June 19, 2002

mean nastiness

My L.M. Montgomery list keeps trying to turn me into a radical -- which wouldn't
bother me, except I keep feeling the temptation to turn into a mean-spirited one.
The problem is that it's populated by a bunch of sweet, pure, religious women ....
and me. I don't do sweet. Or pure, or religious, for that
matter.

This list is a spinoff of another one I left a few years
back. That one was sweet also, and cozy and perky. Except when someone stepped on
another's toes, at which point it would suddenly flash into ugly and cruel. It was
sort of like seeing a house all decorated in little pink country patterns, with
curtains and knick-knacks and Victorian frills, that would periodically catch on
fire. The smell of smoke always took forever to get out,
too.

Apparently that list got worse after I left, and so some of its
members formed this spinoff, which was meant to be full of kindred spirit (a
resounding phrase for fans of LMM), a shelter from the flames of the main list.
For some odd reason, they asked me to join, and I did, in hopes of being able to
discuss some of the books I love.

The list is also full of off-topic
discussions of things like housekeeping and gardening and children. I have little
interest (or ability) in gardening, but some of the housekeeping and childrearing
talk gets into very interesting historical channels. Some of it is more about
today, though, and every so often someone will comment on "how much we all have in
common". Ha. There's also a heapin' helpin' of that tendency majority groups
(religion, in this case) so often have to think all right-minded people think the
way they do. So I become the list trouble-maker, stepping up on occasion to point
out the fallacy of this. The first time I pointed out not everyone there is
Christian, I was answered with a chorus of "Oh, no, we don't want any of *that*
topic because then there will be flames here!" I was careful to point out I was
not insulting anyone else's religion, and a few braver souls did chime in to say
how they respected people of other faiths. (I didn't ask how they felt about their
children marrying one.) I notice, though, that no one minds the occasional mention
of Jesus. (Well, I don't either, as long as they realize not everyone believes in
him, a fact I fear is mostly forgotten.)

The other problem is the
actual book discussion ... we have people who lead topics and present questions, a
decent way to keep the discussion on track. The problem is in the questions.
Instead of something like "Compare Anne's attachment to Green Gables with Pat's to
Silver Bush", they're apt to be more like "Have you ever had a house you really
loved and didn't want to leave?" Grr. That can occasionally be interesting, but
it's not book discussion! Again, I wouldn't mind, if they would mix the two styles
a bit more.

My constant temptation is to say things to shock the
other listmembers, because all that sweetness gets cloying. (And it is a choice
for most of these people -- if it were just unsullied ignorance, I wouldn't
entertain these thoughts. I'm not that mean-spirited.) A mild aside the other day
on lesbianism went over their heads, so I may need to be less subtle. Maybe a
simple "Goddess bless" would do?

I know, I am Not a Nice Girl.

Posted by dichroic at June 19, 2002 11:59 AM
Comments
Post a comment









Remember personal info?