It's been an interesting week. Checking my messages on Monday I notice I'd received some comments on my blog. Always nice to see what people are thinking is my thought as I then read some scathing rant about putting down 6 year-olds named Forrest, along with a lot of name-calling. I'm completely dumb-founded as to what this all about, and it comes from a few different sources, so I'm really confused. I try to ignore it, thinking people will just say weird things about my art when given the chance.
Cut to Wednesday, and I get a letter from someone who shows me the link to a letter from a father posted on a forum on CBR, about how I was at a show the previous weekend, and made fun of a six-year old kid. I was floored! Worse, since it'd been up for a few days, a number of people had gotten on the hatin' band-wagon, and my name was being thrown threw the wringer. I immediately wrote to the forum and told my side of the story... First, I hadn't been to any show any time recently. Secondly, I've never even met the other artists named in the letter. Thirdly, and probably most importantly, I would never do the things that were described by this father in his letter.
Shortly thereafter, I started seeing apologies from some of the other posters on the forum. Someone was even able to track down that the event probably happened at a show in Canada, outside of Toronto. One person's blog even said I was at this show. Soon though, it becomes clear that it was Richard PACE that was at the show, not me. By the next day the headline read that I did NOT mock a six-year old, I'd received a letter from Richard explaining his side of what happened at the show, and also received a letter of apology from the owner of the store sponsoring the show for the misunderstanding, which was very kind indeed.
To date, however, I have NOT received a letter of apology from the father, who instigated the whole thing to begin with.
I do find it very disturbing though, to see now first-hand, how quickly one's reputation can be so quickly and wrongly tarnished on the internet. Stories and rumours can be started and passed along so quickly these days, unsubstantiated, that it can make mind blur. In a matter of hours my name was being trashed through at least 2 (that I know of) sites, and I was receiving hate mail, all the while having no clue whatsoever as to what was going on.
So, be careful out there, surfers of the web. Don't believe everything you read, (tempting I know!) and don't be too quick to judge.
Now, time to get off my soapbox, and next time I'll get back to the business of what this blog is supposed to be about: posting sketches.
PS- I do want to thank the number of people that WERE supportive of me through this odd little experience. Definitely made it easier to take!
