I’ve had it with blog trolls, hateful e-mails, and the general idiocy that seems to overwhelm otherwise normal people when they connect to the Internet.
I just don’t understand it. Where is your humanity? Do you treat people you see in real life the way you treat me? Do you go out of your way to insult and belittle people? Is your life so miserable, so empty and meaningless, your self-esteem so low that you need to attack me? Honestly, what have I ever done to you? Really. What have I ever done?
Dealing with this shit has become a huge and unecessary distraction, so WWDN will not be updated for the near future while I finish “Just A Geek” and take care of some other RL stuff.
I just . . . I just need a break. In the meantime, check out the archives. There’s some stuff in there that I’m really proud of.
. . . I’ll be enjoying Channel 2’s TEAM COVERAGE of STORMWATCH.
Heh.
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I recently locked my online journal against anonymous posts for this very reason, and no longer have a web form up for people to send me email through. While there are some people who are willing to be obnoxious when they’re named, many would rather do so in a much more cowardly fashion … because, apparently, their lives really, really suck.
This is not my problem. This is not your problem. It’s a pity they feel the need to try to make it someone else’s problem rather than correcting it themselves, but why not take the easy route? Anyway, I hope that the breather helps. You’re an excellent writer, and deserve only comments from people who appreciate that about you, at the very least.
If someone has something nasty to say to you, do what I do: Post it publicly, including with their e-mail address. That’ll teach ’em.
this is my 1st post.I only discovered your site a few months ago. I am very sorry that you have to put up with idiots. I checked this site everyday for your updates and will miss them so much. I’ve been reading everyone’s comments and I’m so touched by everyone’s outpouring of support for you. I hope you see you are cared for and respected by many. We’ll be waiting, Wil, come back soon. Take care of your business and the wife and kids.
Let it go, Wil. Half the world is crazy, and the other half stupid (minus 2%). Good luck on your book. I Will buy it, order it, borrow it–get it when I can.
Make it so, Mr. Crusher. I stand by you to the end.
Mike
Hello Wil Wheaton,
I got your autograph a couple years ago at the ComiCon in San Diego.
Wanted to express my feelings about the people who are belittling you and stuff. They need to STFU!
I’ve always thought you were a cool… role model of sorts. I grew up watching you in movies and TV. Keep your chin up, you do a lot of good that the people insulting you don’t benefit from.
-BrokenHearted
That’s a pity. It’s sad when losers who would get their butts kicked in real life if they piped up like that, feel free to do so in the “anonymity” of the ‘net.
Pay no mind to them, they are worthless.
Come back soon. Plenty enjoy your scribblings and the hell with the trolls. Fuck ’em.
Bonz, who mods and admins at several sites, so have been called all sorts of both creative and crude things.
Wil,
I’m sorry the trolls have you tearing your hair out. Breathe deeply, brush them aside, and do what you need to do. If your book is anything like your blog, I’m looking forward to reading it.
BTW – you were great in Book of Days. I certainly hope you get some more parts soon!
–Ian…
Aw, gee, Wil, I’m going to miss you. I check this site every time I sign on. On a selfish note, I’m always a bit disappointed when you haven’t dropped us a little note. Not that you owe us anything. But, you’re just so fun to have around, like a good friend. I look forward to our “encounters.” You’ve revealed so much of yourself, evoked so many memories and pointed out so many things I would have missed. Not just the stuff on the Internet, but the moments that makes life wonderful.
Take the break and finish that book. I can’t believe you had the time to write all this stuff AND have a life. It takes me forever just to get rid of that awful spam mail I get every day, and I really don’t use the ‘net that much at all. On my vacation last year, I had to find an Internet cafe so I could check my mail and delete all the junk so my mailbox wouldn’t overflow.
Enjoy your time away, participate in Real Life, and make more memories. I’m just happy that you chose to so generously share a few moments of your life with us.
good luck wil! come back soon, i can’t wait for the book either.
