Major Announcement

Due to recent events, I have decided to "suspend" all future "GenX Says" series posts.

Until further notice.

I wish to go on record saying that in no way am I celebrating the deletion of Amanda Welling's blog, Facebook account, Twitter account or Goodreads account, or any other account on any other social website they may have been a part of. 

Having lost my Goodreads account last year due to the attack on me by the bullies, I know first hand the feeling one gets when all of their hard work and efforts are taken down. Many forget that I had over 750 poems on my Goodreads account and about a dozen or more of the new poems I never saved and have lost them forever. 

However, I will say this much - that each of us have choices that we must make. When you decide to bully, harass, stalk, or otherwise attack someone on the internet, you put at risk everything you have worked for. This includes your reputation. 

Sure, it all seems to be harmless at first, and you may feel you have a right to say whatever you wish to say, and while that is basically true, there are limits. What you may think is legal and morally acceptable, others may not. I think what I am trying to say here is, don't put on the internet anything you would never say to someone's face. You're not as "anonymous" as you may believe you are. You can be traced. Everything on the internet, even if deleted, can still be located by authorities. 

My best advice is this: If it doesn't directly pertain to you, a situation that you see unfolding on the internet, then it might be best if you make the right choice to stay out of it, unless you wish to offer support. Things can easily get out of control and people may post something out of that emotion without thinking it through all the way and the next thing you know, you just became a cyber criminal. 

Even though this is still the internet, the last frontier of the old wild, wild west, and still relatively untamed and unmonitored, there are still laws of the land that need to be adhered to. Even on the world wide web, you're still not out of reach from the long arm of the law. 

Be nice. Be polite. Or be invisible. 

What has happened to Amanda Welling is very sad in my opinion. Though she brought it onto herself, my heart still goes out to her for some reason. I'm not even remotely relishing in any kind of victory what-so-ever, but instead, wishing that none of this would have occurred in the first place. It didn't have to be like this. I think now, even GenXpose blog is starting to understand this, and take to heart the results of our actions. (Based on their recent post)

Despite current events taking place, and what the future may bring for us all, it still comes down to one thing: Cyber bullying is wrong no matter how right you think you are in doing it. The best thing to do is what I was taught as a child. "If you have nothing nice to say to someone, then perhaps you shouldn't say anything at all."

Let's just all try to get along. And if by chance we can't, then maybe we should just ignore each other and move on with our lives.

Does this mean I won't defend myself in the future? No! I will always defend myself in the future. The thing is, I just wish I didn't have to defend myself. I wish those who choose to attack me wouldn't place me in that uncomfortable position to have to make that choice. When it comes to walking away or defending myself, I will always choose defense. Always!

I'm Carroll Bryant .... and this is The Looking Glass.