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I find it sad that several of the women who were long time writers and commentators on HD have not been heard from recently.
I miss their commentary and challenging points of view. Just because you don’t agree or don’t like questions is no reason to leave us. I hope.
We need to be taken to task sometimes. To be challenged.
So, if you are still reading HD, come back to us and comment. If you read HD, but have never commented, please give it a try. Post your own ideas too.
I do not understand why there are so many “deleted” comments, and mostly those by the ladies.
Agree. Seems that some “moderation” is going on.
Hi everyone. I’m one of the “ladies” who stopped participating after my last post in early January. I only recently started looking at HD again and saw this post and even my name mentioned in a couple of comments, so I thought I’d add my own thoughts.
I agree with Dick that the purpose of a “Forum” includes, among other things, being “challenged,” “questioned,” or even “taken to task.” If you write posts or comment on a site such as this one, you should expect that. I enjoy and welcome the exchange of ideas.
That is not why I stopped participating. I did so for one specific reason: the anonymous downvotes. Those are not “questions” or “feedback.” It’s bullying and trolling. It’s disrespectful. There is no other way to characterize it. If you have something to say, make a comment and put your name (or at least your board name) behind it. From scrolling through the comments on this post, I see nothing has changed.
I want to be clear that when I was writing articles, posting on the Forum, and commenting on other people’s articles and posts, the vast majority of people who interacted with me in the comments were kind, welcoming, and respectful. There are a lot of smart and kind people on this site, and I’m grateful to have gotten to “know” you in a virtual sense. I’ve learned a lot from you.
In fact, something I learned here is relevant to my comment: One of the pleasures of retirement is more freedom to pick and choose how you will spend your time and energy. I volunteered* my time writing articles and posts over a period of several years, but I don’t see why I should keep doing so if I am not going to be treated respectfully.
Some might say that this is too “thin-skinned” or “sensitive” or “emotional” of a stance, but I see it as a position of agency and self-respect. I’m sure some will disagree. That is fine.
I wish all of you well, and if the anonymous voting feature ever is removed, I’d consider re-engaging. Blessings for now–Dana
*Jonathan offered payment when I first started publishing articles, and I declined, so I really was a volunteer.
In my first career (I went back to school in my 40’s and got a PhD in business and moved on to college teaching) I took juvenile delinquents canoeing across the state of Florida (and also worked with other populations in outdoor adventure and on tall ships where I got various USGS coast guard licenses – getting those licenses was not common for a woman to do at that point in time). That job taught me a life long skill (that I had to learn the hard way) that I am very grateful to have learned – how not to let others trigger me.
That has helped me raise a very troubled kid adopted at 10. She screamed at me once, “I hate it when you use your calm voice when I am trying to make you mad” (I had to work very hard not to laugh). It was helpful when students would try to push buttons when they hated grading decisions or me enforcing late work decisions (that were in writing in the syllabus) as they wanted to be able to then complain about me and my reaction to them in those discussions to the department chair and hopefully get him to overturn my decision, get me in trouble, etc.
While learning how not to be triggered doesn’t change the reality of others behaving like jerks or worse (and the behavior of others often says more about them than about me) it has saved me a lot of emotional distress, increased my ability to ignore that crap without getting upset or taking it personally, and I am a lot happier because of that (and yes I sometimes still can have buttons pushed but not very often),
While in a voting system if there are a majority of downvotes that may make me reconsider if I am the problem here/am wrong/whatever, I look at the preponderance of evidence and shrug and the minority view. If there are comments where a downvoter (the forum I am on where I post a lot you can see who up or downvoted) says something that causes me to rethink what I am thinking then I am (usually) grateful even if how they did it is problematic (although I may sigh at their childish behavior).
It’s not right for people to behave in ways to try to hurt the feelings of others, but then again there are a fair number of people in this world who behave in childish ways, are troubled… and that is not my problem (unless they have power over me or I have to interact with them frequently) that is their problem. And fortunately somehow I have learned how to shrug off most of that kind of behavior. For that I am very grateful and that lesson I learned in a very painful, hard way has been very useful. I was very lucky to have learned it.
