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Radio silence [ranty]
13 years ago
General
(Note: The person mentioned whom I e-mailed will not read this, so don't worry about it being you.
What is "radio silence"?
Radio silence is, quite simply, talking to someone online and getting no response whatsoever.
Now I understand that people have their own lives, they can be AFK, they can be forgetful, whatever. That's not what I'm talking about. More specifically, in this case, I'm talking about the practice of knowingly ignoring someone who talks to you.
And all I have to ask is "Why?" I absolutely cannot fathom the mindset behind an adult person who does this. It's more understandable if we don't know each other, or if you're feeling especially shitty, but there are a number of people who seem to think that this is an acceptable way of communicating, even in the context of talking business.
Now of course, there's no way to say for sure when someone is doing this, unless, as happened to me recently, when they practice it selectively within the context of a single e-mail; i.e., reading one portion and fervantly ignoring other portions they don't want to talk about, no matter if you remind them in a followup or not. But generally, that's why people online do it. There's always a plausible excuse.
But sometimes the possibility of plausible excuses runs its course of believability, and you know someone is simply ignoring you. Not because you necessarily did anything wrong, not because they're feeling bad, but just because they don't want to talk to you.
This mindset just strikes me as so incredibly childish. I don't understand it. You know what? If you don't want to talk to me or about something, just tell me. It's not difficult. If I'm ignored, I feel hurt and disrespected, but if you're just honest with me, then at least I know where I stand and I don't have to worry or wonder about it. Furthermore, I respect you in return.
I once lost a very, very close friend because of her steadfast relial on using radio silence as a means of avoiding any conflict whatsoever. But in doing so, she pushed us apart at an alarming rate, until neither of us wanted anything to do with the other. And don't misunderstand, this is not a case of "I need some space/time alone" that I failed to respect. No, this was simply a case of me asking, talking, greeting, and getting N O T H I N G in response.
Until, finally, there was nothing left between us anyway.
Please talk to your friends. If they're actually your friends, they deserve it.
What is "radio silence"?
Radio silence is, quite simply, talking to someone online and getting no response whatsoever.
Now I understand that people have their own lives, they can be AFK, they can be forgetful, whatever. That's not what I'm talking about. More specifically, in this case, I'm talking about the practice of knowingly ignoring someone who talks to you.
And all I have to ask is "Why?" I absolutely cannot fathom the mindset behind an adult person who does this. It's more understandable if we don't know each other, or if you're feeling especially shitty, but there are a number of people who seem to think that this is an acceptable way of communicating, even in the context of talking business.
Now of course, there's no way to say for sure when someone is doing this, unless, as happened to me recently, when they practice it selectively within the context of a single e-mail; i.e., reading one portion and fervantly ignoring other portions they don't want to talk about, no matter if you remind them in a followup or not. But generally, that's why people online do it. There's always a plausible excuse.
But sometimes the possibility of plausible excuses runs its course of believability, and you know someone is simply ignoring you. Not because you necessarily did anything wrong, not because they're feeling bad, but just because they don't want to talk to you.
This mindset just strikes me as so incredibly childish. I don't understand it. You know what? If you don't want to talk to me or about something, just tell me. It's not difficult. If I'm ignored, I feel hurt and disrespected, but if you're just honest with me, then at least I know where I stand and I don't have to worry or wonder about it. Furthermore, I respect you in return.
I once lost a very, very close friend because of her steadfast relial on using radio silence as a means of avoiding any conflict whatsoever. But in doing so, she pushed us apart at an alarming rate, until neither of us wanted anything to do with the other. And don't misunderstand, this is not a case of "I need some space/time alone" that I failed to respect. No, this was simply a case of me asking, talking, greeting, and getting N O T H I N G in response.
Until, finally, there was nothing left between us anyway.
Please talk to your friends. If they're actually your friends, they deserve it.
Very sorry to hear you've had this happen to you as well. <3
No kidding, when I recently got the news that a friend of mine was dying from bone cancer, I had someone IM me and whine how their day was somehow worse than mine because they couldn't afford a new fursuit. I practice radio silence to preserve my sanity when dealing with furs who seem to radiate drama.
Other times, its because I'm gaming and my messenger just happens to be signed on at the same time.
Or one of my 3 computers is on in another room.
If its important, I always do reply, even if I'm a bit late
And yeah, accidental radio silence is different, which is why I try not to jump to that conclusion. But there are some people who just seem to feel that if they don't want to talk to you (regardless of how they think you're going to react), they don't have to acknowledge you.