Mrs. Phelps, my 10th grade English teacher, said on more than one occasion, "Never write anything down that you wouldn't want to see published on the front page of the New York Times." She was old in 1978. What turn of events in her life lead her to this prescient rule I'll never know. But what I do know is it makes a lot of sense today.
Often, what one does not write is as notable as what they do. If you know me in my non-cyber self, you would sometimes wonder why my greg-willis self does not express more opinion. As you know, there are few subjects that I express neutrality on. But my opinions are for private comsumption, and the Web is a public space. And if not the front page of the NYT, you never know what'll come up in the Google search results.
So here's a list of categories I never address:
- Religion
- Politics
- Child-rearing (the big three)
- Work (neither co-workers nor clients)
- Family (immediate or in-laws)
- Ex-wives (lest the lawyers reappear)