Very well said, Carolyn, and great life advice. Love the anecdote about your 10-year old! You definitely met some characters on those canoeing trips. God bless you.
Agreed, Dana, 100% about the down arrows! Respectful debate of topics can be helpful and educational. Anonymous down votes by those unwilling to take a stand or attach their name to a comment should not be allowed.
Dana, Per Bogdan the down arrows are gone on trial basis, so hopefully you will reengage and see how it goes. 🤞
I saw that—thanks!
Dana – Thanks for providing your viewpoint . . . and I miss your perspective on HD. I agree the anonymous downvotes were/are a problem. I have given lots of upvotes on this site for articles, forum pieces, and comments. The only time I’ve given downvotes were for obviously political rants that had no place on HD. I’m all for eliminating the up/down vote option. But as I think about it, I wouldn’t mind having my name associated with either an upvote or a downvote.
Thanks, Jeff!
The voting issue is being discussed. The outcome of the discussion will be obvious once decided.
Thank you, Elaine, and it looks like the decision was made. 🙂
Good to know! Thanks for that information!
Thanks for letting me know.
Dana: Totally agree. I authored a post about 6 months ago about the stupidity, childishness, and lack of utility of votes – both up and down. They were, are, and will always be worthless, if not backed up by the author’s name and commentary. I got massive down votes then, will probably get the same now, and I couldn’t care less. I could understand having the votes amongst children, but adults…..how embarrassing.
Thanks, Mark.
Fully agree. Down votes are misused maybe with intent. I get those votes after posting a simple benign question so I suspect they are fake in some way.
However, I make myself ignore them and move on. I wish you would reconsider posting.
Thanks, Dick.
Hi Dana. Down votes without attaching a comment is a little bit like road rage when you are safely locked inside your car. I wish they were eliminated as well.
Thanks, Dan. As I mentioned in my original piece in January, I’m a volunteer moderator for another site that also uses Disqus for commenting. The upvote/downvote feature is there, but it’s not anonymous. That’s a choice that owners/moderators can make. I find that this one tweak helps to keep things a lot more constructive and civil. Not always, but mostly.
Think of this site as a garden. Jonathan was a gardener: he planned the garden, he prepared the soil, he found and planted the seeds, he nurtured the plants, he pruned the over-enthusiastic and he dealt (mostly) with the weeds. Gardens left untended become overgrown and eventually revert to wilderness. My post below reiterated my requests for active moderation and the removal of votes, but what this site really needs is a steward – a gardener. Bogdan is too busy. I suspect that Elaine, presumably the current owner, is both too busy and not interested.
Like Howard, I regret the change. This used to be a vibrant, interesting and safe space. Now there are too few plants and too many thorns.
I’d like to address your constant complaints about the site and its administration. It is obvious that you are not happy, so why are you still here? All you seem to do is predict the site’s demise and publicly criticize me and Bogdan. I knew my husband better than any of you and I know for a fact that he would be pleased with the level of engagement that continued after this death. And in keeping your garden analogy, the website is a community garden where everyone is expected to play their part. Sadly, like in many gardens, there are some weeds that just don’t seem to go away. In situations like this, it’s up to the community gardeners to work even harder to sustain the garden’s growth prevent the weeds from taking over.
And to those who lament the absence of articles, why not be the agents of change and write an article? Jonathan was a talented writer, editor and teacher. And to the writers, why not make him proud by penning a piece incorporating his feedback and guidance?
Finally, I am not too busy or uninterested in this site. What I am, is annoyed by constant critical comments like yours and disappointed in the behaviour of the community Jonathan so frequently praised.
Well said Elaine, and thank you for continuing Jonathan’s love project.
I am sorry that you feel that way, but I am somewhat surprised that you think I make constant complaints about the site. If you click on my screen name you will see that in the six months from August to February I started eleven forum threads, none of which had anything to do with the management of the site. I did not start the “Mean Girls” thread. I have mentioned the need for volunteer moderators a total of six times in the last three months, three times on the “Mean Girls” thread, but the suggestion was intended to be helpful.
