freedom of speech, The beauty of

I read many blogs on a daily basis. Most are political or satirical, some are religious. Some are about pop culture, music and celebrity gossip. Some are personal, a-day-in-the-life-of. Some are mainstream, some are slightly more subversive. Some are about shoes. What can I say? It takes a lot to amuse me.

The best part about the blogosphere (although we really do need a new word for this, folks) is that there is literally a whole world of content out there, free for the reading - and we get to comment on it! MAN ALIVE, is there a greater freedom than this?? Sweet, delicious freedom of speech, how I long to lick your creamy centre...

*drools, gobbles*

Wait a second! I just thought of something even more satisfying - Freedom of Speech 2.0!! Using your freedom of speech to quash the squawking legions of slack-jawed syncophants that squat in the Comments boxes of wildly successful blogs the world over!

Witness the outpouring of mindless clucking that was a direct result of an honest critique I made yesterday on this blog post (I comment as Jill, the 9th down the page):

http://stephanieklein.blogs.com/greek_tragedy/2007/01/drinking_the_st.html

Behold the post (and the subsequent slew of fatuous comments) on today's post on the same blog:

http://stephanieklein.blogs.com/greek_tragedy/2007/01/reject.html

Here's the comment I just sent:

Dear everyone,

Honesty does not equal ignorance. Criticism does not equal hate. I'm sure that my next words will see me hastily relegated even further into the ignominious depths of the "hater" world, but this needs to be said.

It is wrong to assume that a person who critiques another persons' work is/has:
1.) less intelligent/competent than the author in question
2.) Mean, ignorant, rude, misguided, hateful, or suffering from repressed childhood memories etc.
3.) anything to gain from the action - whether it be personally, professionally or financially

Let's get it out in the open - I critiqued a recent post ("drinking the stars"). I have been reading this blog since the beginning, and have made several appreciative/encouraging comments about the quality of the writing and the passion with which it is shared with the world. I have left sincere holiday greetings. I have seconded emotions. I have rejoiced at the signing of deals, the offering of together forever, the coming home, the arrival of bundles of joy. I comment on blogs when I am moved to do so - my comments are borne of emotional or intellectual reactions to content that is accessible the world over. This blog is content and it is out there and there is a Comments box.

So I made a comment that expressed my disappointment regarding what I perceived to be a lack of quality/clarity in a post on this site. I didn't make the comment because I hate the author of this blog. I didn't make the comment because I am jealous of the author's life, achievements or hard-won successes. I didn't make a comment because I feel insecure about myself. I made the comment because I enjoy something called freedom of speech - I enjoy it even more because I take a balanced approach to it. I made the comment because I understand that a published author who produces content (whatever the genre, whatever the medium) and puts it on the Internet and asks for comments (there is a box there, folks) should be ready to receive an honest, sincere and not at all anonymous critique of their work.

I have never met the author. I do not know the author/the author's family or friends personally. Very few who comment on here actually do. Yet people feel moved to comment in the proffered field. Why? We do it because we are invested. We do it because we have been welcomed into someone's world in a very unique way. We do it because we have been made privy to the sadness and joy, the dirty little secrets and inner shames, the hard-fought successes and well-deserved victories of a total stranger. That is the nature of a personal blog. The author has something to say, so she says it to the world. Everyone - including me - has something to say, so we say it. We say it because we can.

To all those who comment on this site to heap scorn and cast aspersions upon people who dare to speak honestly, to those who name-call and deride their fellow Internet citizens for sharing their feelings and opinions on a blog that is all about feelings and opinions, I say...keep at it. It is totally your right and privilege to do so. The Comments field will not turn you away.

To the author - for what it is worth at this point, I will not stop reading your blog. Your blog is worth reading. I will also comment when I am moved to do so, either emotionally or intellectually (hopefully both), and I will continue to strive to do so in as fair and balanced a way as possible.

Sincerely,
Jillian

Yeah. I don't know if this comment will make it past moderation.

UPDATE: Checking back today, I noticed that my comment was allowed and ended up sparking further discussion in the same vein. Sorry for the melodrama ; )

It's a girl...no, wait! It's a boy!

*Taken from a semi-NSFW email I sent to a select group of friends the day after the Pussy Balls Incident - there were pictures in the original, but they were a little, um, pink (and graphic), so y'all can just click on the link at the end of the post for cat porn galore. I thought I'd do the charitable thing by giving you the choice I never had.*

Yeah...so it turns out that my little girl isn't really a little girl like I was told she was when I got her. She's got a penis, which makes her a boy.

I made this discovery last night after Scraps had concluded a particularly vigorous and thorough washing session. S/he finished with the undercarriage area and leaned back, purring contentedly, legs akimbo, when.....HELLO!! Cat penis. Not unlike the revolting now-you-see-it-now-you-don't icky pink dog "lipstick penis"...just much smaller. And more ambiguous. A teeny, tiny little nubbin, protruding ever so slightly from what I originally had been calling her vajay-jay.

"What the FUCK????!!!" I leaned in for a closer look. After all, it was quite late and the lighting was poor. "This can't be right. Girl cats don't have dicks." That's right - they don't. Sure enough, the petite pink protrusion was still in evidence. "Okay. Okay. Is that like a giant cat clit or something? Could it be a nipple? A birth defect of some sort?" So many questions. I was becoming increasingly alarmed, but as Scraps was clearly fine with gender ambiguity, I concluded that the best course of action would be to turn off the light and float off to dreamland on a cloud of denial. I would pursue this further in the morning.

Pursue it, I did. I woke up this morning after a refreshing night's sleep, ready to solve the mystery of the transgendered kitten with the help of N, The Man Who Has Owned More Cats Than Me. It went something like this:

Me (sitting at foot of bed, sipping coffee): "So I think that Scraps has a dick."

N (propped up on pillows, also sipping): "Um. What?"

Me (casting sidelong glances at the frolicking cat): "Yeah. I think I saw her dick last night after she finished washing herself."

N (looking troubled): "What did it look like?"

Me: "Like a gross, pink doggie lipstick penis, only way tinier. It was poking out of her vagina. Do you think it's a giant clit or something?"

N: "No, I don't think it's a giant clit. Let's look." (reaches for cat)

Me (recoiling): "Yeah, we have to check...only let's try to not make it like we are touching her inappropriately. C'mere girl...it's ok, Mommy won't hurt you..."

What followed was about a minute and a half of gentle restraint and nervous peering, along with some VERY hesitant (mixed with equal parts of disgust) probing of "the area". The micropenis did not make another appearance, but we did notice two almost imperceptible swellings that could very easily be a scrotal pouch. Testicles. My girl has nuts. Also, we noticed that the little hole from whence the alleged penis had come didn't look very much like a vagina...according to N, who explained the mystery of cat pussy to me with a series of simple hand gestures and head nods for emphasis. He's really knows what he is talking about.

Having concluded the gynaecological portion of the program, we felt slightly more confident about reassigning Scraps' gender, but needed confirmation. Solid proof from an ironclad source. So we Googled "determining gender kittens" and came up with these super-helpful instructions:

"Lift the kitten's tail. The opening just under the tail is the anus. Below the anus is the genital opening which is round in males and is a vertical slit in females. In kittens of similar size, the distance between the anus and the genital opening is greater in the male than the female."

Easy peasy.

Thanks, http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/clientED/kittenSex.asp !!