Being Positive Works Better

Every now and then, I get negative comments on my posts. I always try to publish them because I think it's important to allow everyone to voice their opinion. I also think it keeps life, and this blog, a little spicy.

Still, sometimes I get comments that are so negative that I'm tempted to delete them for all eternity. The following is one example. I went back and forth about what to do with it, and for some reason thought, "Heck. Maybe if I do a post about this comment, we can actually get something out of it."

So here it is as a reminder of why being positive is a lot more productive than being negative:

Explain to me how you drive a car or even brush your teeth without plastic ?

You can't even get on a bus or fly an airplane.


I bet for damn sure you've got unconscionable, unfathomable dimensions of plastic in your t.v,, your radio...


Wait a minute, YOU'RE USING A COMPUTER!


Your fake anti corporation, anti plastic b.s. is a direct stem of what is wrong with this country.

You need to find a man, get back in the kitchen and bake some damn pot pies, apple pies, casseroles

AND HAVE A PH*Kn Tupperware party, bitch! lighten up.

Comments

Anonymous said…
O_o

Lighten up, indeed. I think someone forgot to take his meds. Or maybe he just needs to lay off the coffee. Egad.
Mama to Monkeys said…
No time in my life for haters these days.

Some people will always find misery and fault in everything other do. It's like a mirror of his faults being held up in front of him, and the only way he can react is with anger.

Nope. No time for that.
Anonymous said…
Hey, I want you to know that this guy is a singular nut job. I have told ten people about your blog and they all think you are incredible for what you are trying to do. I am trying to get more and more to subscribe to your blog.

Your efforts are inspiring. My boyfriend and I are trying to follow your example. He went and bought some cloth to make his own shopping bags and I am going to have him make me some stylish silk squares so I can do furoshiki for when I am at school and have a bunch of books to carry. I have a group of friends that I have convinced we should try and make some soap to see if we can make it work so we don't have to buy plastic bottles, and I am already looking for other ways to reduce my plastics consumption.

I don't think you are anti-corporate, you are promoting the use of products and practices that are sustainable. You are supporting the businesses and corporations that make products aligned your life style. That is capitalism, pure and simple. I have a MS in Business and Management Consulting. You are currently what some companies are calling an innovator and change agent of green practices. Give it another few years and you will be an opinion leader...hell you already are to me!

I wouldn't hesitate smack a bit of sense into that guy's head. Talk about un-American.

You are a representation of everything that is good and great about the American spirit. You have a can do attitude, you are persevering in the face of an almost impossible system, and you are helping remind me that I am not alone in my quest to be a screaming greenie.

You are my hero!
Okay, this just made me laugh, it's so ridiculous. People like this seriously need to calm down.
Unknown said…
Well, then. I think this is probably a perfect time for me to chime in and say how much reading your blog has inspired me to make changes in my own life.

You've really made me look at all the things in life that I purchase/do that I've thought of a neccessities when, in actual fact they're just choices that I make.

I've started shopping in a more aware way, making conscious decisions about where I buy and what I buy. And maybe I would have ambled down this path eventually by myself but over the past couple of weeks (because of you) I've made big, sustainable changes. And I will keep reading your blog with interest, so thanks:)
Anonymous said…
Chin up! You're doing a good thing. Don't let the buttheads get to you!
Anonymous said…
This person is trying to "call you out" as if you're a hypocrite. What an insipid, unthinking comment. You're not proclaiming yourself the Plastic-Free messiah... you're trying... very consciously.

Please keep up the positive work! You're an inspiration.
Su said…
Hmm, I hope you're able to ignore comments like those. Really, there's no need for that.
I think that you are doing a wonderful job here. Keep it up!
Anonymous said…
Oh jeeze... I'm sorry you had to hear that. Yes, 100% elimination is tough, but I feel like small steps are important. Plus, things like buses and computers last a long, long time. The kind of plastic we ought to really worry about is the one-use kind.

Anyway, keep on doin' what you're doin'-- a lot of people out here are cheering you on!
Anonymous said…
wow, i definitely think he misses the point

here's my conundrum: if it weren't for plastic i wouldn't get child support -- my x works in the plastics industry

i do my best to avoid plastic, if there is a choice of plastic or other type of material, I'll try to go to the other material even if it does cost more
Toiling Ant said…
Crikey, what a whiner. Keep on keepin' on!
Anonymous said…
I hope you won't let this comment and the person behind you affect what you're doing because honestly, what you're doing is really inspiring to us all.

