Anousheh Ansari “the first woman to buy her own ticket to space” wrote yesterday I couldn’t sleep:
I will continue my blog for now until I get too drained by the negativity to write…Thank you to those who have been encouraging me, and to those whom I disappointed, I hope your action will make up for your disappointment in me…
Her writing shows her sensitivity to other’s opinion.
Anousheh gives us all a great gift by sharing her experiences.
I feel sad that she is first exposed to the unrestrained venom of people on the Web. It is sad that to participate on the web you have to develop a thick skin.
I am sadder still for the people that judge others and actions lack respect. I am sorry when I do the same.
technorati tags:blogging, communicating, humanity, collaborating, the Web is a magnifying glass, anousheh, Anousheh Ansari, Space Blog
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4 Comments
Actually there was hardly any venom at all. Only a small percentage expressed the opinion that she should do something else with her money, and they obviously hadn’t read anything, just saw something on TV and went to the first comment form to vent. Most of the venom is now being expressed by people who think the blog is only for the adoration of Anousheh and it’s some kind of sacrilege to not be overwhelmed or have a few questions. I think she was just sad about being back on Earth so soon and finding 8000 new comments on her blog. Wouldn’t you be?
Robin, you are correct, most of the comments I read were very supportive. Still I read some that seemed judgemental and lacking respect. It definitely is a larger conversation than what many are used to, but it is sad that to participate on the web you have to develop a thick skin.
Some of the comments were attacked by the rah-rah crowd simply because they dared to challenge the hype surrounding the entire event. Those comments were neither negative nor judgemental, but rather simply affronted the naive sensibilities of the masses who had their newest celebrity and wouldn’t accept any questioning of the actual historical value of the trip itself.
Also, by the way, Anousheh may have been reacting to second-hand reports of comments that never appeared in the blog but were deleted in moderation.
And indeed, the adoring masses did go a little overboard defending their dear space heroine.
Lucky Shubber has such a crusty hard shell.