Fight! Fight! Fight!

There is something I became acquainted with shortly after I started blogging.
The phenomena of "The Blog Fight"
I knew someone who compared getting into a blog fight with competing in the special Olympics, but I won't dignify it by finishing the 'joke' I'm sure you can all think of the punchline.

What gets to me is how blog fights start. It usually follows one of three patterns:


Pattern #1

Step One: A blogger posts an opinion that they the believe to be simple and straightforward, without any thought that someone might disagree. They, believing this not to be a hot topic, do not post any facts or figures because hey, they are just going on a rant.

Step Two: They receive affirmation from their normal readers that they are right and that they are right. Everything is peachy.

Step Three: Now this is where the phenomena comes about, I'm not quite sure how this happens but it does and like locus all of the sudden the blog gets swarmed. People that never read that persons blog before and/or have never blogged before, start commenting. They post inflammatory things because they believe they cannot be traced, and often insult the character of the poster.
Sometimes the anonymous posters ask for facts and figures, somehow forgetting that this person is stating an opinion and not writing an article to be published by the APA.

Step Four: Long time readers of the blogger engage in a debate over an issue until the blogger posts again.


Pattern #2

Step One: See pattern 1

Step Two: This blogger has actually reached a sore spot for members of their readership and debate ensues, possibly with feelings getting hurt and readership/friends being lost.

A blog fight like this can get ugly and when that happens it can suck. People can get hurt, friends lost and happy little places destroyed

Pattern #3

Step One: The blogger posts something funny and those that read often know that while some might find it offensive, they don't read often enough to see that this blogger is in fact just playing around. Everyone laughs and comments, all being in on the joke.

Step Two: Someone searching on Google comes across this funny post, takes it in a serious light and gets offended. They then round up their pose of haters and come down full force for a bitch fest, blogger style.

Step Three: Regular readers wait until there is blood in the water then pounce on the non-blogging wackjobs that have invaded, belittling them with their fantastic wit. Hilarity ensues, non-bloggers insult bloggers for being bloggers, hopefully everyone moves on.

I for one, love a good blog debate. I have friends that agree with most if not all of my opinions and getting the chance to engage in a debate with someone that disagrees with me can be great.

Watching bloggers and non-bloggers fight is like some sort of sharks vs. jets reenactment. Everyone dances around and no one really gets hurt because they all remember, its just blogging.

So what do you guys think? so long as there are blogs, will there be blog fights? Did I forget any classic reasons for blog fights starting?