A friend of mine recently started a blog as a way to organize ideas. In this way all ideas are organized into the blog and at his disposal at any time from any place (pending Internet access). His first blog was about a radical anti-capitalist thinker who was thrown in jail as an act of government repression. What got my attention about this entry was not the content or the writer of the blog, although I feel strongly that one must assess the societal and cultural ramifications of repression by the status quo. What struck my attention about this entry came in the form of a comment. The comment had little to do with the content of the entry, it was more of a general statement about blogging and I think it captures a negative cultural attitude about blogging. I would include the comment in this entry but am afraid to incur any more wrath.
I will however include highlights. The writer accuses blogging as being part of a new trend toward hyper-expressionism. He/she calls it"obsessive self expression and exhibitionism". He/she says, "The current generation of young ones seems utterly convinced that not only do they have something to say, but that everyone wants to hear/see it. You don't have to be a good writer, or particularly unique in your talent or experiences to be a writer anymore." The writer goes on to pose the question, "don't you think it is part of the consumerist/capitalist machine?". He/she goes on to say that, "there is something nauseating to me about all this flashy, pseudo-intellectual babble that I am surrounded by in the world of pop culture these days. I think I can actually feel myself getting dumber."
Now maybe you agree with all of these things. Maybe you think that not everyone should be a writer or that not everyone deserves to have their voice heard. Maybe you think that blogging is self absorbed and shallow. I can't argue that it's not. It is just blogging.
If what this person is accusing blogging of is true than as bloggers we have to raise the bar. Having an opposing viewpoint does not make me a dissenter and it does not make me a "bitch". Having an opposing viewpoint (or any viewpoint at all) makes me not only a participating member in a democracy but it also makes me a human being. Well, I do have things to say and so do many others. Maybe blogging is "obsessive self expression" but many writers are arrogant assholes. Why should anyone be denied the right to have a voice? If blogging is contributing to the consumerist machine than what are op-ed pieces doing? and zines? and symposia(symposiums?)? and college's? I agree, there is a lot of pseudo-intellectual babble happening but that babble isn't confined to the blog-o-sphere. It's everywhere. As for blogs making people dumber, maybe they do, I don't know, I never claimed to be a scientist. As far as I can tell anything, be it a blog or not, that challenges a person to think critically about something can only be doing more good than bad (no matter how excellent or poorly it is written).
For me, I see blogging as an easy way to express ideas. At HPC we've created a forum (and I am sorry If I have compromised that forum...that especially goes out to you everything). We do not need to be "writers" to write just as we don't need to be "photographers" to take photo's. We can take blogging seriously without taking ourselves too seriously. Blogging should serve as a self expressive space where we can go to express our ideas in the company of our peers. Let's face it, many of us don't really have much actual physical personal space. For me blogging has served as an extension of my space. It doesn't matter if people read my shit or not. It is a way for me to express my ideas while reading/participating in the ideas of others.
So maybe you think I take this shit too seriously. Maybe I do. I don't like to create crap. So maybe to you "sharp social commentary" is tongue in cheek but for me it's not (although I do have a sense of humor...I think that all "sharp social commentary" should). I don't want to be pigeon holed into being just another self absorbed narcissistic blogger who I have something to say when really I don't. I also hope that I am not contributing to any consumerist/capitalist machine through blogging..in fact blogging is the one arena where I feel pretty confident that I am not (however, I do have a fairly gnarly addiction to shopping).
Final thought: Everyone is entitled to their own unique viewpoint. I thank the comment leaver for inspiring me to think about all the many many ways in which I think that they are wrong. I also thank that comment leaver for inspiring me to think about the many many ways in which they are right. It's always good to keep in mind the things that you may or may not be contributing to the world. As for my fellow bloggers on this site: I do not think that any of you are self obsessive narcissistic pseudo intellectual babblers. I think that each and everyone one of you has a unique perspective to share with the world.
p.s. The blog, "stuff white people like", just got like a billion dollar book deal. Something to keep in mind. I wouldn't mind being a bagillionaire.
10 comments:
I concur.
