I shouldn't be surprised. I'm talking about posting things for public viewing and people's reactions.
Probably one of THE most satisfying things I do on this site is to once a day select a music video for the STUFF box in the middle of the front page. I try to pick something that's really beautiful, incredible, wonderful, delicious, romantic...
I mostly rely on memory, trying to think of my favorite songs and then searching them on YouTube hoping to find a video there.
This was a fun, private process. But I'm getting emails from people telling me they are absolutely sure this or that video is about them, or about me, or about the revolution... And they're completely off the mark. Now I have to worry about who might react to what song and I actually won't post certain songs because I know I'll probably get into trouble.
Still, I can't/shouldn't complain. The truth is that every song does remind me of someone or some period of my life. For instance for today's video -- Moby's "Porcelain [1]" -- I put a disclaimer that it's not about anyone. Meanwhile I listened to it again, and realized it very much reminds me of someone in particular.
When there is no disclaimer or explanation or dedication, people will make their own assumptions. When you and I share something with the public, we have to be ready for all sorts of reactions. People have their own sincere reasons for reacting the way they do. Nothing should really surprise us.
A poet faced a similar problem. Her poetry about lovers and affairs and intimate moments have caused such a stir on this site that some readers have thought she's writing about them. She was so worried she asked me to delete some of her poems.
I hate deleting anything. You cannot stop expressing yourself just because some people might get confused. Look at it this way: You are striking a chord, you are relevant, you are touching people. Correct them if they misunderstand your intentions, but don't go into hiding!
Now that I have gotten this off my chest, I look forward to my next video pick. Enjoy and dream on!
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Links:
[1] //www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1Fcaro25Ek