This isn’t meant as a flame toward anyone. I am only posting it in the Pit because this is where the rants are posted.
My questions -
Why do some of you write rants like you are talking to third parties, especially when you know this person most likely will not read your post? I have to confess that I find this more than a little odd.
Do you ever let the IRL “rantee” know you are pissed or do you just grin and swallow your anger?
Before I get the old and worn “pot kettle”, I’m admitting that I have done the same thing myself, most recently with my little rant regarding people who poop at work and stink up the bathroom and hall. Fair is fair so here are the answers to my own questions.
I didn’t confronted anyone IRL with my stink rant because (1) I’m not going to actually demand that someone not poop, (2) I have no way of knowing the condition of their bowels, (3) I can’t be sure if there are any certain culprits, I mean hell, what if I demanded a cease poop from a first time pooper who just had to go really bad?
I bitched about it because it made me feel a little better having just experienced a near fatal green fog and also because I was really bored. It made me feel slightly better mentally to piss and moan. Physically it took some time - a lot more time. I’ve just now regained sight in my right eye.
So what are your reasons for posting those bizarre rants aimed at someone who will never see it? Am I the only one who thinks it is weird?
I do it strictly as a device. Sometimes it’s more effective to rant about events, sometimes, when you are ranting about a specific person, it’s more effective to rant to them in absentia.
“Thanks for dinner, now get off my fucking couch” had more impact for me than “there was this guy who would not take the hint and go home, what do you all think about that?”
In the case of my 12-Stepper rant, I have expressed some of those feelings in a milder form to her, but after spending yesterday with her and getting emails about “meetings in my area” today and sort of grumbling to myself about it, I posted what I’d say to her if I didn’t care about hurting her feelings.
I would never show her the rant or refer her here to read it.
I think in some cases, people just want to tell a good story, and they have decided that second person is the most effective form for that story to take. The point is as much to entertain (and impress) the teeming millions as it is to blow off steam.
Furthermore, there are many, many cases where it is nota good idea to bitch to the person you are bitching about. There are things that can’t be helped, things that can’t be solved, things that won’t change. It’s not good to always avoid confrontation, but it is also not healthy to never back down, never let something slide, never pick your battles. In those cases, finding an alternate medium to vent your frustration (and practice your writing skills) is a good idea.