Editorially speaking…
Having a Facebook site can be like stroking a cat; rub it the wrong way and you can get scratched.
So I've learned over the past months of hosting T.W. Paterson History Author, which was set up for me by and at the urging of friend Blake Mackenzie, creator of the phenomenally successful FB site, Gold Trails and Ghost Towns.
Overall, I have to admit, the overall experience has been positive, hence I shall continue to spread the word of B.C. history via social media. But I am going to be more cautious in the future. Writing posts, even those which seldom amount to more than a photo and caption, at the end of a long workday rather than during prime production hours, may be good business practice, but it does make one susceptible to error or, worse, letting slip a personal bias, even when based upon solid information and a lifetime's knowledge.
Very simply, there are people out there just waiting to pounce, and they sure did when I posted a photo of a gold dredging operation in the 1930s. In the caption which showed an entire hillside washed away by hydralic monitors, in seven words or so, I noted the environmental damage.
I was swarmed!
Turns out, there are those who believe—strongly—that a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do to make a living, and to hell with the collateral damage.
The reaction to that post was not only borderline vitriolic but, happily, rare.
Most FB users are drive-bys; they're just scanning. They glance at a photo that momentarily catches their interest then move on. Some will acknowledge it with a "like" or "react," some will comment, often knowledgeably, usuallly courteously. (I actually learn about B.C. history on Facebook.)
There's alway a comedian in any crowd, of course, so you get their attempts at humour and double entendres, but that's their right, too.
My point is, you can't please everybody all the time, and I've come to realize that some posts, made quickly and without serious thought, can prove to be land mines. Take for example, the above photo, about which I wrote:
"The unidentified woman in this 1915 BC Archives photo looks pleased with herself. We can assume that she shot the bear (a grizzly?), not a common pursuit for women more than a century ago. Nor today, for that matter."
I thought that I'd worded it innocently enough and was pleased to see that it drew considerable reaction and comments, directed both to me and to other readers, and not always on topic. Among them:
Bill F.
Such a different viewpoint of the world and our impact on it back then. It is amazing that was only just over 100 years ago. It amazes me how we have had so many advancements in some aspects yet so many regresses in others.
Becky L.
Not true, just they don't write about women in history as much. My dad taught me how to handle guns for hunting. People did what they had to. Many men gone trapping, who hunted? The woman. My husband always said 'my' farm but truth is he worked full time away and myself with my 3 kids ran that farm and did planning, marketing, sales, planting, weeding, greenhouse, finances and more. No one has ever mentioned my contribution which was more than substantial. CBC did do a small documentary on women on the farm in 83 and interviewed me, but they’ve lost the archive. Meh, it was a women’s story.... rant over. Love this pic!
Ken G.
It doesn't take all that much to squeeze the trigger. Getting there and having the skill to lure prey is another matter.
Jim F.
It’s what’s for dinner.
L. Home Decor
Nothing to be proud of!
Rick H.
People from the concrete jungle comment about the real world ….
Sharon A.
She reminds me of my Grandmother who was a pioneer up north. She was a crack shot. People in those days couldn't just drop into the local supermarket to buy meat so making disparaging remarks about killing animals for food is not necessary. Most people today don't even know where their food comes from and meat is wrapped in packages and the meat is filled with hormones and antibiotics. I would rather eat wild game.
Margaret S.
Women used to hunt all the time. Such misinformation. Everyone had to eat. My mom used to open the back door and shoot the deer in her garden that were eating her peas and cabbages. Depression time.
JD Z.
Her name escapes me at the moment, but there was a Native gal way back when who famously shot a HUGE Grizzly using only a .22 long single-shot rifle. As a trapper, she was familiar with the anatomy of a bear's skull and she knew there was a thin spot on the side of the bear's head. That is where she placed her shot, and the enormous beast fell dead, only a few feet from her.
I could go on but I’ll conclude with this serious comment which is signed Cheryl at Bralone-Pioneer: Their Past Lives. Her jab serves to remind me to give more thought to my FB posting. Maybe working on posts in the evening isn’t the best idea...
“Hello, writing to share my disappointment of posting decontetualized photos. The woman with no name and the grizzle provides opportunity to highlight pioneer women and their contributions. Please use this form to inform by providing context. Otherwise, it is simply a space to provide a forum for individuals to display their ignorance re: history and women
— https://www.communitystories.ca/v1/pm_v2.php?id=story_line&lg=English&fl=0&ex=00000470&sl=3614&pos=1. Thanks in advance for listening. Cheryl