Based on the drop off in activity and the comments on this thread, surely it is clear that a number of people have issues with the current direction of the site. However, this is your ball game. I said over a month ago that I was leaving, clearly I should have stuck to it.
Thank you.
I read all of the comments on this post and am a little sad because I think the situation we find ourselves in would have saddened Jonathan. I sign on every day and almost always find something worth reading, I suggest that people who like this community keep reading and posting and commenting and those who do not, for whatever reason, find another outlet that meets their needs better. No malice. I enjoyed every one of you.
I don’t always agree or understand some points of view, I don’t always appreciate some of the comments, but I read HD everyday. What I read is informative, sometimes challenging, provides ideas and occasionally causes me to rethink my strategy. I always learn how different people are and how varied their perspectives
I agree 100%
Hello, Based on my name you may not know that I am female but I am:) I came upon the Humble Dollar site just as Jonathan announced his diagnosis and prognosis so I am a bit of a newbie. However, I read Jonathan for years as I have been a WSJ subscriber for 30+ years and was very saddened to hear of his illness and ultimate demise. I share all this to say that I have been a regular reader for the last 18 months and posted a few responses.
I enjoy the regular contributors (Mark & Robert) and a host of others and still make Humble Dollar a regular stop on an almost daily basis. I enjoy when there is some discussion and debate but I will tell you that I know many women who are quick to take offense at disagreement. I actually find that off-putting because the key to a healthy society is the ability to flesh out ideas and make them better. Having said that not everything needs to be contentious or disagreed upon but having a diverse set of experiences and opinions is a good thing.
I will say that I am guilty of “lurking’, reading posts and not commenting however there was a moment when I felt compelled to post an it was when Robert Quinn ( who I don’t know and sometimes disagree with) was being attacked, mostly by a few posters who may have been women. It felt very “mean girl” (if you’ve seen the movie or read the book you get extra points) and I cannot abide anyone being singled out and attacked! Whether I agreed or disagreed with his point of view was immaterial, it was the right thing to do to comment on the treatment he was receiving as it felt antithetical to Humble Dollar.
I still come regularly not just for the financial information but the personal anecdotes that make the financial information even more salient. Please don’t think that you have in some way turned off the females in the group because you have not, perhaps you have turned off those that were posting before. I don’t write posts because I don’t know that I have something to say that hasn’t been said but perhaps I will put something out in the future so you know that the “fairer sex” is still out there and engaged.
I still read Humble Dollar, but find the topics and posts have become repetitive. Bogleheads is where I prefer to visit. What I most loved about the early years of this site — those wonderfully personal tales of financial journeys — seem rare these days.
I agree with some of the commenters below that this site does seem to have a gender bias. My user name is purposely gender neutral and I hope that my postings have always been seen to be as well.
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When I saw the title, I was amazed; then, considered the author. I agree this is blatant sexism. I also am appalled at the very unhealthy disdain for those who are struggling financially that is displayed here. And, if I want to know what some idiots aare posting on social media, I can read it myself! Jonathan Clements was an important financial guide for me — and he wrote without flaunting his possessions or financial standing. It is unfortunate that what he had planned for this site is deteriorating so rapidly.
“I once posted here that Mr. Quinn reminded me of my first husband. Arguing with him was like beating your head against a brick wall and about as useful.”
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Do you seriously think I didn’t know who posted that comment? It’s ingrained in my brain along with a few other personal attacks and name calling.
I never did that to another person here.
I may challenge ideas and assumptions and conclusions, but not the person.
Yes, someone I used to like to read has resorted to name calling, but you haven’t, Dick.
