I'm sorry I have to do this

(or "it's not what you say, it's how you say it")

I used to enjoy maintaining this blog. I enjoyed writing the posts, and I enjoyed getting feedback. I enjoyed the feedback because it was usually positive, but also I appreciated that when it was negative, the disagreements were expressed in a mature, reasonable way. Even when I was challenged, the people doing the challenging were clearly intelligent, good-natured people engaging in an intellectual discussion.

Lately, a certain other blog has been "advertising" mine, and the readers from that blog-- who tend to be more contentious and treat the comments section as if it is a seventh grade playground rather than a place for exchanging interesting ideas -- have been coming over to Chayyei Sarah.

A few of these readers have taken to leaving comments that are mean-spirited and provocative. Two have called other readers names.

I feel like someone who was throwing a great cocktail party, and then three high school kids crashed it, rip-roaring drunk, and threw up all over my living room floor.

I can't prevent you from stopping by, but I can kick you out of the house.

Effective immediately, any comment that I deem to be mean-spirited in any way will be removed as soon as I catch it. If in my judgement the comment was posted primarily to provoke, or to insult, it will be removed. Comments that constitute a nasty argument between 2 readers will be removed (maybe I'll warn you, and maybe not). Comments that are irrelevant to the topic at hand will be deleted at my discretion.

A tip: If you are really, really angered by another reader, then direct your response to me, not to them. At least that way we can avoid having two seventh-grade boys in a violent scuffle on the floor while the adults are trying to enjoy their martinis and civil discourse.

If you don't like this policy, then stop reading Chayyei Sarah. I won't mind.

(My apologies to those readers whose comments have always been interesting and reasonably stated. I hope you'll go back to your Cosmopolitans now and enjoy the rest of the evening.)