Hello there! Thank you for continuing to follow my work and taking the time to write such an extensive comment.
If by “schooled” you mean educated, then yes, I was schooled by the comments from my original piece. So schooled, in fact, that most of the substance of this piece is quoting comments from others. Those comments were evenly mixed between people who agreed with my take and those who did not. I feel that I learned an equal amount from both sides of this topic.
No, I don’t show dogs. I never claimed to show dogs. My original piece was a fashion commentary, as is this. It is not an analysis of the sport itself. That said, in analyzing the comments that were negative, I did learn a lot about the sport and why people wear what they do. I addressed the validity of many of these choices in this follow-up piece. I maintain that I still do not agree with the rationale behind all of those choices, which I also addressed in this piece.
Becoming a handler is not something one can casually jump into, so I’m surprised that you take such offense at me not attempting to show a dog. I do not have the ability to take the time or make the financial investment to become a handler — and yes, I am aware of what a significant commitment it is. Many sports writers don’t play the sports they write about, and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to write about an activity you don’t personally partake in.
Neither of us have any idea if the supportive comments I received are from new handlers or seasoned ones. Most of them did not mention their level of experience.
I have “observed” more than one dog show. I watch them on television every year, and I have attended quite a few local shows in person over the years. I’m not quite sure where you got the idea that I have only seen or attended one in my lifetime.
I certainly am capable of critiquing more than just women’s clothing. I chose to discuss it because that was the subject of my original piece, and I wanted to keep the scope of my follow-up narrow and focused.
The photos I used were already published publicly online. If I ever received a comment from a pictured handler who felt offended or distressed by my use of their image, I would more than gladly remove the photo in question. That has yet to happen on either piece.
As I wrote at the top of this piece, I felt a follow-up was necessary because I feel differently about certain aspects of the subject than I did five years ago, and I felt those who commented (and continue to comment — I get comments on the original piece to this day) deserve a refreshed perspective.
I don’t plan on making this a regular topic in my writing. It has never been a regular topic in my writing. I wrote one follow-up to one piece and I have no intention of writing about it more. So sure, I can “stop.”
You are free to express how judgemental you think I am, but I would encourage you to think about the judgement you have passed on me and every commenter who has supported me. You could have easily seen this piece, thought it was stupid, and moved on. Instead you took the time to write a multi-paragraph response criticizing me, calling me rude, shitty, nasty, bitchy, foolish, and a jerk, among other things. My piece was about clothes, not a personal attack on anyone’s character, and I’m sorry you felt compelled to personally attack mine. I certainly hope that getting all your feelings off your chest made you feel better.
Thank you for letting me know that you are also a part of the writing community! I think your assessment that we would not work well together is correct.
Take care.
