Authoritarian vs Authoritative: Do you know the difference?
Is really important to know to tell a difference between authoritative and authoritarian behavior? Well, it turns out it is. The most interesting and troubling part about it is that I have to find out the hard way on one place you could expect it the least - the Net. So, I was checking out one of those blogs dedicated to Westworld TV show fans. These days it is popular and interesting to discuss numerous fan's theories. I like to visit places online where people know what they're talking about.
So, on this website a moderator/administrator/owner or whatever, I guess the guy who initiated the whole thing, was very active. Again, that's nothing unusual. I know some of my friends who turned their long-term interests and passions into lucrative online businesses. So, I guess this was one of them. I read texts and scroll down the comments. This guy obviously knew what he was talking about, which was great. Managing a website with the respectable number of visits can be a challenging taks for a one-man-team. So, this is something I really respect. However, then I began noticing something strange and disturbing.
This guy obviously had a problem with accepting other people's opinions and different points of view regarding some theories associated with the TV show he was discussing on his website. That's a ridiculous problem, isn't it? You invite people to discuss different points of views, mainly. Right? At the same time, you can get some decent money, I'm not sure, if the traffic respectable. So, this kind of an attitude was at least to say ungrateful, if not rude, as well. I know that his website - his rules should be applied, but please, this is supposed to be a relaxed and fun activity. We aren't in a military camp.
So, I waited and take an advantage of the opportunity to caught him when he was online and active. In one of my comments I asked a simple question: Hey friend, do you know a difference between authoritative and authoritarian? The first one means that you know what are you talking about, which is more than obvious, and I respect you for that. The second one means that you act as a tyrant and dictator on your own website. You can't be both, and switch roles when it suites you the most. It's not fair and you will eventually lose your audience.
To my surprise this guy actually published my comment. He appologized and explained that some of the comments he made were so to speak created in the heat of the discussion. If this was true, then that was actually a good news. On the other side, if you have the courage and strength to see where you made the wrong turn, this is the best indicator you are moving in the right direction. Yet, I can't help wondering how many people are out there who don't know or don't want to know the difference between these two terms. For them, this is merely a game of words. The words you have to look for in the dictionary, rather than to apply in the real life.
I think it is easy to play an authoritarian figure, all you need is a baseball bat or a gun. However, if you want to be an authoritative figure then you have to read and learn something first. Right?
So, on this website a moderator/administrator/owner or whatever, I guess the guy who initiated the whole thing, was very active. Again, that's nothing unusual. I know some of my friends who turned their long-term interests and passions into lucrative online businesses. So, I guess this was one of them. I read texts and scroll down the comments. This guy obviously knew what he was talking about, which was great. Managing a website with the respectable number of visits can be a challenging taks for a one-man-team. So, this is something I really respect. However, then I began noticing something strange and disturbing.
This guy obviously had a problem with accepting other people's opinions and different points of view regarding some theories associated with the TV show he was discussing on his website. That's a ridiculous problem, isn't it? You invite people to discuss different points of views, mainly. Right? At the same time, you can get some decent money, I'm not sure, if the traffic respectable. So, this kind of an attitude was at least to say ungrateful, if not rude, as well. I know that his website - his rules should be applied, but please, this is supposed to be a relaxed and fun activity. We aren't in a military camp.
So, I waited and take an advantage of the opportunity to caught him when he was online and active. In one of my comments I asked a simple question: Hey friend, do you know a difference between authoritative and authoritarian? The first one means that you know what are you talking about, which is more than obvious, and I respect you for that. The second one means that you act as a tyrant and dictator on your own website. You can't be both, and switch roles when it suites you the most. It's not fair and you will eventually lose your audience.
To my surprise this guy actually published my comment. He appologized and explained that some of the comments he made were so to speak created in the heat of the discussion. If this was true, then that was actually a good news. On the other side, if you have the courage and strength to see where you made the wrong turn, this is the best indicator you are moving in the right direction. Yet, I can't help wondering how many people are out there who don't know or don't want to know the difference between these two terms. For them, this is merely a game of words. The words you have to look for in the dictionary, rather than to apply in the real life.
I think it is easy to play an authoritarian figure, all you need is a baseball bat or a gun. However, if you want to be an authoritative figure then you have to read and learn something first. Right?