This is absolutely something I believe in, at least in regards to Hubski and other such communities. That said I delete things with impunity from my Twitter but that's often because I get drunk and tweet complainy, embarrassing things about boys. And I mean embarrassing in a juvenile sort of way, in a "It doesn't really matter" sort of way, as opposed to times when I have - yes - embarrassed myself here. Those times are infrequent but they have happened and even recently. b_b I have had posts on Hubski I have thought about deleting and I have decided to let them stand because sometimes, I am an idiot. Sometimes I make a fool of myself, sometimes I lower myself to the lowest denominator in the conversation, sometimes I take the bait. In addition sometimes I bait people with arguments I know they will jump on, and take the more fallacious or foolish point of view. I can justify this by saying "I enjoy making this argument and if this person takes the other side it just forces me to fully vet and develop my point of view" but it is still an ugly conversational tactic. I would say to let it stand as a monument to what you may now find to be a poor decision. Let us live with our shame and maybe try to learn from these experiences. Of course, you and I are both going to take from our misguided posts what we will - but we also know that they were observed and have an impact in the community besides just the person that we responded to. Sometimes you have to live with the shit you do. You might log onto Hubski the next morning and feel embarrassed. In a way that's social policing at work, using the term "policing" as a neutral although it may sound like a negative. (Social policing is something I have thought about a lot.) I think that the word "faggot" is loaded and should not be used. But once it has been used, deleting it is only an attempt at a cover-up. We should own up to our least flattering moments. We should have to.2.) I'd already put it out into the world. I am a big believer that when you say things, they don't go away,
Ah, no, you misinterpret. I have embarrassed myself on Hubski recently and you had subtly referenced it. Here is my recanting. Edited to say, here are my big girl pants. I promise not to lead any more people on Hubski into arguments where I know they will take what I consider to be the "wrong" side just so that I can rip into them and tell them how wrong they are.
Oh you're talking about the PM in which I said that I wouldn't deface the wall here by crying and spitting fire. For the record, I did not subtly reference your earlier comment that you linked in your reply. It hadn't even crossed my at the time. It's just my philosophy based on the fact that I've never been interested enough in an internet fight to actually let someone get under my skin. I wasn't trying to call you out. Do as you please, so long as you keep doing it well.