I don't want to bad-mouth the person who commented that, but he/she has no right judging people like that.

If he seriously doesn't agree with what you're doing, he should simply not visit your blog ever again. The fact that he's bothered to bring himself to comment on your blog probably means he wants your attention? Maybe he wants to differentiate himself from the many other loyal followers of this blog.

I hope you won't be discouraged by what's written. Please do continue being passionate about what you're doing because it inspires us all. I myself am a keen follower of your blog. After reading I pay much more attention to what I use and the alternatives I can use in my daily life.

You're a source of motivation. Keep up the good work!

:)
Anonymous said…
This person seems to think the way things are today have always been so and always will be so and there's nothing we can do about it.

Not so! Look at how cities, states and even countries have now made smoking in public buildings illegal. Look at how the car industries balked at having to put seatbelts and airbags into cars, but which is now standard. Look at how humans didn't even have any synthetic plastics until Bakelite was invented in just the last century!

Now that the health and environmental hazzards of ubiquitous synthetic plastics are becoming known, we can and are starting to do something about it through our opinions and our purchasing power.

*We* make the world that we live in. I'm all for the ideas in your blog! You are an inspiration!
Anonymous said…
LOL your blog is life LESS plastic not life plasticless.
Some people need to get a life. If they are afraid of what they are doing to themselves and the world they shouldn't read your blog and get mad at someone who is trying to make a difference.
Anonymous said…
Okay, the comment is negative. But you have to admit, it's kind of funny too, no? Reminds me of all the negative comments I got from Fark.com not long ago. When I read them pretending they were about someone else (which really they were because these people don't know us personally) I actually had to laugh. Cheer up. You know who you really are.
Laura said…
I don't have a blog but if I did, I would have no problem with deleting trollish, enflamatory comments like This Commenter's. Dessention, questions, challenging the status quo; I'm all for these things. But lashing out at someone in such a nonconstructive way is just rude and unproductive.

Sure, every opinion deserves to be heard. But this is your venue. You decide what content is published here. This is not a public forum. Where This Commenters opinion can be heard, if you don't want to publish them, is on his/her own blog! Several sites let people blog for free, This Commenter can knock themselves out blogging angrily about everything.

Scalzi has some interesting thoughts on the subject.

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2008/07/25/another-entry-in-the-annals-of-people-who-havent-the-slightest-idea-what-theyre-saying/

http://whatever.scalzi.com/about/site-disclaimer-and-comment-policy/

In conclusion, you go girl. :) Keep on inspiring us and making us think. And surely don't feel bad about flicking some trolls off your back along the way.
Anonymous said…
That commenter had no idea what he is talking about. I think it is your blog and you can delete any comments you want.

Someone who posts like that only wants to bring you down, with no thought of how to have a true discussion.

I love your blog, all the steps you are taking, and how you inspire us all to live better.
Anonymous said…
This commenter illustrates the wisdom of the maxim "Better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you're stupid, then to open it and remove all doubt."
Anonymous said…
Speaking of being on computers I saw an ad the other day for a completely recyclable laptop. I think it was an apple? Pretty cool!
SJ said…
Wow, talk about missing the point entirely.
Juli said…
That person is saying much more about himself than he is about you. Boy, does he sound miserable.

Keep it up! You are a real inspiration and needed source of information!
Kate said…
Hi,

I very much enjoy your site and also realize that one can never make everyone happy, keep up your great work and your positive attitude. I write a general "green" blog and today talked about the plastic problem. I referenced your site as one of two "plastic free" sites I follow and have you listed under my "favorite" blogs. Thanks for all the great information!

Kate
http://katesgreenlist.blogspot.com/
Jeanne said…
Everyone, thanks so much for all your support. I really appreciate it and am happy to know that there are so many people out feel like I do--that we can all do our part in protecting the environment.

You guys are the best!
Laura said…
all I know is that because of you, and bloggers like you, I am gradually becoming more aware of the plastic in my life. Together, we can make a difference.
Anonymous said…
Hahaha, Pheas, perfect!

