The world is a dangerous place

Just taking a break from doing the hoovering - it's my turn this weekend.

It's been a funny old week hasn't it? Everything seemed to be going so well as we basked in the sunshine under a cloudless Blogland sky. And then out of nowhere some unpleasant black clouds drifted across the sun.

It seemed to start over on the blog of The Publishing Contrarian when someone took exception to receiving an e-mail that the PC routinely sends out to announce her latest posts. The objection, in comment form, contained the most abusive language imaginable. Even I was shocked.

Then, just yesterday, I learned that a fellow blogger was being bombarded with nasty e-mails and comments. I'm glad to say her fellow bloggers rapidly rallied round in her support. Shit happens of course, but it's no joke when it happens to you.

Of course the world is a dangerous place and the veneer of civilsation is very, very thin. Whether its genocide, or racism, sectarianism, paedophilia, rape, torture or a million other acts of cruelty, the evil goes on. We can win wars, civilise continents, build our nuclear deterrents. It makes no difference. There will always be evil people out there.

Oddly enough when you enter Blogland you step right out into the front line where the barbarians are waiting at the gate. And because bloggers routinely expose their very souls to the world and his wife they are peculiarly vulnerable. Anyone and everyone can fire a hate-tipped arrow at their heart.

Actually, I think this is no bad thing. We in Blogland shouldn't live in a make-believe castle surrounded by an unbridgeable moat. We're part of the real world and just like in the real world you can't always cross the road to avoid trouble. Helps to put things into context too. There are many things worse in the world than receiving the occasional rejection slip from some fusty old publisher.

The war between good and evil will always go on. The good news is, we'll win in the end. If we stick together.