Bye-bye Blogosphere
Over the course of 48 hours, I have learned that those who write blogs are not only OFTEN self-absorbed egomaniacs obsessed with their differences from the mainstream media (when really they are now a crucial part OF the mainstream media), but many of them also seem to be ignorant and some of them are even evil.
So this will be my last post on my blog, composed just six days after my first-ever blog post was made.
You see, I really know very little about the blogosphere compared to many of you.
This shitstorm happened simply because somehow instapundit found me. I posted the blog because I was mad that a political forum in an extraordinarily diverse country was the exact opposite of diverse. I was mad after the political forum ended because the five bloggers did NOT address my concerns in any way besides telling me "to get my own blog" because it's free and to find a blogging community (like the "fashion" blogs) where my views are represented.
Jerome Armstrong even agreed with me at the forum that the political blogosphere is NOT diverse, but then encouraged me to find another segment of the blogosphere where my views resonated. But, um, I'm not interested in the "fashion" blogosphere, as he mentioned, I was interested in the POLITICAL blogosphere. And I wasn't just talking about ME, I was talking about the minorities and the economically disadvantaged who are NOT represented in the mainstream political blogosphere, and was simply told by Scott Johnson that starting a blog is free so anyone can do it (I won't go into leisure time inequalities, educational inequalities, etc. etc. here).
I still think that solving the homogeneousness of the blogosphere is NOT as simple as telling a girl at a forum to "get a blog." I don't NEED a blog. What I'm looking for is diversity in the mainstream blogosphere. It seems that most of the popular political blogs in the country are uniformly written by richwhiteeducatedmen and richwhiteeducatedwomen. What I'm looking for is for bloggers to stop being so self-absorbed and instead realize and admit the truth: Yes, we are a part of the mainstream media, so let's get some diverse viewpoints in here where they can be heard loud and clear.
I'm pretty astounded that so many people joined Vox simply so that they could attack me and my viewpoint (I've deleted the majority of the comments as they are ignorant personal attacks on me that have NOTHING to do with what I wrote). At first it was empowering to think that so many people were reading my words. But then I realized that instapundit readers...well, instapundit readers seem to be, by and large, ignorant, CRAZY CONSERVATIVE jackasses. So that's not very empowering.
So bye bye blogosphere. I'm quite certain you will mourn my loss for centuries. (Oh, that sentence was sarcastic, btw.)
Comments
FYI - the lady on the Institute's panel was probably 150% on your side on almost any topic you could have mentioned. But you lumped her in with everyone else you slammed. Before or after you did that, did you look up her work on the KOS blog? She could give you some helpful pointers (if you wanted them) on how to best reach, teach, and learn things, using blogs. She's taken very seriously, even by conservatives who do not agree with her views or opinions. She has a wide readership and states her case civilly and logically. She and those like her (or on the opposite side) have discovered that using a blog is one way (not the only way) of getting their view points across to increased numbers of people.
So if you truly want to see a political blog that is more diverse, why not start one yourself or find out if anyone else has one and contribute to it? Blogging is not elitism at its worst. It's simply a way that anyone (even those just using the internet at the library) can state their view points and then communicate with a lot more people then just those they know in person.
Whatever you do, I wish you peace.
OK, this ISN'T an attack (so take it *easy*,) but your argument that 'the political blogsphere is NOT diverse' doesn't hold. It is. Think of any political topic and I'll find a blog for you that covers it. And if it's *so* obscure that there's none, how hard would it be to create one? How difficult was it for you to create this?
I'm sorry most of your responses were a personal attacks. Seems the internet rule of 90% crap - 10% gold applies to user comments too. I guess that's the deal.
I admit your initial post annoyed me. You seem articulate and that you give a shit about what's going on in our country. I respect that, I really do. But rather then channel that energy into a something constructive, you essentially flipped the bird to those that *are* doing something constructive, accused them all of groupthink and now are going to retreat in a warm little blanket of cynicism. Yeah, that tee'd me (and apparently some others) right good.
Care to know the secret of blogs? They're wonderful in simplicity and devastating in effect. When else could someone like you or me share our views with the rest of the world at such a low cost? --That's It-- Never! So it's easier for some then for others, big fucking deal. The same can be said for pissing. I guess that's the deal there too.
Try looking at it this way: Up till now, the power elites held a stranglehold on the two main forms of media - TV and newsprint. No more. Think they like that fact? ….
So keep blogging! It'll give me something to heckle and it'll annoys the *shit* outta the power eletes. Oh, they also despise internet-porn (funny, considering how many turn out to be real freaks themselves) so you'd really be shining them on by posting your boobs too.
