes I never wore. Years of hard fought credit card debt. A double garage so crammed with crap that no car had ever been in it. Boxes of which I knew not the contents. None of it was worth it.

This post was shared by a few bloggers and facebook friends and I really loved it. It struck a chord with me. For the last couple of weeks I've been feeling overwhelmed by everything that I've got going on and all the "stuff" in this house. I realised the other day that part of what makes me stressed, and puts me in a bad mood, is being surrounded by crap all the time and the stress of having to clean and tidy it all. There are some days when I just want to put 99% of the stuff in this house on the front lawn and let the people and the council pick-up have at it.

I need to get rid of so much of this stuff and this article made me realise why.

--------------------

Recovering from blogger burnout. Losing myself in shaping my blog by Carly Findlay

It's silly isn't it? Feeling the most pressure from ourselves.

I love Carly's blog. She always writes such good stuff and makes me think about things in ways I maybe hadn't before. The comment that Carly received on her blog that she talks about in this post is gold, and goes to the very essence of personal blogging and why many people are drawn to it, both as writers and readers, in the first place. Which leads me to the next link...

--------------------

Image nicked from the article linked directly below

Why personal blogs can never really survive monetisation by Jennine Jacob

Your life will become your job.

Carly referred to this article in her post and I found it very interesting and it rings true in more ways than one, even for those who aren't fashion bloggers exactly, but whose blogs revolve primarily around themselves and their life. An interesting read.

--------------------

49 Brilliant Uses for your smartphone's camera

And finally, this is a fun little article to end this week's Linky Lovin' Friday on. The comments on this post are just as good as the article itself. Many of these I do already, but some of it had me shaking my head and thinking "How do people come up with this stuff?!"

So, what do you think? Do you think some things and opinions are just better left alone and unsaid? Have you read anything fabulous this week that you think I should check out?

Find me here:

Facebook / Twitter / Bloglovin 
Subscribe by Email

1, 2, 3, 4. Hi-5! Lunch at Darling Harbour // Life // PR
Three Bloggers and a Camera // Life // Photography
Linky Lovin' Friday {10th October 2014} // Blogging
What are we going to watch on TV? // Entertainment // Sponsored
Dirt Days // Photography
Reading Writes {Chapter Two} Best & Worst Endings // Reading
Linky Lovin' Friday {3rd October 2014} // Blogging