The 80/20 Rule & Strangers On The Internet

Most Comments Are Wonderful...Some Make You Wonder WTF?

The 80/20 Rule applies to most things in life. Including comments from strangers on the internet. 

Over on our YouTube channel, there are a few things the less-than-20 crowd NEED/WANT me to know/ answer:

• “Queer is an OFFENSIVE word!” (Blocked for being offended at a community post.)

• “Why don't they use inclusive language?” about a 100-year-old silent film.(Blocked for being ridiculous.)

• “Where were Colt, Drummer etc...” about a men’s magazine montage. (Blocked for being a creative dick-tator.)

While FAR from the worst offenders, I can’t EVEN with these types of…comments or commenters. So I remove/block them from the channel. Loudly and proudly.

Bye, Felicias. Ain’t this-body got time for their nonsense or bullshit.

Since they seem to crave attention, outrage, and oxygen, I choose to reward their bad behavior and lack of common sense by depriving them of all three. I’ve learned (the hard way) that Mark Twain was/is/will always be right:

"Never argue with stupid people.
They will drag you down to their level
and then beat you with experience.”
Mark Twain

To counter-program the less-than-20 minority, I’d like to spotlight a few of the YouTube comments that have brightened our days recently:

• “Thank you so much for making this film available! ❤ I was there that day in a strange way. I heard the loud chants echoing off the skyscrapers but I could not judge the direction. I remain very disappointed at not being able to join the great event. The documentary Gay and Proud (1970) gives me a glimpse of the experience I missed 54 years ago.”

• “What a corny collection. Thank you.”

• “Thank you very much for sharing this. I’ve always wanted to see it, and this is a gorgeous copy.”

• “Those two men had danced together before. They move together gracefully. What a beautiful restoration, thanks.”

• “We love your videos with those beautiful images of two people that love each other. We really appreciated the photos on women. Thank you.”

THOSE are our kind of people. THOSE are the people we aim to reach and love sharing our work with. The lovers who celebrate. Not the haters who…well, hate.

We realize we’re all a little bit of both, but we try to balance it out and keep it in check. When I recently forgot my manners and blasted one super-rude commenter, one dog-piler thought he was Howard Cossell.

• “Wow! Talk about thin-skinned. Sounds like an honor grad of the Yassar Arafat School of Diplomacy.”

While I don’t disagree with him…he did get blocked for not minding his own business. I also have never claimed to be a diplomat and simply don’t tolerate strangers on the internet picking on me or my thin skin.

I’m playful and can be quite sassy, but this is not War Games. And I refuse to play games with these kind of…people. For them, it’s GAME OVER.

May you find the 80/20 balance that works best for you.

Thanks for reading!
Clint

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CREATIVE NEWS + VIEWS

• Revealed: the picture sneaked by employee into a German gallery (The Guardian)

• They Do Things Differently in Dallas: A Report From Its Fairs, Private Collections, and One Local Strip Club (artnet News)

• Firpal’s lavish illustration work is folkloric and futuristic all at once (It’s Nice That)

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