Lighten Up, Dude. You can piss and moan eloquent at the 90%'ers… but that doesn’t seem very constructive. I'm happy the 10%'ers are so good at what they do, that they have a medium to communicate with the world, and care enough to devote a little of their time for us. That’s pretty fucking cool, in my world.
(I *can't* believe I got through all that without make **1** menstural crack!)
The panel at Dole was put together very quickly, based in large part upon who was available for the event and would come to Kansas without charging too much (i.e. fees for speakers can get real high).
If you would like to put together another panel of political bloggers who meet your required demographics, and pay for the expenses, I am willing to bet the Institute would be interested in having another similar program.
Anyhoo..... Before you lump all bloggers (or just those you've met so far) into the same group...just read a few of these..... and try to remember that not everyone who blogs thinks (or cares) that they are right about everything.
http://theangryblackwoman.wordpress.com/
http://www.mydd.com/bb
http://www.epixiethoughts.blogspot.com/
http://stevegilliard.blogspot.com/
http://immigrantpolitics.org/
I'm just not into personal attacks so I'll stick to grassroots organizing rather than blog posting.
Trust me, I care a LOT and I really try to do something to affect change/make the world a better place every single day. But the place that I'm going to do that is NOT here in the blogosphere. Plus, I don't really think that my blog post influenced anyone's opinions in any way. That's the thing about blogging, I think it gives fuel to people's fire but really changes very little.
I also believe that the Internet is filled with haters. And I canNOT imagine anyone I encounter in my real life (even though my political organizing work) EVER responding to me in the hateful, psychotic way that some of the people reading my blog responded to me online. It's like the anonymity and coldness of the Internet allows these people to treat me in a cold, inhuman way just because their opinion differs from mine.
Yes, Joan probably does have similar opinions to mine. But I was disappointed she didn't address my concerns at the blog. I have read her stuff on Daily Kos before. I have also contacted her via email. Maybe I shouldn't have lumped them together. But I did.
I know that blogs written by poor people and minorities exist. I am just saying that they are not as widely-read nor a fraction as prevalent as are richwhitemen blogs.
And, sorry, but I won't be investing my energy or money into putting together a political blog panel. That's really not the best use of my time or money.
But I do sincerely appreciate your comments. It's nice to see that not everyone is hateful in the blogosphere.
Hey BigJoeStudly:
You wrote to me, "You seem articulate and that you give a shit about what's going on in our country. I respect that, I really do. But rather then channel that energy into a something constructive, you essentially flipped the bird to those that *are* doing something constructive, accused them all of groupthink and now are going to retreat in a warm little blanket of cynicism. Yeah, that tee'd me (and apparently some others) right good."
Well, I am cynical based on years of political experiences. And I am doing MANY MANY MANY constructive things in my DAILY life to change the direction of the country. Don't think that I'm not. I don't think that blogging really changes much of anything in this world. I really don't.
But I won't be blogging any more. I'm going to direct my time, energy, money, and efforts to concrete, grassroots organizing NOT to posting on my bloggity blog.
Why can't you do both? There's no rule that you have to spend great deals of time on it. You must've had a reason for starting it in the first place. I ask because I got happy when I found a blog from someone who has worked for my former congressman (I moved across town), Dennis Kucinich, and feel like trying to dissuade you from rashly deleted your blog.
I hope you're not just freaked by the InstaLanche. That's just temporary. And it brought some people who are not haters, too.
Anyway, I'm sure you know what's best. I just wanted to post a little comment so you know there are some non-haters reading. :)
I agree that the bigger blogs aren't very diverse. It's like two large teams of partisan blogs, mostly all run privileged people from privileged groups. (Although DailyKos is more diverse than you're giving it credit for.) It's my opinion that there's a growing dissasisfaction and frustration with the bigger blogs and hopefully that will mean some new blood will start to rise up. But I think a lot of the lack of divsersity has to do with how blogs rise by getting links from the already-established blogs. Those blogs will tend to lift up other blogs that are like them. And the smaller blogs aiming to rise to the top tend to conform to the big blogs to get those links. So we're left with two large teams of blogs who all think alike and re-enforce thinking alike in each other.
Bloggers who are truly different voices won't get pulled up via links because they can't be counted on to conform to the groupthink.
Well, I haven't though all that out too well, but I hope you see what I'm trying to say. I was happy to see your blog because you seem to be an outsider to some extent, as am I.
Take care, whatever you decide to do. -Robert in Cleveland
OK, no more blogging for you. What about posting that topless shot? Us self-absorbed egomaniacs wanna see some boobiety boobs.