keeping up appearances

Let me preface this post by telling you that I am a Christian. I am not a very Good Christian. I am not even a mediocre Christian. I was not always a Christian. In fact, for a good, long time I was pretty freaking far from it. I guess there is something to be said for seeing your recovering alcoholic father prostrate on the floor of a church sanctuary during his ordination into priesthood.

Anyway, this post isn't actually supposed to be about me.

There is a high profile mommy blogger that I used to follow. I am not even going to link to her blog because I don't want to drive any more traffic to her than she already drives there, herself. She has a chronically ill child that she uses to drive up her hit count, thus generating an obscene amount of ad revenue.

Now, I don't have a problem with professional bloggers...but I do have a problem with egomaniacs.

This particular blogger stands on her soapbox and preaches her ideas on faith, her ideas on nutrition, on cloth diapering, attachment parenting, photography, marriage...and she has a very large and very loyal following. Her followers are kind of scary in their attraction to her. I can actually see them drinking a cup of poisoned kool-aid if she believed in kool-aid, which she doesn't.  

This post is proving to be very difficult to write because there are so, so many things about her and her (lack of) blog ethics that really piss me off...but there is one main topic that I want to touch on.

It has recently been brought to light that her husband has been charged with domestic violence against her within the past year. How she chooses to handle her personal life is not really my business at all....but since she has placed herself squarely in the public's eye by dispensing parenting and marriage advice, she has made it people's business.

You see, on several occasions she has blogged about being a submissive wife.

Before I knew what I know now...I just dismissed her posts on the subject in the same way I would any other Christian telling me I needed to submit to my husband...but now that I know she had been abused by her husband before choosing to submit to him, I am just saddened by her. And a little bit disgusted, too. I mean, what kind of example is she setting for her children much less her followers???

I think it is extremely dangerous to send the message to her loyal followers (aka; sheeple) that if your husband knocks you down, you should just stay down.

I love and respect my husband...but I would never submit to him any more than he would submit to me. Which is not at all. I don't think that God designed us to lose ourselves completely when we decide to get married. It is a concept that I can not wrap my head around and I don't think I ever will.

I guess my point is that you should keep both eyes open when you become enamored with another blogger. Things are not always what they seem and be careful who you try to emulate.

This is not the first time I have felt betrayed by a blogger that I had grown to care about...but I believe that this is the worst.

 

Comments

[Maggie]

I have had this happen. It makes one kind of "gunshy" when it comes to connecting with bloggers. I feel like I'm just in a totally different "League" if you will. All I have to say, and it sounds not only trite but can be kinda rude too...is Karma, baby. Karma will bite her in the ass.

[Norina]

Oh wow Dawn...that's really interesting. I am pretty sure I know who you are talking about. I am surprised but also not really. I wonder if the illness of her child just made things get really crazy at home this one time (not that that's an excuse) or if this is an on going thing...off to research, I just gotta know.

[Aaron]

It comes down to trust for me. Trust the the most important part of ANY relationship. Without it a relationship is superficial.

There are many people I love, but I don't trust them, but there is no one I trust that I don't love.

I liked your post. I dig it when people call it like it is.

Nice to see you blogging again. Sorry we will miss you at the Triathlon this year....next year maybe?

[Lisa]

I agree with what you said. It's all very sad.

[~LL~]

that's too bad....like you said, if you claim something, you sure as heck need to try to walk within that claim. So sad...

[solvi]

Well, you know what they say about shitting in your own backyard....some people are better at packing their poo, however, eventually, the bag breaks, leaving a pile of crap at their feet....Karma, deffinately yes!!! Sad too, that the 'sheeple' you mention feel the magnetic pull towards these 'illusionists', but I guess that just emphasizes the term of those of a feather flocking together.....Submissiveness via violence is horrible, but permission to 'flock', granted!! And....tee hee hee....I can NEVER picture you EVER being submissive about ANYTHING EVER!!!!! tee hee

[Jill]

Always a day (or month) late, but I'm pretty sure I know who you're talking about, and having just caught up on her blog, I agree with what you have said. And FTR . . . you have more than *1* follower - lol!