Hate Mail From Morocco

Andy the Hobo Traveler.com and I have an ongoing joke about all of the hate mail that he receives. We rather satiricly equate the volume of hate mail with the level of success that an internet writer achieves.

Andy receives tons of hate mail= His site is very successful.
I do not receive very much hate mail yet= My site is not yet very successful.

I think that hate mail reflects much more upon the person writing it than on the one who is meant to be insulted. I find it very humorous that so many people around the world would take the time to read someone else’s blog and then assault them because they did not write something that they like. It is simply amazing to me that in this age of rampant multi-cultural information exchanges people still cannot handle opinions that are different than their own. There are so many outlets of information in the world today, why don’t people just click off a site that they disagree with and read something else? Really, how odd does a person need to be to insult a harmless blogger? How much unvented anger and frustration does a person need to have to try to make a self publishing writer feel bad about themselves?

I would like to get to the roots of this hate mail issue, my curiosity is peaked. It seems as if people have a sort of ingrained reaction against ideas and opinions that are different than their own. It seems to mix up and uproot some people’s world view to encounter a person who does not share their opinions. I think the world needs to travel; for travel is the great slayer of ignorance. Seek the world, and you will learn not only about other people, but yourself as well. In my opinion, having your world view turned upside down to the point that you can hardly recognize it anymore is one of the most valuable things that can happen to a person. Travel inherently changes, alters, and remakes even the most stubborn of world-views. Perhaps traveling should be a punishment for criminals, politicians, and fundamentalists. . . as it was in the old days.

I must say that I find hate mail exceedingly humorous. I welcome hate mail, send it on. Just go down to the comment link below and tell me how much I suck. I will just laugh, and if it is good enough, share it with Andy. It is my opinion that a writer really has to make people FEEL deeply and THINK about what they have written to receive hate mail. As far as I am concerned, hate mail means that I am doing my job.

I received my first piece of hate mail the other day. It is very, very mild compared to what Andy gets on an almost daily basis, but I think it is a start hehehehe.

The hate mail from Morocco:

Anonymous said…

hi.there are some places bad and some others good like all countries,but you must not laught and make a joke when you do your bloody stupide job or i dont know why you are in morroco may be for a raison hehehe …..do u know what i mean .
1/18/2008 02:20:00 PM

Wade said…

I do not believe that a traveler is required to like every country that they travel through. I also do not believe that people should be prohibited from traveling in countries that they do not like. I write my impressions of the world as I move through it. I never made any other claim. I am not going to pretend that I enjoy a place that I don’t; I will not lie to be polite. I believe that it is far more valuable to write my honest impressions of places and cultures rather than what people want to hear. I wrote the opinions that your country gave me, and nothing more.

I found some hassles in Morocco, so I wrote about them. I do not dislike Morocco. In fact, I have grown rather comfortable with the country. But there are some major hassles that many Moroccans give to travelers- touts, hotel runners, restaurants, and taxi drivers often times try to cheat, short change, and take advantage of foreigners to an extraordinary degree. This is what I observed, so this is what I wrote.

These are only my impressions of the world, they are not meant to upset you. I am only a bigoted, small minded, and ignorant traveler. I do not claim to be anything else.

I have to get back to my stupid job now.

Walk Slow,

Wade

Vagabond Journey.com
Photographs from Morocco

Heredia, Costa Rica
January 25, 2008