LOL

LOL - this wasn't a word or acronym when I was growing up.  Meaning “Laugh Out Loud” was something we just did years ago, and with gusto.  But, LOL has become more than just an acronym used by the youngest to the oldest...even by my 73 year old Uncle when he wants to express amusement.  Not sure if he also uses or is even aware of ROTFLMAO - another acronym that I admit to using...albeit mentally thinking of each word, as it doesn't just roll off my typing fingers as easily as LOL.  But, I've digressed...

What I really wanted to "blog" about is how useful LOL can be in confrontational e-mails or posting.  As a writer, I am very cognizant of creating a post/message/response that can later come up and bite me in my proverbial ass.  I firmly adhere to the old adage, “if you wouldn’t write it and sign it – then don’t say it”.  

Which brings me to my topic, and how three simple letters – LOL – quelled intense anger and a gut wrenching ache to carve some vile verbiage as an answer to a post entirely capable of growing monstrous rows of butt-biting teeth.  It began with a response to my book promotion on a neighboring state’s facebook page which addressed unfairness in the family court; however, undisclosed was the routine denial of the existence female victims of domestic violence.  Instead, the general belief was that women were vengeful liars; and any story, documentation, article, picture, announcement, attestation, or death certificate of a female victim held no weight.  Thus, began an unwarranted attack against me, (by a woman!) for my book advertisement; first with false accusations of owning a male-bashing facebook page, then advising against purchasing my book, and finally rapid fire interrogatory.  I took the high road and kindly explained that my book was a case study of someone (yes, a man) with personality disorders (and a disclaimer that the P.D. didn’t have a monopoly on just the male species.)   Despite my non-confrontational attempts, the woman was incapable of ingesting anything other than her programmed agenda of “women lie and men are victims”, as she snidely remarked my polite efforts were merely a “nice try” and advised seeking therapy.  Wow!  I felt some heat (not associated with my “tropical moments”) but I kindly posted my condolences and wished her a nice day.  I've learned that people with unbridled and unfounded anger also have a need to "get in the last word".  So, when Miss CB replied by calling me “defensive” and patronizingly suggested I "needed to confront my feelings”, my blood reached its boiling temperature.   Did it really matter to me who got in the last words?  No – not really. But her haughty remarks, despite my hopes for solidarity on tragedies inflicted on women AND men within an unjust judicial system and defusing a gender war, had me fuming.  Although her remarks weren’t bright or insightful – they were solely meant to encourage anger and the words of a fool were doing just that.  After a few deep cleansing breaths, I realized how ridiculous I found her words and I had to respond, and convey my feelings.  And that's exactly what I did; with a simple LOL and a wink.  

That was 54 hours ago.  Is she too angry to write back?  Has the steam has gone out of her sails.  Maybe she realized that we really are on the same team of fighting judicial injustice.  In truth, I really don’t care…because of part of me, imaging her face after reading LOL ;) ….is ROTFLMAO.