Spoiled Brat Can Dish It Out
But, apparently can't take it. I wrote to an acquaintance who posts at Huff Po, and discovered that bloggers there approve their own comments. So, it looks like movie director David O. Russell deleted my comment defending councilman Bill Rosendahl and criticizing for what a big spoiled brat he was being with his post.
I'm upstate and we're leaving to come back down soon, so I don't think I can reconstruct my comment now, but here's my original post about this, and here's another comment I sent this morning to be deleted by David O. Russell:
It seems posters here approve their own comments. I wrote to another HuffPo blogger who's a friend, who told me that.So, David, you cut my comment (and how many others?) simply because you didn't agree with it? Or because I didn't kiss your semi-famous ass? That's pretty disgusting.
It's all free speech all the time over at my site -- http://www.advicegoddess.com -- even when somebody posts the rudest stuff criticizing me. It's a freedom I value in our society -- and I replicate it on my own site. I'll try to reconstruct what I wrote on my own blog -- unfortunately, I didn't know you were such a big baby, or I would've saved what I posted.
Wondering why Russell has only six comments on his post? Probably because a lot of people said stuff like I did about what a spoiled baby he was, and about his using Huff Po as a platform to rail against some (probably junior) aide to Rosendahl, instead of simply getting somebody on the phone who knew about the project.
For the record, Rosendahl is one of the good guys -- trying very hard to alleviate traffic problems in Los Angeles. For example, the Venice Paper link I posted in my original comment to David O. Russell:
Councilman Bill Rosendahl announced an all-encompassing traffic plan today, designed to alleviate Westside gridlock in both the short and long term. Rosendahl’s initiative lays the ground work to turn light rail on Lincoln Boulevard into a reality within 10-15 years. The route would run from LAX to Santa Monica.
Why is Rosendahl's name on some project that's snarling traffic in Brentwood? Chances are, he's trying to improve things. Oh, are the likes of David O. Russell and a handful of other rich Hollyweasels inconvenienced for six months? Boo frigging hoo.
UPDATE: Somebody in the know just suggested to me that it's actually (probably) Huff Po editors who are worried about offending Arianna's famous friends who deleted it:
here's how i think it works:for "celebs" asked to post, they send their piece in
and it's posted for them. the celeb never actually
writes it on the huffington post, or is "backstage" to
see comments. The comments are approved by an editor.
Because editors are fearful of upsetting arianna's
friends, or dissuade future celebs from agreeing to
participate - they will not put up critical comments
(I dont have proof of that - its just from a year or
so of observation). but i think most problems with
posting/not posting comments is also just because no
one is there to approve them.
i'm sure russell wasn't there to read them.
Russell was dumb for going off all Me! Me! Me! about a traffic problem. Let him feel the results.
It's not QUITE free speech 24/7 here on your blog. I had a comment deleted some months back because I posted a link to a relevant topic on my own blog, and you got all indignant that I was somehow trying to siphon traffic from the oh-so-influential Advice Goddess blog. I think via email you later realized you'd over-reacted, but I wasn't sure from your tone, which wasn't exactly apologetic.
Which is why I haven't posted since. But this seemed relevant.
There, that's my airing of grievances -- Happy Festivus, everyone!
Franko at December 21, 2006 11:35 AM
There's a difference between blog comments and blog spam posing as comments -- free speech versus piggybacking on my server costs and other costs to grab free advertising. No, you cannot use my blog to advertise yours. The topic, if I remember it correctly, was not relevant, I believe I wrote to tell you you couldn't use my site to advertise yours, and I would very kindly not charge you the posted price for putting up spam on my site. In other words, you lucked out.
That said, people have posted here saying I'm a moron and look like I must have a dick in my pants. That stuff I don't delete, so don't say I'm not a free speech site. I'm simply not a chump. Pay for advertising, don't try to get it free of charge from me. It's bad manners, and if you do it again, I'll invoice you and sue you in small claims court for the money if you don't pay.
Amy Alkon at December 21, 2006 3:59 PM
Price posted here: http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2004/05/want_to_adverti.html
Amy Alkon at December 21, 2006 4:02 PM
And your last email reply to me here:
"It looks like it was relevant, but your link didn't come out - was all I saw in my MT software for some reason - because I don't have live HTML on my site so spammers can't be helped by me. Sorry. I've been a little overworked and I think I looked too fast at your post. I'm deluged by spam and mad as a wet hen about it. Still, I prefer that people just write in my comments - that's perfectly describable without links. I don't delete posts, typically, unless they're spam - even if people say I'm an ugly ho, etc. Totally for free speech. Just not going to pay to advertise others' blogs."
