Rude Comment....or Not?

...when someone whose opinions you respect, writing you enjoy and personality you value suddenly jumps all over you?

A popular blogger (who I won't name) is a fantastic writer and blogs about his/her experiences as a single person in a big city. They wrote a post recently about one of the "Top 100" lists that are produced every once in a while (VH1 does them all the time - "Top 100 TV Moments", "Top 100 Female Supporting Characters from the 1956-57 TV Season in Comedies"...that sort of thing) and I made an (what I thought was) innocent comment on who I thought was left of the list, and others I would have rearranged.

He/She proceeded to call me out for DARING to give my opinion on the list, how that author's opinions were their own, and if I thought I could do it better I should make my own list - after all, the author had put a TON of work in on that list. I attempted to explain that I was just commenting on what my list would be - after all, when lists come out that's what everyone does. I wasn't disparaging the author's opinions in the least, just throwing out my ideas for discussion and comparison. The blogger proceeded to comment that for me to speculate what I would have done differently was OBNOXIOUS. Just OBNOXIOUS. And if I had simply stated "this is what I would have done if it were MY list" he/she wouldn't have jumped down my throat.

Meanwhile, the regular commentors proceeded to have a go around me and offer their two centers - to which the blogger merrily responded back and forth.

This isn't the first time this has happened - I made a (what I thought was) rather innocent comment about a post he/she made some months back, and was ripped for being rude.

Now, you and I have seen rude commenters on blog before - I don't think what I said was anythign approaching some things I've seen.

Part of the problem is this blogger tends to go overboard in the hero-worship category, either of popular celebrities or his/her friends in the online world. To this person, everything they do is golden and nothing could ever be wrong about them.

But what hurts is the fact that this blogger's site is one of my favorites, one I visit every day and never fail to get a laugh or think a little bit. I even would like to think I would be friends with this blogger if we met in person - we have several things in common. And with his/her rebuttals to (what I thought) were innocent comments, it feels like a friend's backstabbed me. In a weird, virtual way. Some sites you feel safe - not a lot of really controversial topics, just easy conversation about life and people. You don't expect that kind of flaming sometimes, and especially not from the blogger - whom you feel you kind of know.

Anyway, rant over. I can't decide whether to even visit their site anymore, but it's always so good I hate to just stop. What do you think?