I’m mostly surprised why anyone, who knows the net, would actually get the least bit offended by trolls. Why waste the energy.
Everyone knows they’re just pathetic little pricks with no self-esteem. And with the anonymity of the net, they feel their e-penis grow giant when they (try to) put other people down.
I hope the break helps. I would suggest to never ever reply to a troll anymore. It’s like breaking the prime directive of anti-trolling 🙂
–
I was going to come up with a little “Animal Planetish” piece about trolls, but then I thought someone must have done that already 🙂 I found this
http://www.edfac.usyd.edu.au/staff/souters/Humour/trolls.html
Wil,
Take as much time as you need. Finish the book(I know it’ll be kick@ss), spend some time with the fam, whatever you need. It’s not a bad thing to put yourself first ( I would say take a little Wil time, but it didn’t sound quite right). Even though I doubt my chances of ending up with signed copy of your book, you can bet your..umm well whatever you want, that I’ll get at least one copy in my hands somehow.
P.S. Just wanted to let you know that I’ve loved all the work of yours I’ve seen and wished I could have seen more of the recent stuff.
Don’t worry about it Wil, we’ve all been there (well, most of us who have been on the Net for any length of time). There’s always someone looking for a chance to anonymously throw virtual tomatoes (or rocks) at someone else … it doesn’t even matter if you’re a “known” individual or not, as they are just looking for the first convenient target.
Taking a break from Net life for a little while is almost certainly going to help. What I find is that over time those little sniping comments from the idiots sort of build up until I reach a boiling point and they really start to get under my skin more than they should. At that point I find it hugely helpful to just leave the Net alone for a while and concentrate on real life, rather than start saying things on the Net that I’ll regret later. After a little break I’m much more able to once again not let myself be affected by those types of comments, and to simply file them where they belong (in the bit bucket).
Hopefully a break will also help you put the finishing touches on your book, so there’s a double bonus. I’ll look forward hopefully to your return sometime thereafter.
Whatever, dude. It’s your site. No need to get So Mr. High and Mighty about it. The majority of your readers don’t seen to take issue with you. Why let the other bastards piss in yer Cheerios?
Well, Wil I can surly understand your feelings about hatful fans but remember there was many people who like you too and to say your not updating the site anymore due to these other people being rude to you is kind of like punishing all of your fans because of the mistakes of some, or at least your post sounded that way to me.
Dude, I totally understand the burning out and the need to prioritize & focus… but you don’t have to give us a “better” excuse than simply wanting to do just that.
That being said: bear down & drive on the book– full steam ahead. Then have a nice long rest. Those of us who’ve had the pleasure and privilege to come to know you and root for you will still be here.
We’ll miss you though.
The whole troll thing… I’m sure you must have seen the end of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back? You know these guys are Comic Book Shop guys with crusted underwear or 10-year-olds just getting over their Polly Prissypants tea party obsession. The common clay of the Infotainment Superhighway. You know. Morons.
Come back soon Wil. Those trolls can just shove it up their nose.
wanna use this one? Your polterguist trolls may come back again. Ya never know.
🙂
http://www.kozco.com/pictures/mscope/mscope.jpg
Hey Wil:
To be honest with you, I used to absolutely hate you back in the TNG days…not you personally, of course, but your infamous character. In fact, the gang and I used to annoy the HELL out of a friend’s brother by calling him “Wesley”.
Now that I’ve grown up, I find myself popping by your site (and to a lesser extent hunting down your /. journal) every day to see your take on what’s going on in the world. I think if I could go back in time and tell my younger self that I would become a fan of Wil Wheaton, I probably would have laughed. If I would have mentioned that I find myself sharing many of the same opinions as you, I think I would have died of shock.
My friend, you are one of the good ones. Don’t let the bad ones get you down…they don’t mean anything personally, they’re just idiots who hope to get a rise out of you. Remember, we’re talking about the same sort of people who you see crowding behind a news reporter so they can get their stupid faces on TV. They want attention; unfortunately, you’ve given it to them. I’d recommend you don’t in the future.