It entirely depends on the context of the blog in which it could possibly be the end of intelligence or "obsessive self expression and exhibitionism." To my current viewing of blogs it seems to be neither. Merely a way of expressing and creating a forum to share ideas, thoughts, et cetera. One may take the information as is or not at all, but blogs definitely function as a means of sharing.
This also reminds me of a conversation that I had participated in speaking about the hype of blogging and its correlation to reality television shows, in which our thoughts led to anthropocentric thinking and the idea of a paradigm shift that must take place...
Throughout our little exchange, the one point that I couldn't argue my way around was that we SHOULD be critical of ourselves and eachother, first and foremost. The trick, of course, is to make sure criticism doesn't devolve into cruelty. I think we both dropped the ball on that one. Also, I think you're right to take this seriously and make it good. Because we're throwing this out into the ether, we need to edit our shit to the letter. Anyone can write a snarky little blurb about why they hate the mid-day staff at their local starbuck's. It takes more to write truly insightful criticism. This is merely the opinion of a newly inducted, satellite member, but I feel we definitely have it in this collective to aspire towards the latter. But enough schmaltz. Let's get back to what we do best and hate on a muthafucka!
I'm of the mind that as long as the criticism on this blog is kept smart and relevant, then keep it coming. My girl Love has already called me out on plenty of my posts. Cool. If I could try and zing her back, I would, otherwise I'd just shrug it off as a loss. I'm solid in my opinion that I should never get too heated about anything posted on or commented about and so forth on a little blog called "Hater Party Crew."
And I'm not belittling this blog. Call it perspective.
As for "sharp social commentary," yeah, it was tongue in cheek, but it is what it is. It says it at the top. If I can endeavor to anything more meaningful than bitching about clueless hipster types and whatnot, I will.
So, finally, let's see, is blogging the end of intelligence, or is the person that claimed that just being elitist (a word I'm not too up on, but is appropriate). Sure they are.
Are we having a "full house" moment?
Only if I can be D.J. (you know I'm the bossy one).
I was having an interesting discussion the other day about the immediacy of blogging in relation to "smart phones" such as the iphone. If you check out typoscura's blog it's pretty obvious that his "point-and-shoot then post" practice is only going to intensify. Not that there is anything stimulating about brunch being posted on the ether as you're eating...but there are some serious cultural consequences of instant production of a moment in time to a larger audience.
I might be on a tangent, but I feel that this is just one example in the way the "blog-o-sphere" is a relevant cultural, social, and intellectual force. It might seem lame, self-indulgent, or contrived...but it is also shaping the way we think, communicate, operate and share. That can't be bad.
On that note, I am now curious whether this increase our illiteracy rate?
Indeed, we are reading about contemporary times through the internet, but what about literature and its ability to stimulate creative and critical thinking?
Maybe I should just end my tangent and questions, since this is not an appropriate discussion space,...
As the "blog hater" referred to in this post, I thought I might take a moment to clarify my comments which were misunderstood and taken out of context by the poster. My comments have been represented as a statement against blogging in general, and evidently democracy as well. First of all, I don't hate blogs. There are blogs that are well written and interesting that I read regularly with relish. As some one who is passionate about writing and literature I am critical of everything I read, be it a classic novel or a blog or anything in between. I am fascinated by how electronic media has changed writing and reading and the culture at large. I agree that everyone is entitled to express their voice if they choose to, but crap is crap, be it on paper or the internet.
Perhaps I did not express myself clearly enough in my original comment, hence the shitstorm of retaliation on the part of Love(antonym). To put things in proper context: I am the sister of the "friend" of Love. My brother asked me to read his blog and leave a mean comment. I thought his blog was well written and interesting, and it got me thinking about some thoughts I had been having lately about blogging and social networking and how the generations who came of age after me have a whole new means of expressing themselves. The concept of today's youth being more self absorbed and less private than previous generations is not new- I've seen several recent articles on this trend and what it means. I thought it might be interesting to have a conversation between a Gen Xer and younger folks about how our culture is changing and how we probably have very different views on the merits and detriments of electronic media. My brother and I have a supportive relationship where we challenge each other and aren't afraid to be honest or contrary at times. That fact was evident in the part of my comment that Love(antonym) chose to edit out.