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Oh my
Oh my indeed. All I was trying to do was encourage former readers and writers to participate and in this case those most regular writers I noticed missing were women.🤷🏻♂️
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I have read innumerable comments on articles over the years with which I disagree but have never given one a downvote (red arrow). I may disagree with the author’s logic, conclusion or his or her tone. I pay no attention to the presumed gender of the contributor; often the gender is apparent but not always. I think its unhelpful to give a downvote without including a comment of your own to explain why the downvote. I would prefer we keep the upvote tally for the article but lose the votes, both up and downvotes, on the comments.
I enjoy reading posts that have a different take from mine on a topic. Sometimes I learn something from that. And its nice to hear from some contributors in the comment section for this post I have not heard from in a while. The more contributors and the more points of view, the better. I cannot presume to speak for Jonathan, but I think he would agree with that!
I would prefer we keep the upvote tally for the article but lose the votes, both up and downvotes, on the comments.
Agreed. However, when I asked Jonathan whether he would do this, he said no, he wanted to keep both upvotes and downvotes on the comments because he felt they served a purpose, i.e., for the community to show strong disapproval. He even said he’d rather add a downvotes option to the article itself than remove downvotes from the comments.
To me, explaining disagreement in a comment helps keep HD more civil than with an anonymous downvote.
I appreciate reading your thoughts, and agree that explaining why one disagrees is both more respectful and informative, than simply leaving a red arrow.
I once suggested to Jonathan that listing the tallies of upvotes and downvotes separately would be more informative, and he agreed, but said it would be a chore to implement.
For me, the general “feel” of HD has changed. I find there to be far fewer articles that are written with the intent to be informative or helpful. The focus seems to have shifted more to articles that are written solely to be entertaining or meant to provoke a back-and-forth discussion of tired topics with very little substance. More froth than coffee. I remember making an early comment on HD saying how amazing it was to find a site that felt like a community of people who respect and want to help each other (or something to that effect). A few writers still try to do that occasionally but it used to be the norm. And like Kristine and Norm, I only check HD once in a while as I make it a point to not voluntarily be provoked to annoyance nor dare I say it, bored.
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Over my last five posts, I’ve covered structural changes coming to the S&P 500, why volatility can actually work in your favour, concentration risk in broad market funds, why Warren Buffett’s 90:10 rule may not translate well for the average investor, and how I approach rebalancing during a down market.
So I’ll be honest, your comment gave me genuine pause. You wrote that the most prolific writers here use the forum as a personal platform to provoke and court reactions rather than offer anything of real financial value. I’m not sure how to square that with the topics I’ve been covering, and I’d genuinely like to understand your perspective.
I don’t say that defensively. I’m always open to the idea that I could communicate better, structure things more clearly, or pitch the content differently. Constructive feedback is something I actually welcome. But without more specifics, it’s hard to know what to do with a broad characterisation like that. I feel I’d be doing you a disservice if I just nodded along without asking what you actually meant.
If there’s something in the way I’m writing, or the angles I’m choosing, that feels more like grandstanding than genuine contribution, I’d much rather you told me directly. That kind of honest exchange is exactly what makes a forum like this worth showing up to.
Regards, Mark.
While I don’t read all of your articles, Mark, because some investing and rebalancing topics are above my level, I do read most of them and find them very helpful and informative. I’m also impressed at the time that both you and Dick Quinn obviously spend on your contributions every day. Thank you.
I think your posts are fine— in fact, I usually enjoy them. But there are other regulars who are less careful, beat-issues into the ground, and tend to demean.
I think Kristine hit the nail on the head when she cites the topic of seeking ‘useful financial advice’. I think Jan is making a similar point. Many of the posts of late are at best, tangentially connected to financial matters. In some instances, those off-topic opinions have value, but they don’t align with the mission of the site.
And as far as downvotes are concerned: You shouldn’t belittle people with whom you disagree. That’s childish and counterproductive to stimulating discussion. I have used downvotes on occasion. No longer. I see the error of them more clearly after reading this chain.
