November 19, 2010 5:27 AM
Eric the 1/2 troll
It seems Eric the 1/2 Troll is at it again - a year later I'm still in his head. So for the record, I'm rerunning this from October 25, 2009:
For the past year I've had the privilege of receiving comments and emails from a man intent on convincing me that I am a hypocrite and a poor representative of Christianity. He calls himself "Eric the 1/2 troll." (I know his last name, but out of compassion, I will keep it to myself - for now.)This sort of thing is an occupational hazard for a writer. You make yourself vulnerable - because that's your job as a writer - and then someone about whom you know nothing presumes to judge you. Usually - for someone who takes a lot of criticism - it's about as threatening as brushing off a mosquito, but Eric lives in my county and has even told me he attends my church. I have no idea what he looks like or anything at all about him - except his obsession with judging me.
He never could understand when I pointed out that he had no right to presume to be my conscience on an ongoing basis.
In the past year, Eric's hostility has steadily grown - to the point where it was beginning to feel almost like dealing with a stalker. When I stopped publishing his comments, it got uglier. I have now blocked his IP address and set up a filter to trash incoming mail from him. For some reason, in his mind, this makes me even more of a reprehensible person.
I thought that would be the end of the story, but it's not. And while I would really rather not give Eric D. any more time or energy, I need to inform my readers and my community that to get back at me for refusing to accept or publish his judgments of me, Eric threatened to slander me far and wide.
A friend informed me last week that he had posted about me at the Purcellville community forum, which is certainly his privilege. And he is entitled to his opinions.
However, he is not entitled to lie about me. Therefore, I wish to set the record straight: I do not hate public schools. My children have been in Loudoun County Public schools for seven years and I have written in the Loudoun Times-Mirror and the Purcellville Gazette of my respect for and gratitude toward our schools.
That doesn't mean I won't have specific issues or problems to deal with - just as we do with any other person or institution with which we enjoy a close relationship.
But Eric is obviously making good on his threat.
Eric, do you see that in working so hard to correct my imperfections, you have lost your own bearings? You are actually lying about me for revenge. This has clearly gotten very, very unhealthy. You might want to read Internet Trolls and Internet Stalkers.
You started out trying to be my conscience, yet it seems you have lost your own.
