by James Bridges
Herbage Magazine
The amount of hate I’ve received over the last 10-15 years is near comical. Not too large of a collection, but just enough to call it a “collection” of sorts.
The topics vary and can be time mapped to show the cultural differences of change.
The complaints are sometimes so surreal they seem fake or set up. So surreal that you want to start believing in that “pretend” world of film or lore where people would call up the local press to cause change.
Bogus.
There are a ton of complaints out there. That is fine by me. There are way more positives than those negatives. So, bright-side, yada, yada…
However, sometimes there’s an email or letter or some form of communication from an audience member or reader that takes the cake.
I save those, mostly for topical hilarious discussion during serious networking meetings, but I have them. Congrats if you made the list. Though, I wouldn’t be so proud if I were you.
There are those fun innocent mishaps… Once I frightened readers in a small town. A few believed there would be an actual zombie apocalypse while promoting a halloween parade. So frightened that my publisher was essentially forced to apologize on my behalf. Embarrassing isn’t even close enough of a word. But it’s a hell of a story!
Hate.
There’s a huge difference between an upset reader and someone that hates what you print. I save those too.
Those remind me of why I go ahead and stick my head out sometimes. A reminder that there is a large portion of society that actually believes they are “better” than the rest.
My most recent hate email came after publishing the Tulsa Race Massacre story in Herbage Magazine, May 2021 edition.
I won’t get into the full details, but it ended with this person actually trying to use guilt and shame to tell me that I am publishing incorrect history and that I should be ashamed.
“It was never called a massacre until the current administration came into office. All plagues at the memorial say “Race Riots”. You have strayed too far from what your magazine was at the beginning. Shame on you.”
Yes, you read a small portion of what people like me get to see.
This let’s me know I am doing something right. I’m doing something right for what I feel is right because I am an independent magazine owner.
Press and media may have the ability to sway, accompany, document, opinionate, embrace, and fuel change. Yes.
Do I have the ability to cause change? Hell no.
I can promise you this. If I did in fact have the power to “cause change” as some believe, your radical racist thought pattern that has stuck you inside of this rut that you call comfort is as archaic as the petroglyphs on our ancestors walls however not anywhere near as advanced thinking as what the people of that time found to be inconsistent, which was that ALL HUMANS ARE EQUAL.
So the challenge continues…
