Here’s the scoop…

Ok, people, I need you to bear with me a few minutes, cause this might get long. After thinking things over, and reading the comments left, I really want to clarify a few things regarding the Chicken Liver  / Margalit situation.

First, and most important, I wish Chick no harm. Her personal life is of no interest to me, and I can’t imagine why anyone would be invested enough in an internet scandal to wish ill on her in real life.

I will, however, say I’m not surprised this has happened. And I don’t think she should be surprised, either. You can’t run what is basically a hate site, and expect no repercussions. I’m surprised it was Margalit who did the deed, but if it weren’t her, I’m positive someone else eventually would have done it. I’m even more sure since Margalit apparently had help, someone Chick knew must have outed her to Margalit. If Margalit hadn’t taken the bait, another blogger would have. It wouldn’t have been hard to out Chick, and remain anonymous about it. Even though I don’t wholly agree with what she’s done, I have to give Margalit some credit for doing it herself, rather than leaking it anonymously. You know there will be repercussions for her, too.

I don’t understand what result Margalit is anticipating, though. The info is out there, sooner or later, everyone will know it. Is this going to stop the harrassment Margalit has spoken of? Will Chick close her blog? I don’t think it’s going to matter a whole hell of a lot. Even if, and I don’t think this will be the case, but even if Chick closed Poop on Peeps, that’s not going to stop people from talking shit about blogs, and bloggers, they don’t like. Trust me, I can see it in my search referrals every day. People are constantly searching for info, and common minds. Most of the comments Chick gets are from people who landed at her door while searching for popular bloggers. I’ve had searches the last two days looking for Margalit’s real name. I get a total crapload of searches for Pioneer Woman, her husband, “A-list bloggers” “popular mommy blogs”, the list goes on. People will always find somewhere to band together with like minds.

I also want to make it clear to all who read this – I did not ask for this info. Yes, I posted about the Chick/Margalit drama, and stated pretty openly my feelings, or lack thereof, for Chick. However, there was ZERO communication between Margalit and myself about Chick, or anything else. Margalit said, in a comment here, that her Twitter is protected, and therefore only those she knows and trusts could get the update. I’m not sure how well she knows the 600+ followers she has, but clearly, she does not know me, nor does she have any reason to trust me. She further commented that I was the only one she gave info to, other than her Twitter followers. Other comments here, and elsewhere, reference others getting the same info. I don’t know, and I don’t care. Even if no one but Twitter followers got it, that’s still over 600 people. By now, those 600 have told another 600, and so on.

One concern I’m having with this situation is whether to trust the veracity of the info Margalit is passing about. In reality, I don’t know Margalit, and she doesn’t actually know Chick. At this point, it’s a crapshoot. It could all be a moot point, the info may be wrong. I don’t think it is, reading the archives of the old site, it’s pretty much the same kind of crappy writing, riddled with typos and glaring grammatical errors. I believe it’s right, but what the hell do I know?

I don’t know – Margalit claims Chick outed her a while back, but she hasn’t said where. She’s commented here three times today, but hasn’t addressed the questions posed to her here. I do know I read last week sometime a comment from Chick saying she wouldn’t allow Margalit’s name, or her children’s, to be published. Honestly, I think it’s a load of crap – she can’t do that on her site, even if she wanted to. She’s spent a couple of years bitching about people who would do that. To me, this doesn’t mean Chick wouldn’t do it, just not on her blog.

So, armed with the knowledge I have, what am I to do with it? I don’t think I will be publishing it here. At least not right now. I’m sure it will be very public knowledge soon, and I can’t promise never, but I won’t be the one to do the deed. That is NOT to say, however, that I won’t publish info I come across about Chick, without revealing identifying information. I’ve certainly never heard of her before, and I doubt many readers would have known her old site. I have read the archives of the old site, and there are issues there, absolutely. Things aren’t quite as she’s portrayed them, to me. I’ve also come across other links to the real Chick online, and there’s interesting stuff there, too. Certainly, I find it interesting, especially when it contradicts the holier than thou front she puts up on Poop on Peeps.  Unfortunately, this means I will have to do some reading of Chick’s Poop archive, make sure I’m not misunderstanding some of these issues. Stay tuned, and I will tell you what I can, when I can.

I’m loving getting your opinions in the comments, so please weigh in and tell me how you feel about the situation. It’s kind of shaky ground, and I’d love to know how you all think it should be handled.

Chicken Liver’s Real Name

Ok, folkies. I’m sure I’m not the only one, but I got an e-mail from Margalit this afternoon, outing Chicken Liver. She gave me the info she says is Chick’s, including name, married name, and old blog names, but my question is how the hell do you know what’s true? Margalit has not said how she knows who chick is, nor given any info that can be confirmed.

Margalit has passed this info out on Twitter today, too. I’m sure it will spread like wildfire. But I’m not sure about it. How do you know what’s true? And what should we do with this info? Tell me, tell me. Do you care? Should we care? How many of you also got this info?

