Bloggers and Alcohol
Sometimes I'm ashamed to be associated with poker bloggers. The personal attacks against Michael Craig for his concerned post about drunken bloggers are the type of thing that shame me.
Here is the post in question: PokerWorks
Mr. Craig doesn't use anyone's name. He is not intentionally trying to humiliate anyone. I don't even know who he is talking about. I didn't really care who it was until all these bloggers started attacking Michael about it. Now I'm curious who all these bloggers feel so protective about. She must be hot.
Let's face it. One person got so drunk she was actually discovered by paramedics passed out in the bathroom. Another surrendered her battle with sobriety so she could "drink with the bloggers." If you see that and just laugh it off without being concerned, I'm worried your humanity.
It is a well known fact that many people attend these blogger events for the sole purpose of drinking with friends. Some fully intend to drink to EXCESS. That's a scary thought. It's been said several times that if you are a gambler and you don't think about addiction, you are a fool. If you're a drinker, I think the same is true.
While I'm no tea totaler, I'm also not a very big drinker. I honestly think I am a bit too careful about alcohol, but I'd rather err on the side of caution.
But some of the drinking that goes along with the blogger events is EXTREME. It can make me feel uncomfortable reading about it. I totally understand Michael's unease in actually witnessing it.
Nobody is blaming bloggers for what a few people do when they're impaired. But bloggers definitely encourage people to drink, and I think that is something to be very careful with. Bloggers tend to glorify excessive drinking. A lot of it is creative license. But in reality, that's a very scary subject.
Craig is absolutely not making fun of anyone. He's showing concern about a serious issue. And if you try to get serious when bloggers are trying to have fun, get ready to be attacked.
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19 comments:
I tend to agree with you. I'm not the biggest Michael Craig fan to begin with, but I thought that this was a pretty cool quote from Craig regarding the boozing:
"This was a great group of people, but what I had initially passed off as eccentric behavior was, I think, something more serious, at least for some of my new friends."
I'm sure he would have been referring to me in that group as I have a long love affair with alcohol, but he seemed to show some genuine concern.
Very well said. The outrage over what Michael Craig said is beyond retarded. I'm more outraged that I may be associated with someone that is fucking stupid enough to disregard an actual drinking problem just to hang out like the "cool" bloggers. That is the disgusting part, not what Mr. Craig wrote down about what he observed from this mentally weak person.
I guess I have written some unflattering things about people.. but if I am concerned about someone I dont splash it on my blog, I talk to the person.
All he wants is the "exciting" splash line. It seems like his entire purpose in life is to make friends with people, find out something juicy about them, and then publish it. To me that makes him an asshole.
Mr. Objective chimes in.
I don't think he's revealing any secrets. Other people posted about the woman passing out in the bathroom like it was FUNNY.
If someone wanted to post something just to be "exciting," I'm thinking of something better they could post about...
Geesh, for once in my life I have to agree with Waffles.
Yes, if someone you are concerned about has a problem that you see, then is it not better to address them personally, rather than "splash" it on your blog for everyone to see?
Yes, he didn't mention any names, but enough people were present to know who he was talking about in both instances.
True concern and "attention-getting" are two different stories. Gossip gossip gossip...I would expect more from a guy who attempts to pride himself on being a writer.
Maybe he should start writing soap opera episodes for the large networks.
It's really cute how everyone wants to speculate about the situation. In reality - the person in question didn't relapse because the "cool bloggers" came to town. Check your facts before you guys all mouth off about shit you don't know anything about.
Michael Craig was privvy to private information and decided to exploit it on his blog - that's fucked up.
He gained some trust and then needed some writing material - so he let it out.
You may not know who he was talking about - but I think that every blogger that was in Vegas knows.
Whatever - everyone's going to have an opinion so it's really pretty useless.
the person in question didn't relapse because the "cool bloggers" came to town.
So you're an expert? Enlighten us.
My real question is...what business is this of anyone's? Not Craig's, your's, Slb's or mine.
Nothing about it post-worthy. And yet everyone feels they have the right to bruit it about like they were there and know what happened.
What the fuck is it that you people think writers do?
Blogs are not all just hand histories people. If I see or hear about something that I think is interesting, whether it's good or bad, I'm gonna write about it.
It comes down to INTEGRITY. Period.
When someone claims to care about a person and then attempts to publicly slander that person by using very personal information, given in the strictest of confidence, it's a betrayal of that confidence, trust and friendship.
A blog should not be used as a public forum for the airing of another's pain or very personal struggles. It's irresponsible and lacks INTEGRITY.
That's an ironic post, Love Elf.
You accuse him of "slander" which is defined as "making a false statement about someone to defame them."
Did he lie? Maybe you disagree with someone's ethics in posting personal details (about an anonymous person) but he didn't lie.
But now you have slandered him. Where's your INTEGRITY?
OMG are you for real?????
You have to focus on the triviality of a definition, instead of the point of my statement?
Oh, and "I realized that maybe it wasn’t all good, clean fun." would imply a false conclusion and is an attempt to defame.
While some of what he said May or May Not be true, it is still wrong to post about someone else's personal struggles. I'm sorry you can't see my point of view. My integrity remains intact - does yours?
And the glorification of drinking alcohol to excess occurs all the time in blogs. It's all fun and funny, until it stops being fun and funny.
And all this "outrage" is counter productive. If all you people just ignored it, nobody would care. Now it is all everyone is talking about.
If you were trying to avoid drawing attention to the person's personal struggles, you people are making the problem worse, not better.
Actually drinking excessive levels of alcohol is something that I have tended to do too often in the past. My personal goal (which this thread helps to confirm) is that the habit that used to be done just for fun has become a "habit". That isn't cool and that isn't the way it should be... so I will change it and focus on improving my results.
Of course this won't stop me from enjoying a great bottle of wine over dinner but it will end the days of drinking too much on a monday night and struggling through the week.
Duggle, you thrive on confrontations. Did you get wet when you saw a controversy brewing? BTW, I knew nothing of this controversy until I read it here. Thanks!
I passed out in my bathroom during the blogger get together but I was at home alone does that count?
Trauma, unless someone got you in a wheelchair to take you back to your bed, it does not count.
Duggle, I didn't see you there in Vegas. Sorry to miss you, man. I like what you are doing here on this blog...good stuff. So where were you staying? About the drinking, it was all fun I thought. You weren't drinking? You were there right? O.K. well until the next gathering maybe we will throw the cards around.
I've been sober almost 17 years now. Its something I never take for granted. For someone who thinks they have a problem they probably do but only you can identify yourself as a problem drinker or alcoholic.
I know a little bit about not drinking and I dont preach. Those who dont know me probably think I still drink if they have ever seen me on the dance floor. That being said Im there for any blogger who is wrestling with relapse or who wants to stop drinking.
Duggle I dont always agree with you but your post here is right on target.
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