What was I saying again? Aw hell…you go do what you’ve gotta do. You know that we’re here for you if you need the mojo (I can’t believe I just wrote that…it sounds so hippie). Write that damned book so I can buy it, take a break if you need to…enjoy life a bit. When you feel like you have more stuff to relate, come on back…we’ll still be here.
Tim
Aww! NOOO! Stupid trolls. Where’s Bilbo when you need him! I’m gonna miss you Wil! Good luck with your book.
I’m sorry the trolls got you down, Wil.
Please come back when the book is ready and the hatemongers have crawled back into the holes they came from.
In the meantime, take it easy and remember, we’ve got your back!
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves: Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And, as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
– Nelson Mandela (Inauguration Speech, 1994)
I’m a big fan, Wil. God bless you and yours–and best of luck to you with whatever decisions you decide to make.
Jenna
Don’t let trolls get you down. Every time you see a post from an obvious troll, just picture them sitting in front of their computer in their parents basement. Then realize that they will be like that for the rest of their lives and pity them.
Whoa! Halfway through the article I was about to say “Settle down, Beavis.”, but I get the hint that you’ve been going through some pretty stressful times of late. If the choice came between taking a break away from WWDN for a while or eventually going mushroom cloud on someone (imagine all the WW-haters who would be screeching “See? I told you he was an a-hole.”), you’ve made the right choice.
Devote some time into stuff you LIKE doing. You’ve been doing great since you’ve decided to take control over your own life, and as much as we like hearing what’s been going on in the World of Wil on a daily basis, we’d prefer to know that you’re happy.
So, do what you have to get done and stop back when you’re tanned & rested. We’ll wait.
PS: On a positive note, you’ve never told us that your likeness was done by (the now late) Al Hirschfeld, you lucky dawg you.
http://www.lightspeedfineart.com/images/HirschfeldA.jpg
Wil,
I know I would enjoy my job a lot more if I
didn’t have to deal with the drunks and ladies
“of evening class” that I get on a regular basis.
one must take care of ones mental health first.
take care.
Sad to see that people are hassling you. I’ve got to admit that I read most of your archives with surprise several months ago. Perhaps I was out to lunch, but I never even realized that there was a major backlash against you and your Star Trek character. I began watching it after my freshmen year of High School in the summer of ’90 and always thought you did a superlative job (perhaps I was predisposed to being a fan based on your terrific performance in Stand By Me, but I don’t think that’s it)and I hate to think of what it must have been like.
I even got a chance to listen to you after you left Star Trek when you were interviewed by Live 105 (San Francisco, Alex Bennett Show in ’92 or ’93) about Newtech in Topeka (you were there with Dana Carvey’s brother who worked with the company, and some woman I think named Kiki S. who was a spokeswoman for the company)and about your career as well. The Video Toaster was really going into production before it was brought on line supposedly with Babylon 5 a few years later, and it just sounded as if you were getting a fresh start and trying to find your way in the world. Contrary to how you often refer to yourself in this period, I thought you came across as someone trying to find their way in their twenties with plenty of baggage, but plenty of positivity as well.
Anyway you came across as a great person then, you were impressive throughout your acting career, and your web site is also a tribute to your passions, your seeming down to earth nature, and your sense of humor and honesty. I hate the fact that a bunch of jackarses are feeding you a bunch of b.s. and treating you like trash but I respect your decision. It never ceases to amaze me at how the internet can really free the ‘inner punkarse’ in a lot of candyarsed individuals who would never have the cojones to say to someones face, what they do online. It doesn’t help that nearly always what generates these kind of foulmouthed responses is absolutely nothing but the convoluted mental sickness of the poster, themself.