So now that's twice on your blog I've been unfairly accused of being a bolg-spammer.
Your boyfriend must be the most patient and forgiving man in the world.
Franko at December 21, 2006 4:30 PM
Again, I don't delete posts because I don't agree with them. Sometimes, due to the vast spam load I get, a comment is erroneously deleted. Your intellectual dishonesty on this point -- in claiming I'm actually not a free speech site -- is not appreciated.
And if I accidentally deleted a comment, and didn't remember your tiny little beef with me, my apologies.
My boyfriend's a great guy, so I don't do anything to him I'd need to apologize for. In fact, in the four years we've been together, I've never even said a harsh word to him. He doesn't deserve it. How about you leave him out of it? Or were you short on cheap, low blows this evening?
Amy Alkon at December 21, 2006 5:43 PM
Thanks for the heartfelt apology.
All I'm saying is you seem to go out of your way to drive away people who actually want to like you -- and you'd assume that would include anyone that reads your blog and tries to participate.
This may not be unrelated to the problems you have getting into the LA Times and other publications. Advice columnist, heal thyself!
Anyhoo, I know better than to get in a pissing match with a professional writer on her own blog, so I'm outta here -- besides, I don't want to risk being invoiced by you, or worse.
The Airing of Grievances is officially over -- we now move on to the Feats of Strength!
Franko at December 21, 2006 6:08 PM
My goal in life isn't to be liked by other people but to be liked by me.
I'm not in the LA Times because I pissed off a bunch of feminists when I wrote a joke about my own breasts in my pink Ram lber piece, and then, John Carroll told me, because I had the gall to continue to send the features editors my stuff (like it isn't an editor's job to take pitches): "It'll be a long time before her breasts are in the paper again," they told my editor.
Also, they tend to be rather humorless there and seem to have a thing against writers who have personality in life. (They tried to axe Patt Morrison a few years back.) I'm in about 130 papers now; I can't suck all that badly.
And the only people who get invoiced, again, are those who use my blog to post links advertising their sites. Not acceptable.
Amy Alkon at December 21, 2006 10:16 PM
This reminds of an incident a few years back on safesearching.com, a celebrity meet your fans website, started by Alyssa Milano's functionally illiterate, stupid bitch of a mother, Lin. It seems comic book artist, John Byrne, who drew "Fantastic Four" back in the 80's, weighed in on their casting choice for Sue Storm (aka The Invisible Woman) in the movie version, who was played by Jessica Alba.
Byrne, it seems, feels that Mexican women (Alba is only Mexican on her father's side, by the way) with their hair dyed blonde (Sue Storm is blonde) look like whores.
When some of his more politically correct fans took umbrage at this and posted their outrage at safesearching.com, they found their posts were removed from the site within one day. Apparently, John Byrne is something of an ornery curmugeon who feels he has a right to his opinion and none of his fans has the right to disagree with it.
Regarding what you undoubtedly think is my harsh assessment of Lin Milano, she formed safesearching.com, along with Cyber-trackers, the latter formed basically to harass innocent webmasters. It seems Alyssa's younger brother Cory found some pictures on the internet of his sister's nude work (although why Cory was clicking on links that undoubtedly said, "Click here to see YOUR SISTER naked!" is beyond me). The outraged Lin then began a vigorous campaign of harassment of all those who dared post those pictures. Unfortunately, she set her sights on a perfectly innocent webmaster, Robert Novak, who ran a tasteful Alyssa Milano fan site. Their email exchange is here.
Now, I don't kinow about you, but if I were a celebrity and I found a tasteful fansite dedicated to me at a private individual's own time and expense (Alyssa's is here.), you can be damned sure my mother wouldn't be stupid enough to conduct a cyber-war against it. In Alyssa's place, I'd be paying a visit to Mommy dearest between shootings of "Charmed." "Hi, Mom! Don't mind the ax on my shoulder. I just need to see the computer for a minute." SMASH! "Thanks, Mom. I'll call you later. Love you! Bye!"
Patrick at December 22, 2006 12:17 AM
That is pretty damn dumb!
Amy Alkon at December 22, 2006 12:27 AM
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