LLP, you and people like you (hi Beth!) are so inspiring. I'm glad you're not going to let this jerk get you down.
Anonymous said…
Your blog rocks and indeed that poster did miss the entire message of the idea of LESS plastic. He is right, there are so many unavoidable pieces of plastic out there, but if we start small...maybe someday they will all be avoidable?
Anonymous said…
Do not feed the trolls! Check this out from NPR. http://www.npr.org/blogs/inside/2008/12/i_had_a_long_conversation.html
melody said…
when i started looking into reducing plastic consumption (yours was the first site i found!), i came across a lot of plastic-lites who talk about not having "come out" to their friends and family, and i didn't understand how they felt entitled to use such a loaded term. but now i get it. it's because so many people out there will respond to your efforts with exactly that kind of unthinking, ignorant, and even offensive comment.

but that's all his comment is - not thought through, a common example of his own ignorance, and offensive to a degree that makes it not even worth considering.

i think you are doing a wonderful thing, and a wonderful job at it. ;)
Banba said…
I wonder why someone like this would even read this blog. It's life less plastic not life no plastic!
Anonymous said…
I am happy to have found your blog, as at our house, we, too, have been trying to buy things without buying plastic.

I've often had thoughts like Mr. Negative. Sometimes I have "black & white" or "all or nothing" thinking. "What's the use?" I'll tell myself, "Why inconvenience myself when it won't really matter?"

Well, even when discouraged, it does matter. It matters how I feel about myself, for one thing; when I live up to my values I feel better.

Plus, for me, it's easier to understand the importance of making sustainable choices when living in the countryside. In the city, our garbage & recycling was put at the curb every week and it disappeared. We didn't think much about it. Here in the country, we know exactly where it goes: some is recycled and the rest goes to the landfill a few miles away. Any toxins will leech into the groundwater and affect us directly.

Thanks for your blog! Great work!

E.
Anonymous said…
ps -
just wanted to add that I in no way agree with Mr Negative's hostility!! He is totally out of line there. I was just referring to the part about it being impossible to totally avoid plastic. It's true! But it shouldn't stop us from trying to change things.

Anyway, I just wanted to clarify my previous post; I do not support discourtesy or Mr Negative's old-fashioned ideas about women's roles. ugh.

thanks again,
E.
Anonymous said…
I normally find it best to not give negative attention to such misogynistic behaviors, though the pie idea sounds tasty. Do you think you could bring some recipes and/or leftovers to work? By the way, dig the blog! ~MB
Nerdcore Steve said…
I imagine this post spoken out loud in Eric Cartman's voice. :P "get in the kitchen and make me some pie!" OMG hilarious.
samiotic said…
What's really striking to me about this comment is how deeply and bitterly misogynistic it is. I just stumbled across your blog today, and I myself have been on a mission to reduce my plastics use, energy consumption and waste production lately. I've also been motivated to buy locally produced goods and practice sustainable self-sufficiency such as gardening, water conservation, composting etc.

My efforts have all seemed to coincide with a stronger sense of feminism and empowering women's roles in society. I think while some people are becoming more and more environmentally conscious and socially responsible, others are stubbornly resisting change as though we could possibly go on living the same kind of rabidly consumerist, ignorant lifestyle forever. I believe women have an important role to play in the transition to sustainable living, and that we shouldn't let insecure pricks with no foresight hold us back.
Anonymous said…
I just found your blog on a Yahoo news article, and so far I'm diggin it. As a female breadwinner working a "man's job" I'd like to tell the guy who wrote that to get back in the kitchen and make ME dinner. I wonder if he even realizes he made a joke with the "tupperware party" comment.
Anonymous said…
Wow--I sounds like someone is feeling quilty about the amount of plastic that THEY use.... and taking their anger on someone who is actually trying to make a difference.
Anonymous said…
This is the first time I encountered your site and I'm inspired. This guy with a bad comment may have overlooked the fact that you're advocating a Life LESS Plastic, not a Life SANS Plastic. Usually when people are out to get you, that means you're doing something that they wish they'd have thought of doing before. So take heart; he's just being green. Kudos to you! :)
Anonymous said…
that's pretty funny actually
Kathy said…
My husband sent me a link to your blog. WOW! I really like it and about the idiot who posted the negative comment, I have to agree with everyone else this guy is completely miserable and needs to really get a life! I say keep up the good work and everyone has to start somewhere. My husband and I have been trying to do something with regards to recycling, consuming less, using less plastic, anything that can make our planet a better place to live. You gave me some great ideas that I had not thought of. I am going to try making my own yogurt soon! I have the stuff to do it just need to take the time. Keep up the good work!
Anonymous said…
I hate to say it, but consider the plastic tubing used for IVs and various types of medical procedures. Plastic may have its down side, but it has the capacity to save lives.

