Sticks and Stones

I’ve been an avid Buffalo Rising reader and supporter since its inception. I appreciate the emphasis on all of the positive things that are happening in our city. I look forward to reading it every day. In fact, it has started a revolution of sorts that is slowly, but surely, influencing our other local media channels.

I’ve always enjoyed reading other people’s comments and points of view, and have learned quite a few things I didn’t know along the way. As I’ve said here before, this outlet has even helped Michele, Chris and I get together to form Broadway Fillmore Alive.

What I find troubling about the comments I’ve seen lately there (in more than a few posts) is that there are a number of people who feel the need to express their viewpoints in a negative and potentially harmful way. I think that any reasonable person or organization will be receptive to constructive criticism, but they will tend to draw a line in the sand when the feedback is overly negative or hurtful. And in a lot of these cases, it’s not the cause or the project these commenters disagree with, it’s the way things are or are not being done that they have issues with. I see this happening more often there, and it bothers me. I’ll tell you why.