Several long time contributors who I have enjoyed reading for years are infrequent posters these days. Jonathan was good at getting people to contribute, early and often. I listened to him talking about the site on several podcasts in his last year, where he extolled his contributors for their generosity in sharing their stories, the good bad and ugly at times. If I didn’t write an article for a while, he’d send an email and encourage me to write another. I don’t think that’s happened but once since he’s been gone. Of course I should show more initiative, but absent his interest and invitation, I can’t be sure anyone is interested in what I’m thinking about.
I challenge the idea that this is a “retirement” website, a characterization that limits its readership and reach. People like Dr. Lefty and Kristine and many others were not retirees for most of their contributing years. I’ve written about my youngsters and how to help them learn to manage money. That’s still a big interest of mine. Of course Jonathan was interested in that too, it’s the focus of his project, Getting Going on Savings Initiative.
Possibly we could spend more time talking and inviting in an encouraging way younger people and mid-career workers who want to be getting going. I sure spend a lot of my energy on this when I’m not online. The ongoing saga of living in retirement with plenty of money doesn’t have the angst and drama of, say, trying to decide if it’s worth giving up a lot of spending on other things in order to buy a condo or a starter home (which seem to be an endangered species in many places).
The website’s Get Educated area changes almost daily and is true to Jonathan’s voice and the Money Guide is fantastic, along with his Manifesto as well. Maybe that all should be the top of the website, and our (lesser) forum fall into the middle.
I agree with Kristen, Jonathan was hoping for the best with HD continuing, and he made it quite distinctly different from other sites.
I hope you will resume contributing, Catherine, and include more about the guidance you have given and will continue to give to your children. I’m about ready to write something about the six years I’ve spent raising my grandson who is now a college freshman, majoring in business and finance. He came to me at age 13 with a strong work ethic and interest in earning money, but I hope that I have given him at least a couple useful tips over these years, some of which I definitely learned here at HD!
I agree with Kristine Hayes and normr’s comments.
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But you have your own point of view, you have written much in the past of interest to many.
You may not wish to comment, but we would like a post from you now and then.
Perhaps there are two main contributors, that’s by default and why HD needs the more prolific people of the past to come back.
Look at the list of writers. So many never made the transition to the forum. That’s a shame.
We all see the world differently. On the face of it, I shouldn’t have much in common with most Humble Dollar readers: I grew up poor in a conflict zone, live in a different country, have access to a different style of healthcare, and benefit from a reasonably generous social safety net funded by higher taxes. Our tertiary education system selects on academic ability only rather than supported inclusion. All, I suspect, a long way from the lived experience of most people here.
And yet, I think we all share something fundamental: the challenge of figuring out a pathway through retirement, with all the financial and personal uncertainty that entails. The perspectives I read on Humble Dollar are often remote from my own location and lifestyle, yet they genuinely inform my thinking. Sometimes it’s the common ground that connects us. But sometimes, I feel, it’s the difference that teaches us the most
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I’m often surprised about how much we actually have in common and that your advice is so helpful, despite significant differences in our respective economies.
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On occasion Suzie tells me my Y chromosome needs to keep its mouth zipped…normally I have difficulty figuring out when those occasions are. I’m fairly sure this is one of those moments. Apologies if I caused any annoyance.
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From the very first time I made a submission, Jonathan made me feel like a friend. And yes, many of the most prolific writers have gone silent.
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I said goodbye a few weeks ago, but I have been stopping by occasionally. As Dan points out below, it is not only the “ladies” who have been abandoning the site. The significant drop off in posts can hardly be attributed solely to women, when there were so few of us to start with.
A few points: This type of site requires active moderation. Clearly, Bogdan is too busy to provide it. Other sites have successfully used volunteer moderators, and I have suggested their use here several times. No action has been taken.
There have been multiple discussions about the use of down (and up) votes. The other sites I frequent manage fine with no votes of any kind. Requests to stop their use here have not resulted in action.
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A side note – the writers’ page seems to have disappeared, and there is no obvious connection between the forum and the weekend articles. The whole site is in dire need of a refresh.
I will not respond to replies.
Very constructive comments, Kathy.
