So Starry and some Perth bloggers met up with Kenny Sia on Saturday night. She had asked me if I wanted to go and I said, “I didn’t get invited, go for what?” And then I was surprised to hear that Kenny mentioned my name and that could have been due to a few things: one critical post about him, or two about XiaXue. Turns out it’s the XiaXue one about the toilets for the disabled. I’m sibei influencial eh?

And as I knew it would happen, Starry got quizzed on XiaXue. Hahah! She said that I’m lucky to not have went because I would have been quizzed about it too. I would have relished it! Bring it ON! Which brings us to this post and some things that are continually being spewed forth by certain “blogebrities” (UGH!) and they are:

  • If you don’t like it, don’t read it.
  • Blogging should not be taken so seriously.

These two things do sound like logical arguments but they are very lazy ones.

First of all, blogs are a public medium. It doesn’t matter if it’s their first time chancing upon the blog or not, ppl will react to something that they feel strongly about. If you don’t like public reaction, don’t blog it. If you put it on a blog, it’s fair game. Just like I’m fair game for writing this right now. Come back to me with a sensible argument and I will discuss it intelligently.

Otherwise I’d ignore it and so should you “popular” bloggers. If you don’t like criticism, don’t blog. Otherwise if you blog, don’t whinge and whine about the reaction. Especially when you choose to blog about controversial topics. And you know what? Not everyone likes you - GET OVER IT.

Second, unless yours are the ilk of Jeff Ooi’s, or those that provide a voice for those without a voice, I agree that blogs should not be taken too seriously. There are things of far greater importance in this world than our little online diaries (yes that’s what they are - cringe on it all you want but it’s the truth). However when a blog is the only thing that we have to know the person by, it’s inevitable that ppl will form an impression in their minds who that person is based on just their blogs.

They say that communication is 80% non-verbal. Strip away all that and you have “static” words. Words carry an exaggerated importance in the absence of non-verbal cues. So it is prudent that words are chosen carefully because sometimes we cannot tell by mere words if you are being sarcastic or not. Without body language and the tone of voice, words are all we have to construe the meaning.

Third, I agree with Starry wholeheartedly about criticising XiaXue. We don’t criticise her for the sake of it, or because she’s XiaXue. We criticise her for the things that she writes. If it were anyone else and I had seen what they wrote, I’d criticise them just the same. Please give us some credit.

Kenny also mentioned something about “bloggers aren’t politicians” and that “it gets disheartening to see people put you down”. Just because bloggers aren’t politicians, it doesn’t mean that we can’t be held accountable for what we say. The recent sedition case in Singapore only proves this point. So once again, we bloggers aren’t all that but WORDS MATTER.

With regards to XiaXue, ppl put her down because *on her blog* she comes across as shallow, callous and insensitive, and sometimes highly contradictory. I’m sure she’s different and nice in person. But if she doesn’t want to be put down then she should reassess her writing because that’s all we got to know her by. Believe it or not I was once a fan too.

As an intelligent person yourself Kenny, surely you can see the real reasons why she copped so much sh*t right? Because I have more respect for you than one of her fanboys that hold on to this thought as though it was gospel:

Stick up for me and I might just let you stick it up me baby.

Right or not?