Ignoring Differing Viewpoints Not a Great Idea

Tiffany Ranae's article "A Message for Liberals and Other People With Brains On this Site" is yet another call for Associated Content to change their ratings system and I wish they would, but the answer is not in ignoring those who oppose your viewpoints.

I understand Tiffany's outrage. I have seen it from both sides of the aisle on Associated Content and think it is ridiculous.
Last week, I wrote an article about the Michael J. Fox and Rush Limbaugh controversy. I expected it to get low ratings because I did not fully support Fox nor did I fully support Limbaugh. What I did not expect was for people to go back to content I published two months ago about my diagnosis with multiple sclerosis and downgrade it.

The height of childishness amuses and disappoints me, reminding me why I am a cynic. However, I still take the time to look at the stories that interest me, whether they are published by the people responsible for these things or not. And, to be perfectly honest, I don't really know who is responsible. I've heard some names, but I've never seen proof and I suspect AC has the same problem. Proving that there is organized abuse of the system is difficult and probably not something they have time for.

I was surprised that my Limbaugh article made the editor's picks. I wrote it on a lark after hearing and seeing both sides of it first hand and witnessing the coverage on the local news. My biggest point, though I guess some people missed it, is that no one who takes a position in the political process is exempt from criticism for their stance.

I have had the right wing offended by my stances and the left wing accuse me of being a "plant." And none of my political views have anything to do with the information I was trying to share about multiple sclerosis.

Still, I look at it this way. Every one of those people had to look at my pages, several of them, to downgrade my writing. And, that makes AC more money and in the end, makes me more money. I expected the controversy when I wrote the article. In fact, I published it for free knowing that it would encourage people who had not seen my writing before to take a look.

Yes, Tiffany is right, Associated Content is more concerned with capitalism than freedom of speech. In this case, so am I.
If I wanted free speech, I wouldn't be writing for AC. Here I want to get paid for my work and I do. And, I am confident enough in my writing abilities that I am not concerned about the ratings that my articles receive. I am interested in the comments because some of them are helpful and lead me to interesting articles by other content producers. Some are rude and nasty and have no place in any polite forum.

For those, I take Tiffany's advice. The people who have nothing nice to say or who resort to personal attacks based on political views aren't people who are going to write anything I want to read. People with different views who can articulate their points well I do want to read because it challenges my way of thinking.

I don't want to become some demagogue who thinks she is always right because it's her opinion. I am willing to hear from people that based on their personal experience, Fox's tremors were typical of Parkinson's Disease. In my experience, they weren't, but like any debilitating disease, the affects vary widely person to person. But the personal attacks on my character or knowledge based on my opinion, for people who express themselves that way, Tiffany is absolutely right.
Years ago, I had a government teacher who argued that people who have to resort to the use of profanity to express themselves lack creativity. I don't think she'll mind if I paraphrase her now and say that people who resort to name calling lack the factual basis to back up their arguments.

So, I would encourage anyone frustrated with the name-calling and downgrading to take heart and know that you touched a nerve. If not, they would not have taken the time to respond to your writing. But don't ignore people simply because they have a differing point of view. Use that as an educational tool and stimulate your own mind. More traffic on AC pages is good for all of us as the more money they make, the more they can continue to pass on to us.