Anyway good luck in all you do,
Stephen
M’eh. Most people in the world are clueless anyways. A lot of them are idiots, and a lot of them are very petty. The more famous you are, the more vulnerable you are. So, fuck ’em, it’s the cool people that matter.
Just to drop in one more bit of wisdom, “Life can be like a bowl of cereal. Even if you pick out the fruits and nuts, you’ll still have to contend with the flakes.”.
And if you chose “None Of The Above”, well, you’ve got nothing but a bowl of air for breakfast, don’t you?
WTF am I babbling about? I’m not too sure myself (I must stop posting bollocks after 1AM). But what I THINK I’m trying to say is that these yabbos are a part of life at large, no matter what. So, if they’re gonna be out there anyway, you can handle it by either letting them effect you, or you can take charge and not let them get to you. Let them know that only Wil controls Wil (Well, OK, maybe the wife has some admin access to Wil too, but that’s it). And from what I read from you, you seem to be on the right track.
Don’t let them make you their “bitch”.
Sorry to hear that Wil. You’re a swell guy. I’ll miss your posts.
But then again, I really want your book. I look forward to seeing you finish that.
You’ll be selling signed copies right?
-Jeffery
George Carlin put it best (paraphrase), “Think of how stupid the average person is . . . now realize that half of ’em are stupider than that!”
Don’t let the a$$holes get ya down, Wil.
-foo!
Wil I feel the pain you feel and understand the anger but please do not let a hand full of a** holes yanking your chain keep you from letting the rest of us who enjoy your coman down to earth interactions with us pay the price. We enjoy your comments on everything in general and feel like you are like us just another coman Joe. I wish there was something I could do for you to help you cope. I’m sorry that you received such an email. Wish I could read it but since this is only like my third time here I do not know where to find it if you’ve even posted it. Any how looking forward to your book and hope to see you back on soon. Good luck. Some one who cares. Bones662001.
Your decision makes sense, but boy am I disappointed. I just discovered this site. You are intelligent, funny and extremely insightful. It seems to me that the majority of the people you attract share those traits. I am so sorry that there are a few notable exceptions. Please remember that their rude comments are in no way a reflection on you or WWDN. Believe it or not, I know people who think that The Simpsons is a stupid show. If that isn
I believe the U2 song Acrobat says it all:
“Don’t let the bastards grind you down…”
Take care, dear. 🙂
while i’m sad to see WWDN on hiatus – i’m happy 1) you’re getting your book done, and 2) you’re putting your foot down on all dems playa hatas.
here’s to wil
**clink**
eric
fargo, nd
*wants to hug the Wil*
I can totally understand your frustrations about the damn annoying trolls and whatnot.
There are more important things (ie your family and book) than this blog and the bulk of us here can respect that. Good on you for doing what you need to do to keep your sanity!
Man, It’s gonna be rough not having you around. I dig your wit and humor and it often makes my day whole-hairy-assloads better. Don’t let the poo-flingers keep you from doin’ your thing. Nevertheless, do what you have to do, just don’t let this be your last post. It would suck if that was the way you left us longtime loyal fanboys.
Much love and respect from above,
J.
I Visit this site because I like your work. Just wanted to say that.
Enjoy your break, Wil.
As a newcomer to your site, I’ve been dipping into your blog archives for a few weeks now, and I’m really enjoying them.
I’m looking forward to reading your book when it’s ready. Good luck with it.
Wil,
First time poster, long time reader. It sucks that the trolls got to you. I know how you feel. I run a streaming radio station for fun. About a year ago I was getting a flood of negative feedback telling me that my site sucked, my music selection sucked, etc. I got so pissed off one night, I did something similar to your reaction tonight, I pulled the plug. The gear went into the closet, I even let the URL expire. But you know what, a few months later I pulled the gear out and fired the site back up. I haven’t regreted it for one moment since. Perhaps you need to step away for a bit, but remember, there are far more people out here who enjoy your site then there are mindless jerks who just don’t get it.