EDITED TO ADD: Ok,so the name Margalit gave me – I looked it up, and what do you know? Our Chick seems to have been skewered by another blog a few years ago, remarkably like Chick has done with Poop on Peeps. And what do you know? Chick had a habit of oversharing (gasp!!!!) about her kid!!! This is getting good, y’all!!

Unnecessary Roughness

It’s no secret, I suppose, that I don’t have much liking for  Poop on Peeps Chicken Liver. I totally agree with alot of what’s said there, particularly in the comments. There’s just something about that Chick that rubs me wrong. Creeps me out a little. Her writing is freakin’ ridiculous. The way she interprets other blogger’s. Come on – somebody  admit it. She puts a fucked up spin on everything. Her hate for Dooce is wildly, incredibly intense. Don’t tell me it’s about concern for Dooce’s kid. No way. It’s way deeper than that.  

Now Chick has found a new blogger to pick on, this time it’s Kristen Chase of Motherhood Uncensored. She’s gone way over the line this time, though. Her complaint with MU is that Kristen posted about her son, and his obsession with farts. Chick’s rant is about Kristen’s use of the phrase “tiny little asshole”. She thinks it’s is a sexual word, and Kristen put her child in danger by referring to her son’s. Never mind we all have one.  

The most horrifying part of Chick’s rant is when she accuses Kristen of having a sexual fascination with her son. Now, I don’t know about y’all, but I would go ballistic if that were me. She may as well call her a child molester and pervert. A sexual fascination? Yes, it does take a sick mind to see it that way. Or a coldhearted bitch looking for traffic. You decide.

I think Chick’s real problem with Motherhood Uncensored is that Kristen is known for posting alot about sex. But to suggest a sexual fascination? That’s fucked up. Sorry, but it is.

Salacious, she calls it. She’s even kind enough to define salacious as lustful and lecherous, obscene and grossly indecent. The MU post certainly wasn’t in the least bit lustful, nor lecherous. Obscene and grossly indecent? Hardly- it was about farts, people! But Chick’s entry? Definately grossly obscene. Crossing lines that can’t be uncrossed.

Isn’t exploitation exploitation no matter who is the exploiter is? If Kristen Chase is exploiting her son with this post (and I don’t think she is), isn’t Chick exploiting said child as well? Isn’t she actually doubly guilty of this offense, considering that it is she, and not Kristen who is referring to sexual behaviour with this child? If Dooce is exploiting her child by writing about her and making money, how is it different when Chick writes about Dooce’s kid? Someone please explain that twisted logic to me.

Sorry, but I’m not buying this Caped Crusader routine. It freaks me out that so many of her readers seem to fall for it. Oh, I know there’s been a couple here and there that take her on, but it’s not many, and they disappear after a few weeks. Attributing any altruistic motives to Chick seems wrong, makes me feel skeevy just thinking about it. 

What’s your take? Do you think her motives are as pure as she claims?

A Culture of Blogging Fear?

 

With personal blogs having become such a raging phenomenon, it seems blogger’s have come together in ways I never would have expected. Sure, people have always found a way to connect online, but this is unprecented levels of real world interaction.  Conferences, conventions, symposiums, panels, there’s a feeling of perpetual networking snaking it’s way through the blogging world. Attendance at BlogHer has become a badge of honour, with attendee’s seeming to gain credibility and status.

There’s a clearly emerging blogging heirarchy, more particularly amongst the mommy blogger crowd. It’s like high school – the A-lister’s are the cheerleaders, and everyone else wants to be like them, or plots to bring them down. The A-lister’s band together somewhat, and are fast and furious with a scathing rebuttal should one of their own come under unflattering scrutiny. The Her Bad Mother and The Daily Blonde boob controversy is a great example. The slapdown offered to The Daily Blonde by HBM’s fans was phenomenal in scope. With little provocation, as TDB didn’t name HBM to begin with.

For readers, commenting is like navigating through a minefield. One misstep, and BAM! you’re a goner. I’m far from a serial commentor, but if I were to choose to voice a dissenting opinion on most of the popular blogs, I would only do so anonymously. I learned the hard way how fast adoring fans can become vengeful trolls when they perceive their favourite blogger is under attack, no matter how innocuous the “attack” may be. The continuing success of Poop on Peeps can be attributed to the frustrations of readers unable to voice their true opinions to bloggers. 

This post  is an interesting read, as well. Rancid Raves makes good points about fearing the wrath of  popular, powerful bloggers.  For me, it’s one of the reasons I choose to start this blog. What I have written here, I never would have dared write on my own blog. Sure, this is simply a place for me to bitch and get over it, but I wouldn’t have bitched like this on my other blog. Apparently, I’m a bitch with a keen instinct for self-preservation.

We, as readers, have created the monsters we now want to cage. Those blogs you love to hate? The blogger’s you can’t stay away from, regardless how much you don’t care for their writing? Their stats still go up every time you click and every time the stats go up, these blogger’s are taking your click as affirmation that all is well, and their A-list status solidifies. It’s like the Dooce experience – one of the best known bloggers, through the roof stats and income, and yet, Dooce is widely hated. Go figure.

Have we developed a culture of fear amongst this warm and fuzzy blogging community? Have you found yourself hesitant to voice your true thoughts online?