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• Friday, February 23, 2007 04:29 PM

  Responsibility

  It looks like the phrase "You should take responsibility for what you write" means nothing more than "You are to blame for the way I feel when I read your words." While admitting that I can't expect a person to feel anything but insulted when they read something that is insulting to themselves in some way, I must point out that we choose how we react to what we read.

  The person who has written the words has already taken responsibility for them; she's posted them on the Internet and she's signed her name to them. There you go. You know she wrote them. What else did you want her to do, hold your hand and walk you through reading them? What else, precisely, is she supposed to do?

  How about YOU take responsibility for how YOU REACT? Because I promise you, folks, you are not doing that any more than you think Amanda Marcotte is taking responsibility for her words. Not even close.

  You think you've got the moral high ground? You're sitting here calling her names and casting aspersions on her character. What high ground? You're in the hole and she's throwing dirt over you.

  I will agree with the sentiment of, "What did she expect people to say when she made those remarks about Mary?", even as I see the satire in her statement... but that still DOES NOT take the onus off of her readers to take responsibility for their behavior. And that includes the trolls.

  If you've got issues with her, go start your own damn blog and say mean things about her in it. At least then you'd be able to say you were exercising free speech. Right now you're engaging in harassment. Get over yourselves.

  I'm disappointed Amanda couldn't fight against the ideologues more effectively but there wasn't anything she could do by staying in the campaign of a man with no spine. We need Democrats who will stand up against right-wing bullies. We need Democrats who stand for something. I'm sick of this centrist b.s., and Edwards is just one more installment of it. And I'm saying this as someone who's voted for him twice. Enough already.

  —Dana
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