And as The Toasters say, “Don’t let bastards grind you down”.
Dear Wil,
I have truelly enjoyed popping in every day to check if there is a new bit of Wil Wisdom on the site.
I am sorry that the noise of a few is so much louder than the support of the rest of us.
Nevertheless, take your time out, finish your book and spend some time doing the (other) things you love most.
But remember that there are many, many people that enjoy your wit; there is a legion who admire your bravery in sharing your feelings experiences and thoughts; there are people from all over the world (I’m in Australia) who find your style enticing and who can not wait to share time with you and yours again.
Until your ready be safe, be well and enjoy your time away.
Wildoates
This is farewell, farewell but not forever
This is farewell until we’re back together
(This is so long for now; we’ll meet again somehow
Until the day we do, I will be thinking of you)
This is farewell to life the way we knew it
This is farewell, but somehow we’ll come through it
We’ll meet another day, you and I
Farewell
This is farewell,
farewell, farewell
Farewell, but not good-bye
i will miss you will! there’s a lot of people who like you!
I just stumbled across your site a week ago and read your archives within one weekend.
I’m sorry you won’t be updating that frequently, but I wish you all the best for your professional and private life.
Your writing is touching, witty and poetic, and I’m already looking forward to it.
Take care – and don’t forget to drop us a line once the book is published.
Wow! Wil Wheaton is going away!??? And it’s not even Christmas!!
I hear there’s a plane going to Iraq for the other Human Shields. Just a thought…
You’re awesome, Wil. Don’t forget that. 🙂
Good luck with your writing. I can’t wait to read the book!
Am I allowed to hug? What the hell… *hug!*
😛
Good for you Wil – have some *you* time, and I hope you feel more positive soon.
Wil,
I am really sorry that a small % of the visitors here are jerks. As you can see from the support above 99% of the people who come here really enjoy your work and appreciate getting a glimpse into your life.
I understand completly that you need to take time to focus on the book and just chill and as someone said ‘We loyal monkeys got ya back’
Take as long as you need to smell the roses….we will be here when you get back, missing your wit but understanding your need for some space.
None of us forget that this is not only purely voluntary for you but you have to pay to do it as well!
Play with Anne, Ferris and the kids dude, we will see you when we see you.
Wil,
I will miss your posts like you will most likely never imagine. It’s been a daily ritual to check your site for updates for the last year, and I will miss you. Your writing has enriched my life and I am lothe to see it go away.
That being said, take a month or two (or six or twenty) off if you need to. This should be something you do for fun, and if it isn’t fun, stop. We will all be waiting for you to come back, so don’t worry about us.
We’ll talk again, even if it’s just when we buy your book.
Thank you
*hugs*, Wil.
We Love you Wil! Please don’t be put off just because some dickheads decided to abuse you because they’ve got nothing better to do, they probably haven’t even read your website and know hardly anything about you. I bet they go around to most websites abusing the owners just because they’re bored. So these comments that they make aren’t personal.
Just remember, there are plenty of us out here that respect you and are there for you.
Good luck with your book Wil!
I’ve always been amazed at how many people love you. Every time I read the comments there are people saying how they’ve never written before but they love/admire/respect you. That you have become a part of their lives in this intimate and unexpected way.
It’s pretty incredible when someone finds something that can really touch other people, really makes a difference in their lives. It’s kind of a gift to the world.
Of course, sometimes giving this can be a struggle- putting yourself out there makes you vulnerable to other people who are afraid of that kind of emotional honesty.
I think you’re a lot stronger than those people, personally. I think your candor and trust really mean something both in what you give and receive.
Good luck with whatever you do, though.
As someone above said most of us who read and really like your blog don’t post often (I’ve been here for months and have only joined in three or so conversations I can remember. For every troll that posts there are twenty people who like what your doing here who dont post, perhaps in the future we should, then you can see the real balance.
Come back soon, but get the book done first!
Andrew Milne(Ophois)