Is Too Much Kindness a Bad Thing?
In my personal opinion, I have always found Steemit as a motivating, uplifting platform where writers and artists could publish their work in a constructive environment and find needed encouragement to keep up the good work.
Now in many ways this is still true, but has the eager lust to make a dollar also led to sugar coated words just to win over a vote?
As great as it is to receive praise for great work, I just can't help but wonder how much of it is sincere.
It Plays Both Ways:
We all get the "nice post" and "keep up the good work" comments and that in itself is worthy of rolling your eyes for, but we also get a lot of other positive commentary from time to time, in fact when was the last time you got some honest feedback or suggestions to improve on your posts? You see the way I see it, false praise that lacks constructive criticism does more harm than good as well as motivates lower quality work to persist in stead of growing to its full potential. While exceptional work gets lost in the ebb and flow.
A kind word really does go along way, but only when stated in sincerity.
I am not saying that people should start attacking posts, in fact if you cant say anything nice simply just refrain from saying anything in my opinion, but at the same time if you are going to give positive or constructive feedback, why not make it a sincere gesture...
So next time you are leaving a comment, ask yourself if your comment is really adding value to this platform or taking away from it.
Great post keep up the good work !
Would you like a napkin to wipe up that sarcasm dripping from your mouth?
Yes! Thank you.
//takes the napkin and folds it into an aeroplane, throws it into distance..
aeroplane crashlands 2 feet away //
After reading your post I was gonna write about how I agree with everything you say and so on, but realized I may as well write what I wrote.. and I will still fall into the "praising your post" category. So building on the fact that we know each other a little bit and to push the point that it's not about what specific words one uses but about what one really means, I proceeded to respond in the way I did.
And actually I was honest. I agree with your post. The same Ideas were inevitably circulating around my mind recently. You worded it perfectly. Something I am struggling with..
This time and day it is so important to express oneself accurately .. it is being a huge challenge for me to do so. Lacking words, metaphors, similes, opposites - well, the tools to express an idea.. and above all in a foreign language that English is to me after all. // excuses!?
We are so used to categorizing, putting into boxes rather than questioning.. for example you evaluated my comment as sarcasm(or did you?). But there was more than that hidden behind those words.
For example, If we were best friends you would be able to see into my mind and determine what I meant. If I was a total stranger, which would be the measures you would use to determine what I was trying to say? A Mirroring of your own experience of communication with others so far?
I am fighting for the rights of "Great post Keep up the good work" phrase to it's original true meaning.. it's becoming a Hitler's moustache..
Also I couldn't not write what I wrote (obviously) because the rascal / anarchist inside me had to have its way.
Emotions/spontaniety?
Since in Cyberspace you cannot see the facial expression, the body language, voice tone/emotional charge, accent=sign of mind localisation/configuration.. it makes the communication completely different. and we are encountering people from such different cultures, by default taking them as if they came from our own..And most of us are still learning something relatively new to mankind - that is how to communicate and interact only through written word.
Anyways, I hope you will understand what I'm trying to say here :D I have spent bit too long on this comment and my brain is shutting down :D have to leave it here..
corrected version 0.73
What you say makes loads of sense!
Nice Comment!
:D
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LOLOLOLOLOLOL !!!! that was just too stinking ironic hahahaha
I was going to comment a separate comment - but... i'll just put it here. LOL
How can we tell the sincerity of a comment? I hardly ever have time to check my Feed - so I usually just stick with my closest followers and read and comment. But today! I decided to check my feed and saw two of your posts at the top :)
It's crazy because 1. i'm uploading a video for Welcome Wagon today all about commenting. 2. talked to 3 people about the value and drawbacks of commenting - and then3. your post :)
I think... it's easy to see that the fake comments are fake. and we hope that the amazing comments are truly genuine.
It's the ones in the middle that might come with a pause. but.... like i said to my friend today... motivations will never be pure - ever. some people write comments for upvotes, some for attention, some for who-knows-what. LOL but even though the motivations may stink.... sometimes something beautiful comes out of it anyway :)
I say.... give and receive comments freely - and realize that true colors will show themselves in time anyway! hehehe
Such true words - I was just thinking as well in the sense of... you know the people going on those talent TV shows because everybody felt to bad to tell them they really cant sing...
But yes, what you are saying is true
You are so right here. I generally scroll on by if I don't like a post. If it's really bad, or I can see the writer is really trying, but something lacks, like image editing, or really terrible English, I will leave a (nice) comment, or if I know the person might even DM them.
I hope people would do the same for me
AMEN SISTER!!
I feel exactly the same
I couldn't agree, more! I would folk said nothing rather than some silly, inane comment. I think that this platform has to mature - a lot - but so do the members. I am having a round-and-round conversation with myself about what is quality content. It's so subjective, but I do have to agree with you about good, grammatical writing. I do think, though, that one has to cut second language writers some slack and I'm happy to do that if what they write is not drivel. I, too, will just scroll past. At the risk of sounding totally awful, I will also "unfollow" bloggers if their content isn't sufficiently engaging. That's not to say that every post must rock my socks.... This is also why I (and I speak for myself), would rather share a long post on, say, a weekly basis as opposed to something totally meaningless on a daily basis. And I made a faux pas this weekend, posting the same photo twice; human foibles accepted and forgiven - I hope!
I am referring more to giving undeserved praise, but yes I hear you.
@breezin 🙏
Awesome post, well said!
Thank you
I don't think kindness can ever be a bad thing or get too much if it's true kindness. If there are other insincere motives behind it then it's not kindness.
You are correct. Many people comment for sake of commenting and making a few cents. I don't criticise people's work in my comments but I stay frank with them. Instead of criticism, I over an alternative. I say how I perceive something that the author has written and at times it goes against the writer's notion but I'm always polite and thoughtful. That's my two cents in this pot.
Very well said!
Totally agree @breezin when taking the time to visit a post an honest answer, question, criticism is appreciated, no matter which comes first to mind.
I love the "which ever comes first to mind" part