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Blogging blind spots and why you need to stop bitching about what Kos says.
Wednesday, 19 January 2011 02:46 pmToday I read a pissy academic's blog post in which he declared that the Left is unrepresented in 'the blogosphere.' To illustrate this, he pointed out a handful of big name bloggers who fail to meet his standards of Leftiness.
The first part of his problem is that his sense of the blogosphere's borders is narrowly defined as this cadre of big names on either side of the political spectrum. He defers to the authority of celebrity, rather than recognizing the raison d'être of blogging--that anyone can put their voice out there and join the conversation. He has not found bloggers who meet his criteria because, whether he admits it to himself or not, his criteria starts with their status, not their politics.
The second part of his problem is that his line in the sand serves primarily to stroke his own ego and highlight his envy. He's not just Leftist, he's Leftier-than-thou, and certainly Leftier than the well-known bloggers who don't push his Leftism. And yet they're the big dogs, and he's left out in the cold. Since he can't achieve their status, he attacks their politics.
Of course, my problem is that he made me say the word 'blogosphere' seriously. For that, he is a douchebag.
I offer no link because it's a long repetitive whinefest by a shitstain in his ivory tower. Oh, how much better he is than everyone else! Woe, why does nobody notice and rush to agree and reward him with fame? It's better not to reward that nonsense with extra attention.
So why comment on it at all, you ask? Because we've not yet dumbed down our political discourse to Palin's Facebook page vs. Ebert's Twitter feed. The blogosphere, whatever your opinion on the term, is still an open plaza where anyone can set up a soapbox. Raise your voice, and raise up the voices you value. If you're complaining that Kos doesn't toe your line, you're the one who's missed the point.
The first part of his problem is that his sense of the blogosphere's borders is narrowly defined as this cadre of big names on either side of the political spectrum. He defers to the authority of celebrity, rather than recognizing the raison d'être of blogging--that anyone can put their voice out there and join the conversation. He has not found bloggers who meet his criteria because, whether he admits it to himself or not, his criteria starts with their status, not their politics.
The second part of his problem is that his line in the sand serves primarily to stroke his own ego and highlight his envy. He's not just Leftist, he's Leftier-than-thou, and certainly Leftier than the well-known bloggers who don't push his Leftism. And yet they're the big dogs, and he's left out in the cold. Since he can't achieve their status, he attacks their politics.
Of course, my problem is that he made me say the word 'blogosphere' seriously. For that, he is a douchebag.
I offer no link because it's a long repetitive whinefest by a shitstain in his ivory tower. Oh, how much better he is than everyone else! Woe, why does nobody notice and rush to agree and reward him with fame? It's better not to reward that nonsense with extra attention.
So why comment on it at all, you ask? Because we've not yet dumbed down our political discourse to Palin's Facebook page vs. Ebert's Twitter feed. The blogosphere, whatever your opinion on the term, is still an open plaza where anyone can set up a soapbox. Raise your voice, and raise up the voices you value. If you're complaining that Kos doesn't toe your line, you're the one who's missed the point.
