Speechless

I live in a free country, where freedom of speech is an important matter. A long while ago, when I was still young and at school, we learned how to do a proper discussion in class. We were learned that provocation isn't that bad to get a message across, but that you should always have at least some respect for the people you discuss with, and talk with them with calmness and reason. If you lose your temper, you lose the argument. That's what I've learned. 

The reactions I got on my last journal, however, have left met both sad and speechless. Because I'm unable to grasp how people can be so downright insulting towards a fellow human being. To a member of the same website.... 

My journal wasn't meant to tell people how much I hate fanartist. Because... I don't really hate them. I just feel sad about how hard it is to get attention for original work in the sea of fanart out here, and wanted to reflect on DA's culture. I was just hoping to get some responses that told me why people thought about it otherwise. To set up a discussion about the subject. Because I was (and still am) genuinely interested in how other people think. 

I guess the subject is one of those that we shouldn't touch on DA. Even though everybody has his own opinion on the matter (and a strong one, if you ask me), expressing this leads to an instant internet flamewar.... which was far from what I intended when I posted the journal. I admit. The journal might've been a bit too provoking, I didn't expect it to evolve in a massive hate-fest. I would've thought the community was more mature than that. Guess I've been wrong.

I was originally planning to answer all posts. Either positive or negative. A death threat was the limit for me, though. Threatening someone with death because you don't agree with her on the internet? How can you ever justify something like that?

I won't be calling names. The one that send me the message knows it. And I've reported it too the staff as well. I just wanted to let people know the reason I closed comments for now. 

Aside from that... I'd like to apologize. Both to the nice people that genuinely wanted to discuss the issue with me (and are left out now) as to the people that somehow felt offended by my previous journal. All I can say is that I didn't intend to insult anyone personal, and that I'm sorry if I somehow hurt your feelings. I just never realized the impact of a simple journal.

I'm not too popular on DA. Most often my journals got only read by a few. Needless to say, I never realized there was something like a journal portal, until somebody pointed it out to me. I guess the new journal system didn't make much sense to me yet. They changed it a lot since I joined DA, years ago. I never realized that not only my limited group of watchers, and people coming by on my profile, would get the message, but everyone. I never expected it to get viral on DA. I didn't even know there was such a possibility for lesser known members. 

This will probably one of the last journals I post in public for now. And the only reason I post it public, is because it's a follow-up of the last one. 

All I want to say is that I'm just another person of flesh and blood, just like you are. I've been on the internet for years. I've seen a lot, been through a lot as well. But even I can only take things so far. I'm disappointed. I'm done with the internet for today, and I feel like I need a good writing session to get it off my mind. I wish you the best of luck.

PS: 

I see a lot of people continuing the discussion on fanart, either here or over PM. I closed the discussion for a reason. I don't feel the need to argue anymore... and tbh... it makes me tired right now. I have enough stuff on my mind already. I hope you respect me in that. To those that feel the need to keep on trolling here, expect an instant block. I'm to tired of your shit to even continue discussing it with reason.