April Fool?

Heidi on Truck Day this year

As anyone who reads this blog knows, I’m a rational, even-tempered person who trusts people implicitly…

Man, I can’t even type that with a straight face. I’m not rational, especially when it’s about something I’m passionate about. I’m only even-tempered if it doesn’t have to do with baseball and I very rarely trust anyone or anything unless I have many good reasons to do so.

I mention this because there is a comment left on my most recent “ranting” post that appears to be written by Heidi Watney. I trust nothing when it comes to the comments…this I learned at WEEI.com. So before taking it too seriously, I did a little research. As I responded in those same comments, either it’s a relatively elaborate April Fools’ joke or Heidi really did take the time to comment. There was an email address attached to the comment and in the event that it isn’t a joke, I responded privately.

Then I got to thinking.  If it was Heidi who left the comment, it’s a little unfair for me to just respond in private.  I very publicly call her out once or twice or eight times a year and she took the time to publicly respond so responding privately seemed a bit like hiding. Here’s the comment so you don’t have to go looking:

Hi Cyn,

I agree with your opinion on the show… It sounds like women are definitely not the target demo. I know you have always been very critical of me, without ever meeting me or knowing me, which is a bit unfair. But hey that’s the business I am in… Everyone’s a critic. I just wanted to point out an inaccuracy… I said they gave it to me in a pink helmet because I’m a girl because that is what the vendor off camera said to me. I didn’t ask for pink, and generally don’t like it on anyone but little girls. It was an offhand comment I repeated. I just want to point out that sometimes people can be quick to judge and take things out of context. That said I did read your comment, and I appreciate the “pass”.

I’m glad you like the new segment.

Thanks for listening…
Heidi

Being the cynic I am, I absolutely didn’t believe this was real. If it isn’t, someone in Texas wants me to think it is. In either event, it doesn’t hurt to take a moment to discuss it a bit.

If this is Heidi, I have to thank her for responding.  She gave some background to her comment that I criticized (that, frankly, made me yell at my television if I’m being honest) and it even makes sense to me.  In the message I sent back, I did two things:  I apologized for making her feel bad because if you think about it (and God knows when I’m in my rant mode I don’t) some of the things I write about her come off as plain mean and that isn’t my intent.  I’m not trying to be mean.  This falls into the other thing I mentioned, most of my criticisms I stand by.  I didn’t get specific.  “Here are the reasons I write about you now go fix yourself!” wasn’t really the tone I was going for when I responded last night.  So while I did write to her that I stood by most of the criticisms, I also apologized for being mean-spirited on occasion.  As I wrote, it’s easy to sometimes forget that the people we see on television so often are real people with real feelings.  I got a reminder last night to keep that in mind when I’m writing.

I still believe in calling those out who I think need to be called out occasionally and, as was noted in the above comment, it comes with the territory for a job like Heidi’s.  That doesn’t mean I have to be such an ass about it.

So if the comment wasn’t made by Heidi, the prankster still accomplished something that wasn’t childish and stupid, he/she got me to examine myself a bit and take myself to task for being too harsh on some at times.  April Fools to that person since I’m sure my self-reflection wasn’t the goal there.

But if it was Heidi Watney, what now?  Do I stop being critical when I think it calls for it?  If I’m being honest, probably not.  I will certainly cop to being a hypocrite on occasion, but I feel like I’d be a total fraud if I did that.  What’s the message?  It’s okay to talk about someone behind their back but once they acknowledge you it’s time to say something nice or not say anything at all?  Even I can’t be that big a hypocrite.

So, honestly, I have no idea.  I admit to having enjoyed the way NESN has been using Heidi lately and maybe that will help.  Maybe more segments like she’s been doing will just naturally turn the tide and give me nothing to criticize?  Maybe things will be going either so good or so bad for the team that I won’t have time to pay attention to anything she’s doing that I might be critical of?  There are a world of possibilities and all I can do is promise that I’ll try to be less mean and more constructive if/when the opportunities are presented.

I don’t pretend that everyone who reads my blog thinks I’m wonderful and I’m sure Heidi doesn’t expect that everyone who watches her on NESN is going to love her.  But it doesn’t hurt to be reminded sometimes that we’re all just people trying to do our thing and we have feelings just like everyone else.  Here endeth the lesson.

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