Everyone likes to have a moan about somehting now and then, and that’s fine – can be quite therapeutic in fact. But when 80% of posts are moaning about something or other, I tend to wonder if the problem is not with what is being moaned about, but it’s a problem with the person doing the moaning…

If you’re outside of the UK then you might not be familiar with the Watchdog TV programme on the BBC. It’s basically a consumers’ champion, helping to warn people of current scams, fraudsters and other criminal behaviour. It focuses on some of the most negative sides of life, but it does so in an informative way.

Take the news as another example, it’s mostly bad/negative and yet audiences are hooked because they want to be kept informed.

I also take Liz’s point about not everyone being able to rant with the necessary tact to avoid a war of words. But when bad/negative things happen to us, it’s difficult to avoid taking it personally because those things are happening to us… Personally!

I guess it’s a case of finding the right balance.

Seriously, thanks for the clarification although I had an inkling you were hinting towards something more sinister than just the typical rant.

I think the use of “good” and “bad” can be quite human in that it brings something into the author’s own frame of reference.

Perhaps, if people can label things as “good” and “bad” then that could help other readers who share the same opinion to relate and break down some of the posting barrier they may feel.

Also most folks don’t understand the fine art of writing a rant. They might think they are doing a “Dennis Miller,” but in fact they are venting nasty stuff that they don’t really need to share in public — it’s not funny or fun. Often it’s like a bad car wreck.

I find a negative point of view that has substance can be helpful, because I tend to lean toward the idealist, optimistic outlook. On the hand I avoid words like “good” and “bad” whenever I can.

with a big grin,
Liz