I love discussion. I love debate. I love free expression. But in my world, if you want to put yourself out there you have to accept the criticism that comes with it. This is something I think people might forget. Once something is on the internet, anyone can see it and it may never go away. That is a powerful thing. It can also be destructive. This is why I would caution people against using the internet as their personal diary. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but the end of privacy doesn't sound like a good thing to me.
This post is case in point. I probably wasn't meant to ever find it, but voila! I did. I probably was also not supposed to see the disparaging remarks made about my family on the poster's other blog, but I did. Things have a way of getting around on the internet, and if it is your intention to distort someone else's words in an attempt to make yourself sound more intelligent than you are, you just might not get away with it. Before you accuse me of trying to curtail free speech or of being elitist, think about what it means to anonymously trash another person's ideas without having a proper understanding of the context of those ideas, and without giving said person an opportunity to defend or clarify their position. If you want to be taken seriously as a writer don't take cheap shots and don't use your blog as an arena for petty vendettas. You only make yourself look bad.
This messy little blog is beginning to live up to its potential...an arena to air grievances, frustrations, gripes, diatribes, and squabbles! (leading to thought provoking, emotion opening, discussion/arguing) I think this is a positive development. This particular blog entry has led to discussion of blogging in general and the use of the internet superhighway as a forum for blurring public and private disagreements and arguments. With this entry a blogcriticalconscious moderator of this site took some sharp criticism and insight from elsewhwere in the blogosphere and injected it into this blog to see if the point of view expressed could possibly bring a much needed discussion of what blogging is in fact just self advertising to show how hip or interesting the person is versus blogging that strives to be something more substantial. Many intersecting contexts mushed up the interpretations of intentions by all parties involved. The sentiment behind the formation of HPC (of which I do not speak for) as far as I can tell is that open, honest, sharp exchange of ideas and insights that may make us uncomfortable mixed with hater insights we all can share that make us more comfortable. I think that is becoming more true each passing day on the ol' HPC. The site will provoke arguments that will begin on the site and be fleshed out off the site, that is healthy. and... mcdzikbf!
North,
I am sorry if my entry seemed like a personal attack on you. That is not how it was intended and I think if you re-read it you would see that. I used your comment because it clearly states a common view of what blogging is. I think that those who participate in this site love the written word and are critical of everything they read just as you claim to be. I do not however, believe that crap is crap. I do not believe that it is my place to determine what is crap and what is not crap. I find the system of canonizing to be very oppressive, sexist, elitist, and racist. I also do not believe my post about blogging is a "shitstorm of retaliation". I understand that the internet is public and that anyone can come across these sites just as I understood that you were probably viewing them (if I were you I would be). Because my name is associated with these blogs (I am not trying to be anonymous)I want them to be, at the very least, decent. As a blogger I take what I write about seriously. This means understanding that a great majority of the population sees what I am doing as self indulgent egoism. In some ways it is but I also think that it is more than that.
I chose to edit out parts of your comment out of respect for you and your brother. I have reviewed that comment many times and feel very confident that I've captured what the words you wrote are saying. Maybe there is an unspoken sub-text that I am not aware of or maybe I am as stupid as you accuse me of being. I am not sure.
At this moment I am unsure of what disparaging remarks about your family you are refering to. Your brother who happens to be my boyfriend,partner, and best friend encourged me to start a blog at a time in my life when I was unsure about what I wanted. Relationships are complex and bumpy but we emerged from that situation stronger and closer. I do not feel as though I have to justify my actions to you, especially as a comment on a blog.
I can assure you that I was not manipualting your words to make myself sound smarter. I think that's a childish thing to accuse some one of doing. I also did not accuse you of being undemocratic,elitest, or anit-free speech and I am sorry if you read it that way. I also did not trash your ideas. In some ways I agree with you.
for the outsiders; this is a link to the original comment in discussion (you'll have to cut and paste...sorry)
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=8785936923992342772&postID=4297575804932563678
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