Are We Negative? Or Just Effective?

Last Sunday, Chris Pelly told me this blog is "very negative!"  We have since seen several dog park advocates use this word to describe the blog.

What does this word "negative" mean?  What are the advocates referring to?  What message are they trying to convey to readers?

At the risk of sounding like a UNC-TV spot, here's what the dictionary says for Negative:

• Definition 1.b. Indicating opposition or resistance.  I plead Guilty!
• Definition 2.d. Hostile or disparaging; malicious.    I plead Innocent!

The Friends all using this word is very clever, worthy of Karl Rove, even.  If pressed, they can cite examples of our opposition, or negative feeling toward the dog park proposal, as negativity.  They might innocently claim they intend nothing more than the simple meaning just cited.

But when they say "That blog is negative!"  Well, we all know what that means, don't we? Reminder: "Hostile or disparaging; malicious."  This is the meaning they intend to convey.

Of course, there's another definition they have for negative, but I haven't found it in the dictionary.  It might be too new. I only heard it myself for the first time last Sunday.  It's a synonym for Effective!