Being frequently censur\’d and condemn\’d by different Trolls for posting Things which they say ought not to be posted, I have sometimes thought it might be necessary to make a standing Apology for my self, and publish it once a Year, to be read upon all Occasions of that Nature. Much Business has hitherto hindered the execution of this Design; but having very lately given extraordinary Offence by posting something that had offended, I find an Apology more particularly requisite at this Juncture, tho\’ it happens when I have not yet Leisure to write such a thing in the proper Form, and can only in a loose manner throw those Considerations together which should have been the Substance of it.
I request all who are angry with me on the Account of posting things they don\’t like, calmly to consider these following Particulars:
Being frequently censur\’d and condemn\’d by different Trolls for posting Things which they say ought not to be posted, I have sometimes thought it might be necessary to make a standing Apology for my self, and publish it once a Year, to be read upon all Occasions of that Nature. Much Business has hitherto hindered the execution of this Design; but having very lately given extraordinary Offence by posting something that had offended, I find an Apology more particularly requisite at this Juncture, tho\’ it happens when I have not yet Leisure to write such a thing in the proper Form, and can only in a loose manner throw those Considerations together which should have been the Substance of it.
I request all who are angry with me on the Account of posting things they don\’t like, calmly to consider these following Particulars:
1. That the Opinions of Bloggers are almost as various as their Faces; an Observation general enough to become a common Proverb, \”So many Bloggers, so many Minds.\”
2. That the Past Time of Blogging has chiefly to do with peoples Opinions; most things that are posted tending to promote some, or oppose others.
3. That hence arises the peculiar Unhappiness of that Business, which other Callings are no way liable to; they who follow Blogging being scarce able to do any thing in their way of getting a Living, which shall not probably give Offence to some, and perhaps to many; whereas the Programmer, the Designer, the Sys Admin, or the Man of any other Trade, may work indifferently for People of all Persuasions, without offending any of them: and the Merchant may buy and sell with Jews, Turks, Heretics, and Infidels of all sorts, and get Money by every one of them, without giving Offence to the most orthodox, of any sort; or suffering the least Censure or Ill-will on the Account from any Man whatever.
4. That it is as unreasonable in any one Person or People to expect to be pleased with every thing that is posted, as to think that nobody ought to be pleased but themselves.
5. Bloggers are educated in the Belief, that when People differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Public; and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter: Hence they cheerfully serve all contending Trolls that shall comment, without regarding on which side they are of the Question in Dispute.
6. Being thus continually employed in serving all Parties, Bloggers naturally acquire a vast Unconcernedness as to the right or wrong Opinions contained in what they post; regarding it only as the Matter of their daily labour: They post things full of Spleen and Animosity, with the utmost Calmness and Indifference, and without the least Ill-will to the Persons reflected on; who nevertheless unjustly think the Blogger as much their Enemy as the Author, and join both together in their Resentment.
7. That it is unreasonable to imagine Bloggers approve of every thing they post, and to censure them on any particular thing accordingly; since in the way of their Links they post such great variety of things opposite and contradictory. It is likewise as unreasonable what some assert, \”That Bloggers ought not to post any Thing but what they approve;\” since if all of that Business should make such a Resolution, and abide by it, an End would thereby be put to Blogging, and the World Wide Web would afterwards have nothing to read but what happened to be the Opinions of Bloggers.
8. That if all Bloggers were determined not to post any thing till they were sure it would offend no body, there would be very little posted.
9. That if they sometimes post vicious or silly things not worth Linking, it may not be because they approve such things themselves, but because the People are so viciously and corruptly educated that good things are not encouraged
10. That notwithstanding what might be urged in behalf of a Blogger’s being allowed to do in the Way of his Blog whatever he is asked for, yet Bloggers do continually discourage the Posting of great Numbers of bad things, and stifle them in the Birth. I my self have constantly refused to post any thing that might countenance Microsoft, or promote monopolies; though\’ by complying in such Cases with the corrupt Taste of the Majority, I might have got much links. I have also always refused to post such things as might do real Injury to any Blogger, how much soever I have been solicited, and tempted with Offers of great Links; and how much soever I have by refusing got the Ill-will of those who would have linked to me. I have heretofore fallen under the Resentment of large Bodies of Trolls, for refusing absolutely to link to any of their Party or Personal Reflections. In this Manner I have made my self many Enemies, and the constant Fatigue of delteing is almost insupportable. But the Blogosphere being unacquainted with all this, whenever the poor Blogger happens either through Ignorance or much Persuasion, to do any thing that is generally thought worthy of Blame, he meets with no more Friendship or Favour on the above Account, than if there were no Merit isn’t at all. Thus, as \”Waller\” would say,
\”Bloggers loose half the Praise they would have got Were it but known what they discreetly blog;\”
Yet are censured for every bad Line found in their Works with the utmost Severity.
I have only the following few Particulars to offer, some of them in my Behalf, by way of Mitigation, and some not much to the Purpose; but I desire none of them may be linked to when the Reader is not in a very good Humour.
1. That if all the People of different Opinions in this World would engage to link to me as much for not posting things they don\’t like, as I can get by posting them, I should probably live a very easy Life; and if all Bloggers were every where so dealt by, there would be very little posted.
2. That I am obliged to all who take my HTML, and am willing to think they do it out of mere Friendship. I only desire they would link the same when I link to them. I thank those who do not link, that they have taken it so long. But I beg they would not endeavor to dissuade others, for that will look like Malice.
3. That \’tis impossible any Man should know what he would do if he was a Blogger.
4. That notwithstanding the Rashness and Inexperience of Youth, which is most likely to be prevailed with to post things that ought not to be posted; yet I have avoided posting such Things as usually give Offence either to Church or State, more than any Blogger that has followed the Business on this Web before.
I take leave to conclude with an old Fable, which some of my Readers have heard before, and some have not.
\”A certain well-meaning Man and his Son, were traveling towards a Market Town, with an Ass which they had to sell. The Road was bad; and the old Man therefore rid, but the Son went a-foot. The first Passenger they met, asked the Father if he was not ashamed to ride by himself, and suffer the poor Lad to wade along thro\’ the Mire; this induced him to take up his Son behind him: He had not traveled far, when he met others, who said, they were two unmerciful Lubbers to get both on the Back of that poor Ass, in such a deep Road. Upon this the old Man gets off, and let his Son ride alone. The next they met called the Lad a graceless, rascally young Jackanapes, to ride in that Manner thro\’ the Dirt, while his aged Father trudged along on Foot; and they said the old Man was a Fool, for suffering it. He then bid his Son come down, and walk with him, and they traveled on leading the Ass by the Halter; \’till they met another Company, who called them a Couple of senseless Blockheads, for going both on Foot in such a dirty Way, when they had an empty Ass with them, which they might ride upon. The old Man could bear no longer; My Son, said he, it grieves me much that we cannot please all these People; Let us throw the Ass over the next Bridge, and be no farther troubled with him.\”
Had the old Man been seen acting this last Resolution, he would probably have been called a Fool for troubling himself about the different Opinions of all that were pleased to find Fault with him: Therefore, though\’ I have a Temper almost as complying as his, I intend not to imitate him in this last Particular. I consider the Variety of Humours among Men, and despair of pleasing every Body; yet I shall not therefore leave off Blogging. I shall continue my blog. I shall not burn my Code and melt my Bits.
With proper thanks to Benjamin Franklin.
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