How My Artistic License Policy Works (and benefits everyone)

Hi folks.  It looks like I need to put this reminder about my Artistic License Policy up again, perhaps with a little explanatory flavor text.

I’ve published over 2300 blog posts here, on a wide range of topics.  Especially when talking about relationship or sociological topics, they make more sense or are easier to relate to when there’s an example.  A “story problem”, if you will.

And yes, I often draw inspiration for those story problems from real life.

I will frequently write about things that I’ve talked about in real life
here on the blog. Some of those things may have been sparked by a
conversation I had with other people, or an action someone else took.

But unless that person is a public figure (like a public organizer or a newspaper publisher), I’m probably not going to tell you who I’m talking about (or in some cases, if I’m talking about a particular person at all.)  In fact, I’ll go out of my way to not point at a specific person.

If I’m reacting to a blog post, tweet, public seminar – anything that’s a broadcast medium – I will usually cite the person I’m talking about if I can and if it’s relevant.

If it was prompted by a non-broadcast or limited broadcast
medium – a private conversation, e-mail, anything on Facebook, forum
post behind a password – then I will usually obfuscate the individual(s)
in question.

As the policy goes on to say, I’m probably not talking about you.

But maybe I am.  Maybe it seems a little close to home.  So maybe I am talking about you.

And maybe, just maybe, the reason I’m not naming you isn’t because I’m being “passive-aggressive”, but because I’m not wanting to tie a crappy behavior directly to your name.

Maybe it’s because I want to be able to discuss a behavior while allowing you to save face and avoid being embarrassed. 

But if you’re going to insist on shoving that shoe on your foot, then you’re welcome to wear it.

But I also reserve the right to delete any nasty comments you leave on my blog… and to laugh at the deleted comment later.

Also – my opinions are mine, not those of my friends, acquaintances, loves, business partners, authors, editors, co-workers, or anyone else.  Don’t like my opinion?  Bring it up with me, not them.