From The Editor's Desk:...On "Comments"...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

McALLEN, Texas | It's not like we receive that many, or even daily. But the comments that we have seen arrive here lead us to again say that writing is not a local strength. Anywhere, it seems, in the Rio Grande Valley.

It's that or we're getting the ESL dropout readership.

We'll say it upfront: "We're a Writer's Blog," and we're not really interested in your writing. Comments we get that we reject are reposted on Brownsville blogger Juan Montoya's blog, where they really belong. Some he has published, although we do not include anything that says the comment came by way of The McAllen Sun.

We're just finding a publisher for these silly commenters. I could use a harsher descriptive word and it would fit, but why add to the person's shame. They rarely use their name, submitting anonymously for the most part. Their ever-carping words fail to move us.

But. . . if you want to improve your odds, try applying a bit more intelligence to your effort(s). We would be more receptive and sympathetic if you would tickle our interest in what you have to say. Our "Comments" feature at the bottom of every story tells you to "NOT" include personal attacks or profanity, yet most of you do.

Something about "anonymous" commentary annoys us. The blogger Montoya uses it at will. His fellow blogger Jerry McHale disdains it (and apparently is not enamored by "comments" at all). Blogger Jimmy Barton who is blogging about Brownsville from Iowa these days, takes both anonymous and signed comments. He likes to reply to all comments submitted to his blog. 

We'll see what becomes of our offering. Comments, we mean.

Not that I expect a change in tone or contributions from these insipid people. I don't really care for comments, perhaps because I am fully aware of the low altitude Rio Grande Valley commenters fly. Plus, that's not why I blog. I like to tell my stories, post them and move on. To the next one, yes. When some nameless dolt submitted a comment critical of our story on former Cameron County 404th District Court Judge Louis Sorola, it arrived after we'd posted six new stories.

Ultimately, I'd say that The McAllen Sun is not for everyone. Less for the citizenry of Brownsville than, say, Harlingen or McAllen. Less for the blue-collar types and more for the academics. Less for cheap politicians and more for those with some Big Sky experience.

The bloggers we mentioned above all do what they want to do with the content of their blogs. We'd never criticize them for doing that. Writing is all things to all writers.

So, submit a comment. We'd never deny anyone that freedom.

But we may not get to it in as timely a manner as you'd wish. And chances are we'd reject it, not because that would be our first inclination but because we know the foolishness of local commenters.

I'm here for my writing...not yours...

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[Editor's Note:...Photo atop this posting was taken recently at a breakfast restaurant in McAllen. The one shown in the body of the story was some years ago, when I wrote about Mexico for The Houston Post...]