Self censorship!

[Midpack]

I just spent over an hour composing a new thread on a pretty serious FIRE topic with links & quotes, wholesale edited it several times, and ultimately just deleted it altogether. Discretion is the better part of valor?

Doesn't happen to me often but I've done it before, has it ever happened to anyone else?



If you're tempted to ask what the topic was, let's leave that for later if at all...

 

[Ready]

Well, if you put that much time into it, I suspect it would have been pretty interesting.

I guess we'll just have to hope we have some good jokes today to make up for it.

 

[REWahoo]

I just spent over an hour composing a new thread on a pretty serious FIRE topic with links & quotes, wholesale edited it several times, and ultimately just deleted it altogether. Discretion is the better part of valor?

Doesn't happen to me often but I've done it before, has it ever happened to anyone else?

Several times a week.

 

[audreyh1]

Several times a week.

Well, maybe not an hour's worth of composition. But definitely.

It was probably still cathartic.

 

[NW-Bound]

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained" - Idiom

 

[target2019]

I just spent over an hour composing a new thread on a pretty serious FIRE topic with links & quotes, wholesale edited it several times, and ultimately just deleted it altogether. Discretion is the better part of valor?

Doesn't happen to me often but I've done it before, has it ever happened to anyone else?



If you're tempted to ask what the topic was, let's leave that for later if at all...

Sounds like the beginning of a great business opportunity. You send me the paper, I will post it for credit, and send you payment...

Kinda like college papers dot com!

 

[HFWR]

Doesn't happen to me often but I've done it before, has it ever happened to anyone else?

The mods do that for me...

 

[ERD50]

Yes, I've done it. Probably should do it more often!

I think I kinda laugh at myself when I do it. I mean, you get these facts, figures together, try to get it organized to make a point, and then suddenly it becomes ..... "What's the point??!!".

-ERD50

 

[NW-Bound]

You never know! I will admit that reading the posts here has softened my stance a bit, in both politics and financial areas. It has not changed my direction 180 degrees, but I have started to see some validity in the opposing viewpoints.

 

[Midpack]

The mods do that for me...

I will confess mod reaction was one of the main reasons I finally just scrapped the whole topic idea...

It was probably still cathartic.

I did learn a lot in research/writing/thinking, but I'm sure other POVs would have been even better.

Another day...

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I've also written and then deleted responses to others dozens of times too, though those judgements mostly look good in hindsight. I read my reply and decided I was just being a horses ___ - and deleted. I've let a few get by too unfortunately...

 

[robnplunder]

I do that often. More recently when I didn't, one of the moderators removed my post, which I appreciated. This site has good, mature moderators.

 

[youbet]

Sometimes just expressing yourself by getting a post together satisfies the need to think something through or sound off. When you're done, deleting before or shortly after posting, seems prudent. After all, you're done. You've thought about it. No need to expose yourself to random comments and/or criticisms.

 

[haha]

The mods do that for me...

Our own staff of editors, on someone else's dime. Isn't it wonderful?

 

[ziggy29]

If you never do that, you're probably a little too loosey-goosey with the "post" button!

 

[HFWR]

If you never do that, you're probably a little too loosey-goosey with the "post" button!

CHP...

 

[braumeister]

Midpack, I think you need to develop some new hobbies. You have a lot of time on your hands.

 

[MichaelB]

has it ever happened to anyone else?

All the time. Used to happen in my other life (work). The habit of writing, then putting it on the back burner for a while, worked well, I just didn't do it often enough.

 

[Midpack]

Midpack, I think you need to develop some new hobbies. You have a lot of time on your hands.

Indeed. I don't have enough time in Spring, Summer and Fall but too much during our 4-5 month Winters...

 

[pb4uski]

All the time. Used to happen in my other life (work). The habit of writing, then putting it on the back burner for a while, worked well, I just didn't do it often enough.

I used to routinely write scathing email responses that never saw the "send" button. It allowed me to sort through my thoughts on an issue, vent and digest the situation. Sometimes the "draft" would be toned down and sent but many times it was just preparation for a face-to-face or phone call to sort out the problem.

 

[HFWR]

I find biting my tongue on Facebook difficult, because people will post anything, without the slightest bit of curiosity as to whether it can be corroborated, i.e. broken BS detector...

 

[Mulligan]

Indeed. I don't have enough time in Spring, Summer and Fall but too much during our 4-5 month Winters...

I am facing the same potential problem for the first time in my 4 years of retirement. Have had a PT job to occupy myself during winter. As it is snowing outside for the first time, I hope it's only 3 months not 4-5 winter months.

 

[Amethyst]

Midpack, I'd be interested in your analysis, or at least knowing the topic so I know if I'd be interested [e.g. if it's about SWR from a $10 Million account, it's clearly not in my interest box].


Amethyst

 

[H2ODude]

It's happened to me a few times. There were several times at work, even pre email, that letters were written, typed, and filed. I have strong opinions about local government for which I worked; have started to write letters to editor (usually in response to other LTE) and after I cool off realize it matters not one whit to me anymore; and NO ONE cares about my opinion! Friend who relocated for similar position as I had recently emailed me that his name had been in paper, favorably. All I could think is that the next time my name is in the paper it will hopefully be my obit. Not too soon I hope.

 

[Walt34]

Not after an hour, but more often than I like to think about I'll start to write something and then think better of it.

Especially after consuming certain beverages.

 

[M Paquette]

Yup. Posts on the Interwebs, e-mails, etc. I write something, set it aside for a few minutes, come back and re-read with an eye to how a reader might misinterpret it, and edit or delete as appropriate.

There are some things Man is not meant to know...