Oh, flea. I'm so sorry. What do you think HR will do to make it up to you?

flea, get as much as you can. Maybe a pony!

Or, okay, maybe more days of paid vacation and/or $$$.

Congrats, -t!

I tried to respond to the Pandagon thing about the hysteria about the net being nothing but a wasteland of kiddie rapers, but apparently, I do not know how to use the internets. It won't take my post.

But! This is what would have appeared:

Hi Amanda,

My first book just came out, and it's a collection of essays about internet communities, friendships formed on the 'net, and some of the good that comes out of being able to create a large collective (tribe) that isn't determined by geographical borders.

Like you said in your post, the media hysteria that creates a portrait of the entire net as a cesspool of pedophiles who want to rape your children, steal your identity, and then hack you to pieces is absurd. My favorite part of these cable show hit pieces on the net is when the gloomy newscaster says without irony, "...for more information on (whatever reason why the net will instantly kill you), please visit our website at..."

Anyway! Your post hit a nerve. On all but one of the radio interviews I've granted, the interviewer seems obsessed with pedophilia. I have no idea what to do with it, except to say, calmly, "everyday, millions and millions and millions of people use the internet, and nothing bad ever happens to them."

There is an essay called "The Internet Wants Your Daughters" in the book, which is about the absurdity of the hysteria. But no one ever wants to talk about the weddings, the charity collections, or the comfort I've seen. I write about the generosity of strangers most often. None of that is ever covered. All they want to discuss is the legion of wolves hiding behind every URL for Little Red Riding Hood to innocently join a Justin Timberlake fan listing so they can POUNCE and eat her all up.

What can you do? What's the appropriate response?

It's just making me SO MAD.

flea, that's totally inexcusable and sucktastic! The Big Boss is an appalling ass.

Because my heart is full of magic, I choose to believe in bon bon Bob Bob, Esq., and even to believe that some of her old-fashioned hidebound elderly relations may refuse to acknowledge her independent personhood and address her as Mrs. Dr. Bob Bob. Which would be annoying, but in a magical sort of way.

can we all refer to you now, not as bon bon, but as "bon bon"? It has a Prince-esque look to it.

If we had more than one "bon bon", would we have "bon bon"'s?

Kat!! I can babysit for you tomorrow night or all day Saturday or Sunday. When would you like me? I can't call you from work, as my boss is sitting THREE FEET FROM ME.

can we all refer to you now, not as bon bon, but as "bon bon"? It has a Prince-esque look to it.

I'd think bon bon would have to first rename herself to an emoticon for the Prince-esque effect.

I love the quotes thing, because it's all, "bon bon," if that's your real name. Which, you know, it isn't, as we so recently discovered.

Allyson, Pandagon is very tightly moderated (to keep out spam and hate speech), so it's possible something in your post was flagged by their filtering software. It might take a while for one of the mods to let it through.