Enthusiasms. Enthusiasms. Enthusiasms.

"A Mermaid," by John William WaterhouseOil on Canvas, 1901
http://www.jwwaterhouse.com/....
Public Domain

Anyone who gets to know me for even a very short while will know that I have two big interests - mermaids and burlesque.  Some people don't fully understand either one of those, and it is not my goal today to explain or defend my pastimes, except to say that there is much more to me than any one facet might suggest.

For example, two of my other passions are wineries and stage theater, and my home state of Minnesota affords me a wealth of outlets in both cases.

In all of my pursuits, the key word is "community," as I try to be as involved  and encouraging as possible.  It is often the case that I will develop an online relationship with a person or a business long before meeting or patronizing them, and when the propitious moment finally arrives, they recognize me before I introduce myself.  That is always a heartwarming moment for me, as it is universally the case that people will express appreciation for my support.

Burlesque (2010)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1126591/
No Copyright Infringement Intended

There is a fine line between enthusiasm and obsession though, and I do my level best to be on guard for signs of that within my own behavior.  When I recognize it in others, it makes me bristle and causes me a great level of personal discomfort.  I have two examples of this, one personal and one professional.

Long before creating my Facebook profile, I was well aware of one of my former classmates and his daily stream-of-consciousness posts, and how he allegedly put everyone into hysterics.  It was specifically because of him that I waited until October 5, 2010 to open a Facebook account, and soon after that, I began to see his daily posts on a mutual friend's wall.  Note well that "Michelle," as I call her (not her actual name), is a married woman, and that the "gentleman" in question is single.

My favorite drink is "Michelle-o shots."

"The Michelleminator" - my new name for Michelle as she blasts through the walls of unwanted carbs and calories.

My favorite band is Michilli Vanilli.

I would like to see The Simpson's version of Michelle sometime.

One time, Michelle expressed interest in going to the Maldives.  The response?  "Why do you want moldy olives?"  I was not amused.  It was as though she just couldn't have one thing for herself without his having to hijack it somehow.

Garvin Heights Vineyards LLC, Winona, Minnesota
http://www.ghvwine.com/grapes.html
No Copyright Infringement Intended

This involvement in Michelle's life seemingly never ended, and it actually compromised my ability to enjoy Facebook for a time, because I always found myself wanting to come to Michelle's defense - something which, I should add, she never asked me to do.  Although it was not finally my place to take on those concerns, it was nonetheless frustrating, as the whole thing reminded me of various incidents that ultimately led to the dissolution of my marriage.    Thankfully, that was not a concern for Michelle.   Since the former classmate was unreceptive to my uneasiness on this and several other matters, we are no longer Facebook friends, and in-person encounters at larger gatherings are brief and  forced.

Just as I know Michelle personally, we all "know" news anchors in some sense, given that they appear on our television screens, in our living rooms, every night.  Just as with the observations made about my friend, I witnessed something similar unfold on a local television journalist's Facebook profile.

Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota
http://www.hennepintheatretrust.org/....
Photo Credit:  Mark Vancleave
No Copyright Infringement Intended

One night, I was watching the news, and the anchor - let's call her Linda Belton -  captured my attention, so I opened Facebook to see if she had a fan page.  What I found instead was that she has a personal profile, on which hundreds of members of the public have become her "friends."  Scrolling through the past week of updates, I noticed that one person's name kept appearing over and over, and his writings seemed alternately strange and off-putting to me.

Hey, L-Bell.  You rocked the lodge tonight! 

Loved the earrings you had on tonight, L-Bell!

Rocking the lodge in a yellow blouse!  L-Bell:  an anchor with integrity.

Animotion (Performers of 1984's Obsession )
http://www.animotion-obsession.com/frontpage
Cropped Without Permission
No Copyright Infringement Intended

Never having met Ms Belton in person, it seemed awkward to me to ask her to be my Facebook friend, and I knew that seeing these posts on an almost daily basis would cause no end to my chagrin.  It all became a moot point for Linda Belton after she accepted an opportunity in another market a few months ago, but the man continues to post similar comments on other broadcasters' walls, incessantly calling each one by some pet name that he has contrived.  Speaking very candidly, the guy creeps me out, and his demeanor reminds me very much of the faint memories that I have of the 1982 Morgan Fairchild movie The Seduction.  Thankfully, it is my understanding that the personalities and the stations are well aware of the situation.

The Seduction (1982)
http://www.amazon.com/....
No Copyright Infringement Intended

In closing, let me acknowledge the fact that it would be extremely easy to ignore comments of the sort that I describe above, to accept them as the input of troubled minds, or to consider them with the humor that so many of my peers do.  For me, however, it is just not that simple.  I see interest that becomes obsession and even harassment, and my natural inclination to help, deflect, re-direct, or deter comes into play.  This is further complicated by the fact that I detest cross-chat between commenters.  Apart from further taking the thread away from the original intent of the person who posted the update, cross-chat is completely pointless, unless the people involved stay on the thread and are committed to arguing with someone else.  Whenever I see a hijacked thread now,  my only options are to walk away and to communicate through behind-the-scenes channels.

We all see posts and comments that rub us the wrong way.  How do you handle them?  Do you let them bother you?  Do you say anything, or does it make you cringe when people cross-chat?

Please feel free to share your comments below.