The comments started out well. LDS Church members and non-members alike expressed their admiration for the Church's efforts. Then the inevitable trolls arrived. "There is no God." "You all are damned because you believe Joseph Smith has to judge you." "You're not Christians." The topic quickly vanished as more and more folks rushed in to defend the Mormons and their Church, and the trolls came up with further and more laughable topics to smell up the place.
What if no one engaged the trolls when they snuck into similar situations in future?
Would the comment thread be shorter, enabling you and I to read it more quickly so we could get off the Internet and out to do our home- or visiting-teaching?
Would we get more writing done?
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What's with people who don't dim their lights when they approach other cars coming the opposite way on a rural highway?
Or when they overtake a vehicle?
Do they think they're still on divided highway?
It should be easy for them to dim their lights. It's not like they have to find the button on the floor anymore.*
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*Vehicles used to have a quarter-sized switch that protruded about an inch from the floor of the driver's side of the car. Most of it was installed below the floorboard, of course, as you can imagine as you look at the images.
It was situated up near the firewall, and to the left, out of the way of ordinary foot positioning, so you wouldn't hit it accidentally. The angle was about like that of the top image on the left.
When you needed it, you had to press on it to toggle the headlights from bright to dim. It took some pressure, by the way, not like the very-easy task of flipping a lever on the steering column.
Sometimes it was a hassle to locate it with your toe when you encountered a car coming, especially if you had short legs. Until you found it and could exert enough pressure on it to make it click, you temporarily blinded the oncoming driver.
I love the stalk on the steering column on our modern cars. Did the Japanese or the Europeans give us that gift?
Wherever we got it, I wish more drivers would use that blessed lever, especially at night on Arizona Highway 260 East.
Both good points. Kindness and consideration go a long way on both the cyberspace highway and the asphalt highway.
ReplyDeleteWow, Marsha...a blast from the past. I have fond memories of that little button on the floor. I didn't know about it when I was a kid. I thought it was a miracle that the lights shifted on cue. I thought my dad had something to do with it. He told me he only had to think about it and the lights changed. And I believed him! I also couldn't figure out my dad knew exactly when the light would change from red to green. He always seemed to be one step ahead. In those days, there wasn't a lag on the light changing to green. Of course, when I was older, I found out about the button on the floor--and the fact that the yellow light for the other cars was the warning signal that the lights would change. It burst my bubble...
ReplyDeleteI'm rolling. Well do I remember that crazy little spot you had to hit just right with very short legs.
ReplyDeleteAnd sometimes trolls are funnier than regular comments maybe I'm just the weird one. I get an extra kick out of thier comments.
I avoid reading the comments on an LDS-based article, or any religious or political type of article, because of the trolls. I'm one of the thin-skinned ones who gets my feelings hurt over hateful comments (yeah, I know, being a thin-skinned writer is a bad idea!). It saddens me that people can be so spiteful about religion, and angers me that some choose to stir the pot for the fun of it.
ReplyDeleteI remember that little button for the brights!
LOL! How well I remember that little foot button. I actually found it easier to find that button than remember which way I need to flip the lever on the steering column. Now I just try to avoid using the brights altogether. I also avoid reading comments on articles. Does that make me an ostrich???
ReplyDelete