This post doesn't actually include a link, other than a hypothetical one, to all those people who choose to share things about their life in this sort of medium. First, there are two paragraphs, and then some discussion. Be warned that the paragraphs are designed to function as independent blocks and don't have anything to do with each other. Actually, you should imagine each of the following two paragraphs as though they were entries all by themselves.
I was browsing along today, and I came across this journal that this person has kept on the web for years. I've known him for a long time, but I never realized how messed up his life is. I can't believe how pathetic it is that he is sharing so many intimate details with anyone who comes along... Why does he think anyone cares? Gah, he should get a life, and get over his pain and suffering. It's ridiculous is what it is!
I found this amazing journal today. I've known so-and-so for a long time, but I never knew how much so-and-so has gone through, and reading through his questioning of his life really made me feel sympathy for him. I've never had to go through an ordeal anything near that magnitude, and he is very brave to share his experiences with us, for us to learn from and admire.
Now, I don't know, maybe it's just me, or maybe it's just the way that I wrote those, but seeing those two paragraphs right next to each other, why does the biting mean paragraph seem so much more likely to be truthful than the praising nice comment? Am I just that cynical, or do other people see the same contrast between these as I do?
By the way, I'm not overly happy with how the paragraphs turned out, but they were both completely contrived and lacked any intentionality at all. There was nothing in the real world that they were actually referring to, which is why they were a little squishy feeling. It's also very hard to take two exact opposite views that are both a little different from my own in the span of five minutes.