There are links at the top right to About (which includes Writers), as well as to Forum, Guide, Articles, and Checkup. To see them, the window needs to be nearly full-screen width.
There used to be a link under the Articles tab which is no longer there.
Writer’s Page:
https://humbledollar.com/writers/
I hope you managed to get over to the UK and up to Manchester without any hassle. If I remember right, you were planning to go mid to late March to see your sister, I hope it all went well. (I understand you’re not responding)
Thanks for asking. As this is a side issue, I’ll respond that the trip was May, now postponed to September/October. I am glad not to be traveling right now!
Perhaps some of the posters we haven’t heard from in awhile could let us know if they now subscribe to an alternative financial site. I’m interested in the great variety of topics and perspectives here at HD, and perhaps at other places.
Bogleheads forum.
Several podcasts, beginning with Christine Benz’s The Long View.
There are still reasons to come to HD, and I hope to read more of everyone on this thread.
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Kristine, I have always enjoyed your posts and comments. Why are you deleting your own comments now? Or is someone else deleting them?
Bogleheads.org. For the forums, go here.
Yes, I read that on a daily basis. Thanks.
Well, I’m just a heteosexual guy and I notice the same old stuff being discussed over and over. I leave for a week and it seems I haven’t missed a thing. I skim read, but seldom comment on those topics because “what’s the point?”
Well, Jonathan even used to joke about his WSJ columns, “One of the things that I tell people is there are basically only 20 personal finance stories, which means that I’ve written each of those stories 50 times…” That’s why I find the unique personal experiences and perspectives about these topics at HD so valuable. Perhaps you could contribute some of yours?
“Perhaps you could contribute some of your [personal experiences and perspectives]”?
My notes indicate that I’ve posted/commented 300+ times in the last 12 months. Forum posts since 6/11/2025 are available by clicking on my handle. Comments also, and repeatedly clicking on the “Load More……” box loads some earlier posts and comments.
I generally post only that which in my opinion might be meaningful and consistent with the purpose of the site. I would like to think that there are a lot of younger people out there who have an interest beyond retirement topics. Ergo I practice some restraint.
I was a paid writer for a business that publishes financial/investing ideas and retirement planning. I wrote on all manner of such topics. After 10 years I hung up that hat in 2025. To read what I wrote required a paid subscription.
I do administer a couple of facebook groups, a couple of blogs and a YouTube channel. These are specialized and have nothing to do with finance/retirement.
I consciously limit my online time spent on finance/retirement matters, etc. This is part of my goal to live a meaningful, purposeful life and I have no idea how few read what I write here. I am not, and have never been an entertainer although some of what I have written or put up on YouTube may be entertaining.
Thank you for pointing this out, Dick.
When a guiding light like Jonathan departs an online forum like this one, it’s inevitable that the forum will change. The longer a poster has been a member of the forum, the more disconcerting and even distressing the changes will be, and it is inevitable that some members will step away. It is the nature of the medium. But yes, it is striking how many of those no longer contributing are female, and it’s a worthy issue for discussion.
I hope those who have ceased to post are still keeping an eye on this neighborhood and might return when they find it comfortable again.
Financial forums do tend to skew male, and participation is often sensitive to tone and feedback mechanisms. HD, while more civil and respectful, is subject to the same pluses and minuses.
Even if features like downvotes or political arguments aren’t targeting anyone specifically, negative feedback generally discourages participation—and that can disproportionately affect voices that are already underrepresented.
Marjorie, Kathy, Kristine, Dana, along with a fist full of male contributors have been put off by the direction they felt the blog was taking after Jonathan passed. Whether attempts at humor gone wrong or misplaced political BS, we need to take a hard look in the mirror and try to remember the spirit of HumbleDollar. I feel like we have self-policed pretty well lately. One exception was a couple days ago when one contributor went political. Another guy gets some amusement by correcting spelling and grammar errors. That kind of crap only discourages participation.
JC deftly steered us in the right direction when needed; no one will ever fill his shoes.
