Tea at Trianon: Blogging Etiquette

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, February 4, 2007

Blogging Etiquette

Does anyone know if there is a guide to blogging etiquette? Especially one that deals with posting comments? Some Catholics seem to abandon all sense of decorum, kindness, humility and charity when it comes to blogs, which is why I did not want to have one. They think nothing of defaming someone else's character based on hearsay and rumor. Have any of them ever read the part in the catechism about the sins of calumny and detraction? I am beginning to think that many do not really know the faith very well, even when they are holding forth on theology. A blogger should not post links that have erroneous and misleading information about people, even if you do not agree with their approach to Catholicism.

I have seen people in the comments section correct other's spelling mistakes; everyone knows how easy it is to make a typo when posting a comment, and then it is impossible to go back and change it. If you are really concerned about someone's spelling, send them a private email. That is the polite thing to do. (Someone sent me a polite note this morning, pointing out an error. Thank you.)

I was appalled to see in the comments section of one busy blog the bold assertion of a lady claiming to have coined a certain phrase. "I coined that phrase," she said. Now if someone is a truly accomplished and respected scholar, they do not need to go around bragging about their achievements in comment boxes. The lady in question is sadly lacking in modesty. I feel very sorry for her. There is nothing wrong with sharing knowledge; in matters of faith we have a duty to instruct the ignorant, but it should not be about us, it is about the truth. Share

9 comments:

Anonymous said...: They post comments that they would rephrase if they made them to someone in person, but for some reason it is ok to be rude anonymously. Same goes for E-mails.; February 4, 2007 at 9:46:00 AM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Yes, some are just cowardly. Others are just arrogant.; February 4, 2007 at 9:47:00 AM EST
Anonymous said...: Actually, the scholarly lady in question said she was the "originator" of the term "rad-trad." She describes "rad-trad" as: "pro-confederacy, pro-monarchy, pro-French, pro-Jacobite." I guess that means you, Elena.; February 4, 2007 at 2:09:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: I guess I would have to renounce my own ancestors in order to be a good enough Catholic for her. I guess she would condemn Pope Pius IX, who supported the Confederacy (not slavery), and all the Catholics who supported the Stuarts. But pro-French? What? Am I supposed to hate the French? Saint Therese was French, so was Bernadette. And what about Saint Louis? So bizarre.....

What a wacky distortion of Church history.; February 4, 2007 at 2:13:00 PM EST
Anonymous said...: Maybe she got bad grades in French class.....; February 4, 2007 at 2:19:00 PM EST
Jeffrey Smith said...: I think the whole thing is too new to have developed a form of etiquette. Needs one desperately, though.; February 4, 2007 at 2:24:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Yes, Jeffrey, definitely!

Wordsmith, please be polite. But anyway, I would rather be a Jacobite than a Jacobin.; February 4, 2007 at 2:36:00 PM EST
Anonymous said...: I've been blogging and commenting on blogs for several years now, lifehacker has the best guide to comment etiquette that I've come across ...

http://lifehacker.com/software/top/special-lifehackers-guide-to-weblog-comments-126654.php; February 4, 2007 at 7:23:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Thanks so much, Adrienne. I will certainly post a link to this!!; February 4, 2007 at 7:53:00 PM EST