Maybe one day I’ll learn, but probably not. It was yet another online forum, yet another place that looked interesting, And, as it turned out, most there were friendly – as long as you believed the same things. Made the mistaking of voicing an opinion that didn’t toe the “progressive” line, and that went over worse than I expected. Oh, I knew there was that possibility, and was prepared to walk away if necessary. Which I did. Aesop’s wolf preferred hunger and freedom to a full belly and a collar, and the older I get, the more I agree with that sentiment.

It’s not as if what happened hasn’t happened before. Every group is a sort of tribe and to deviate from tribal lore will provoke hostility. The difference this time is that the tribe is larger and I suspect is a good representation of publishing. It’s something I didn’t want to believe about publishing in general and yet suspected to the point that I’ve censored myself for years. Though I touched on the political, there are many things I didn’t write because to go political means alienating potential customers, Except these days everything is considered political, and the least deviation of the accepted line is not tolerated. Consensus is easy when you ban dissent.

So that’s another bridge gone, except this one has more ramifications. I had concluded publication is a lost cause, anyway, and maybe, deep down, looked for a reason to stop writing. Maybe this is it. It’s not like anyone wants to hear what I have to say, anyway. That was made abundantly clear.

This I do know: The price of some things are just too high. If you must silence your opinions to be considered a hail fellow well met, you have to ask if the approval you seek to gain is worth that cost.

Guess what: It isn’t.