You know what people need to stop getting pissed off at?

People need to stop getting pissed off at criticism from strangers over email lists.

One: It's a stranger!  They don't know you, so stop taking what they say so much to heart.  They might be having a stroke for all you know and just weren't themselves when they wrote that email.

Two: It's fricking email! You know how they say communication is 90% body language and intonation?  You know how much you can see body language and hear intonation over email?

Three: People feel anonymous over email lists, even if they really aren't so anonymous.  They are sitting nicely protected in their office or bed or coffee shop, possibly hundreds of miles from you; no risk of a fist fight. So chances are those people would never say those things to your face.  If they do say them to your face, then by all means get pissed off

Four: Quite possibly now YOU are being critical of their supposed criticism.  Think about it, kind of hypocritical, don't you think?

Five:  It's an email list, if you ask a question or post something to it that riles people up, just take the good and leave the bad and be done with it.  It's not written in stone, it's not going down on your personal record, they probably won't use it in court testimony. Please don't take it so seriously.

NOTE:  I so wanted to put this as an email in one particular email list I'm subscribed to, but did not want to be privy to the shit storm that would follow, so I'm putting it here instead.

This advice also goes for facebook groups.  Seriously, people, ban people if you have to and stop being so thin skinned while reading email from strangers...

Save your angst for when your mother criticizes your parenting.