On a bit of a lark, I posted the previous blog entry here on Facebook. Didn't think about much. I posted it on the largest of Oak Ridger groups. It seemed like the right location. It was about Hiroshima, but Oak Ridge is always linked to that place. As I have written before, Hiroshima is the legacy which Oak Ridge cannot embrace, but which it can't escape either. It is a hell of a fix.
My postings, most often, disappear without comment from anyone. This particular posting was different. Within minutes there were comments. Most of them were critical. I assumed this was a short lived event. Folks would get it off their chests and move on. Stupid me, I thought I should defend my post from accusations without basis and from flat-out factual errors. Evidently, this is some breech of Facebook etiquette. It is expected that regardless of the inflamed nature of the response that I should thank them for commenting and move on. I didn't know.
The back and forth went on for hours. It went on after I signed off for the night. Before it was over I was called a hater of the Japanese, a bigot and a racist. This went against the rules of the group, but the moderators were silent.
The offended group demanded that the moderators take down the post. They claimed the posting was "political" and thus, violated the rules of the group. This was total bologna, but the offended wanted to silence my voice.
They didn't get the chance. About 28 hours after I posted the Hiroshima op/ed I took it down. It wasn't because of the protests, but this controversy wouldn't end. It seemed the easiest thing to do. I didn't want to put the moderators in an awkward position.
The posting was allowed under the rules and it was relevant because any action by the Japanese which taints the reputation of Oak Ridge workers should be exposed and discussed. The efforts of a tiny group of critics to crush a voice which offends them I thought was most disturbing.
Welcome to Facebook and Hiroshima.