Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

 

Wonderful Bloggers of OZ_2 - sig

 

We aren’t people anymore.

Have you noticed?

We’re the Wonderful Bloggers of OZ.

When you read an article or post or tweet, look at the language. “Bloggers”. Like some group of lost writers who crashed a hot air balloon, landing in a bizarre world: The Blogosphere.

We perform tricks to dazzle—with words and photos that aren’t quite as real as we’d make them out to be.

Because, sometimes, your dog’s foot is in the background of that perfect tulip shot and needs to be cropped out. Sometimes that amazing idea gets caught in a tornado and thoughts whirl around and around until you plop down near a Technicolor yellow brick road.

You land on a witch and get her sparkly shoes (which are wicked cool). So there’s that. But there are flying monkeys to watch out for. So there’s that, too.

The Blogosphere can be a scary place.

It’s filled with dangers and strangers but also with wonderful people who rally around you and tell you how awesome you are for arriving here with your blog.

There are always a few who are on the same journey and are more than happy to skip along that brick road with you even though there are lions, and tigers, and bears. Oh my.

When we get to The Emerald City Blog, and see the “Blogger of Oz” is just a man behind a curtain, we will show compassion.

Why?

Because none of us are wizards. We are human—vulnerable and lost and busy and stressed and trying to make the Blogosphere think we have our shit together. That we are the Great and Powerful Oz.

So, as I tag this post with “bloggers”, I know that you are, indeed, fellow travelers on this blogging journey. Or writing journey. Or both. But I do know, and do keep in the forefront of my mind, that you are people.

Here’s the thing I think we sometimes forget:

We ARE people. We HAVE blogs.

We are not our blogs.

We are human beings. (Weird, introverted, writer-types, some of us, but still.)

Just remember, gentle readers, there is a person behind the screen.

 

If you need a break, just close your eyes, click your mouse 3 times, and walk away. We’ll be here when you get back–we’ve got water balloons for the Witch of the West and flaming potatoes to fight the flying monkeys. 

 

42 thoughts on “Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

    • I love that you find balance in an imperfect world creating “perfect” posts. That’s awesome. I think it’s split in the blogosphere–people for whom blogging relieves stress vs causes stress. Of course there are in-betweens, as well. And times when blogging is different depending on what’s going on in the person’s life at the time. Just to make things more complicated. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  1. <__>
    Not everyone is a human…

    Racial issues aside ;), I totally agree. I pretend like I have my crap together all the time, while internally, I’m freaking out. But if I don’t pretend, it seeps into my relationships and then other people (namely my husband) get crabby. And that’s not good for his blood pressure. I guess since that’s the natural course of my life, I present myself that way online too.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks, Robbie. 🙂 It’s true. And, sometimes, difficult to remember that when scrolling through so many blogs and reading so many posts. (It’s worse on social media, in my opinion, but blogging can get a bit Man-Behind-the-Curtain, too.)

      Liked by 1 person

    • I know, right? 🙂 Sometimes it’s just reading so many blogs can be overwhelming and it begins to feel like a string of posts instead of individuals with their own life stuff going on. (Also, sometimes it’s easy for people to hide behind their screens to be cruel. Not many in the blogosphere, thankfully.)

      Liked by 1 person

      • I enjoy finding out more about the people behind the words. I guess that’s why the number I follow and the number of followers is quite small compared to many. I’m fortunate that I’ve had few negatives in the blogosphere or anywhere in the online world for that matter, but I’ve seen some nastiness on Fb and wonder at its point. We should life each other up rather than pull each other down. Have a great day, Sarah. Hugs. 💖

        Liked by 1 person

      • I have quite a small number of followers, too. Compared to most bloggers. *shrug* That’s okay by me. I’ve always liked my small blog with its small number of readers. I don’t run across too much negativity personally on here but I’ve seen a lot. I, like you, have seen most of the cruelty & nastiness on social media. Perhaps because bloggers can control which comments get approved. ? I don’t understand why people do it but, as I said, it’s easier when you’re hiding behind a screen (or you’re not thinking there’s a person behind the other screen).

        Here’s to more lifting each other up. 💗

        Liked by 1 person

  2. I want my shoes back! Lol, actually I only wear Keens and winter boots so I doubt anyone wants my shoes (but if I see red Keens…)

    A blog is a tool for building literary community. It’s a tool of communication. It’s about the journey and the people skipping down the yellow brick road, 99 words at a time 😉

    Good to see you (behind your screen), Sarah!

    Liked by 2 people

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