I know this because it's saved mine.
JoebooSauce said…
I think that people like this, who get this upset, are upset because the simple act of doing something different challenges them. They are forced to question themselves and that makes them uncomfortable. And god forbid you make them uncomfortable! No one said doing the right thing was easy or comfortable (in this world).

So keep on doing what you are doing and create some discomfort by the simple act of being and doing right!
A. Clarke said…
I think that guy might be my father-in-law. My husband and I are constantly apologising for his behaviour.
Anonymous said…
Hm, could i join the mass of supporters. Someone expects you to be super-flawless, and does it in unpleasant agressive tone? This certainly is because (s)he her/himself is perfectly flawless, so cannot expect any less of others.

It's all understandable that you find it frustrating. That's what it is. Frustrating. You've been pickd by someone so that their anger and frustration can be poured on you, with no reasonable explanation.

Still, huge huge respects on my (and many others') behalf for your earth-friendly initiative, experimenting and blogging! Keep up!

v, from Hungary
Unknown said…
I just stumble upon your blog. The title is interresting enough to subscribe to RSS. The type of comment you exposed can be seen on most blogs who promotes alternate lifestyle. The commenter may taking himself seriously, or he's just an immature kid who want to make a prank. In either case, it's out of your control. It's out of my control. I simply acknowledge those things and move on to things I do have control.

As a newcomer, I only wish to find inspiration throught your articles.
Anonymous said…
Steel & Ink - love your comment!
tracirz said…
Oh please, you know you are awesome. =)
Liberation Sans said…
Dude reminds me of the occasional asshole passing by a simple street protest or a critical mass in his truck, yelling "Get a fuckin' job!!" (Actually happened, both times)

In my mind it translates to: "Waste your life like I did so I don't feel bad about myself!!"

Hey at least he's reading your blog!
Anonymous said…
This blog is called "Life Less Plastic" not "Life Sans Plastic." I fail to see any of the alleged hypocrisy.
Karen Fan said…
I thought someone who only criticize but haven’t ever doing something useful for others even for their ridiculous life is worthless for us to discuss, cause those people wouldn’t think positive. Never bother yourself by those negative people. Okay ^_^

Karen Fan
Anonymous said…
I totally love this blog and find the comments about Mr. Negative fascinating. Indeed, it sounds like he is deeply unhappy and bothered himself and was taking it out on you. Further, I found the lifesaving comment about IVs and other hospital materials involving plastic very interesting. It appears to me, like with most things, that moderation is the key. Life sans plastic would be difficult to conceive in this modern world, however, simultaneously choosing wisely when we include plastics in our lives is the goal (when we have such a choice w/o these choices consigning us to being a hermit out in the desert -- without water, too? I think not!)

Also--I think a meeting of the sexes is long overdue, where both will be baking that delicious pie. Women have a lot to offer in these troubled times, as do men. It does seem that women are often less recognized than men for their contributions. Publicly, at least.

Thank you for your activism! :)
I think when people have nothing better to do than post negative comments online, they have personal issues. They have some need to criticize another person to make themselves feel better, yet they probably aren't brave enough to do it anywhere but from behind the safety of their computer screen.
Anonymous said…
It's funny to me that some people are so anti-responsibility. It's not that as a society we need to abolish plastics all together, they have some very practical uses. I think the author of this argumentative comment has completely missed the point of on-line communities such as this and that is to find ways to eliminate frivolous use of disposable plastics when there are more environmentally sound alternatives. Perhaps I have not given him enough credit though, the blog title “Life LESS plastic” can clearly be confused for “abolish all plastic products or be tarred and feathered”.
Anonymous said…
Yeah, being positive always works better.

Thanks,
Karim - Positive thinking

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