Crap removed
Randy, if you’re going to call out spelling mistakes, you might want to make sure your own sentences are watertight first. When you open with an introductory adverb, a comma is required, which is a fairly basic rule for someone waving the literary flag. Personally, I couldn’t care less either way, but since you’ve appointed yourself the standard-bearer of written communication, it would have been remiss of me not to mention that your own grammar needs a little work. People in glass houses, and all that.
Well, Randy, it’s not about me wanting to be a more gooder writer, it’s about you being an arrogant ass.
Yes, there has been some drifting and several posts that are a stretch to financial matters, including a few of mine I fear. However, I don’t see that as a reason to pick up your marbles and leave.
I can assure everyone as a regular reader of several social media sites, HD is far from something to be put off by.
Besides, for those who feel it has slipped in direction, why not post and reset the direction and guide the direction instead of just an I’m out attitude.
I looked myself up on an AI program and it picked up on HD and described me this way “His writing style is often described as candid, slightly crusty, and deeply practical. He often argues against over-complicated investing, famously favoring simple “boring” portfolios.” Gee, where did that come from?Makes me sound like a loaf of stale bread.
My point is, regardless of style, as long as we aren’t lost in politics, name calling or insulting others, don’t give up on HD and try and always make financial/retire connection.
Dan,
I actually wrote a post before Jonathan passed of my concern that the site appeared to be,“heading in the wrong direction” to which Jonathan replied something to the effect that maybe he had wasted his time with the site. I regret that that was the last comment he made on one of my posts. Unfortunately I think I was prescient.
PS Often times women are the canaries in the coal mine when it comes to issues like this because they often, rightly so, have a lower tolerance for poor behavior.
women … have lower tolerance for poor behavior
Agreed. There had also been an increasing barrage of disheartening red downvotes with no explanations, on nearly every comment they made, even on the simplest factual statements.
Immediately after the women who were longtime writers and commenters left, that almost completely stopped. I’m guessing those downvoters moved on to other sites after they no longer had targets here.
The “Mean Girls” post’s comments and upvote/downvote counts were painful for me to read. I have to admit I came away with a different perception of the HD community than I had previously. But as Dan has pointed out, there have been hopeful signs since then and there is still a lot of good stuff going on at HD.
Agreed. I do think their leaving had more to do with the targeted meanness toward women than to any perceived drifting from financial matters in HD content.
Wow! That’s an interesting and sad observation about something that I had missed. I was very upset a few years ago when a younger relative posted an offensive comment on my Facebook page. My daughter said “You’re taking it too seriously. Some people have nothing better to do than troll other people’s social media.” Trolling was a new word to me. I still take these things seriously and certainly not appropriate for HD.
You are so right, David! In an entirely different context it’s been said that a very large global institution would have been spared recent (and historic) scandals if the institution had been more open to women’s voices and allowing women more prominent positions. I haven’t finished reading all the comments, but already I feel very sad. Thank you, Dick, for reaching out to the missing female voices here. Just yesterday I recommended HD to my optician because HD is still very important and helpful to me. I try to always post positive and encouraging comments. One of these days I will try something longer.
Linda, you have always been one of my favorite commenters. I look forward to seeing you post “something longer.”
Thank you, Ken. I have some ideas and hope to get started pretty soon. I also got encouragement from a second party, so that’s good incentive.
Amen.
Trying my best to remove political BS ASAP. This is not a place for it.
Bogdan, please know that my comment was not criticism directed toward you. You have obligations beyond managing this website. You should not bear the entire burden of hall-monitoring the kids here.
Thanks Bogdan
I have been thinking of Marjorie a lot in recent weeks and saying prayers for her as I think of her. I know she was having cancer treatments while Jonathan was. Chris
I didn’t know that.
Take a look at Marjorie’s comment to this article.
Thanks, Ed, for directing us back to the tribute column that Dana initiated. It was beautiful to just now re-read much of it, especially the comments to and from Marjorie.
Marjorie made many heart-warming references to her treatment as well as other patients that she came in contact with.