While the writing of an angry email or post is often incredibly cathartic, posting it is usually about as effective as writing a really angry letter and sending it. You might feel better or vindicated now, but you’ll probably feel a little silly later – and you’ve the potential to do a ton of harm to the person(s) addressed.
Sometimes it’s just better to rant at a friend. Or, to write it and appreciate the catharsis, and then sit on it for a day or two and decide what you really want to say. And then try say it in a way that is clear and expressive without being combative/vindictive. While it doesn’t have the self-satisfied, smug sensation of really firing off a zinger, it’s more likely to produce positive change instead of getting you blown off (or worse).
I’ll say! Once I was really hurt by a friend, and I wrote a huge email basically telling him off. I never sent it though. I felt better by just having my thoughts on the screen because it definitely wouldn’t have helped matters if I had hit “send”.
Nice point, Anna. I better go edit a couple of paragraphs out of that post I just wrote, actually.
/edit
@Adlib – as I mentioned on Twitter, the act of /writing/ a huge angry email or post or letter can be a really good thing. it helps you organize your thoughts, it helps you figure out what it is that you’re actually mad at.
it’s the sending/publishing where you have a problem. 🙂