Sunday, August 24, 2003 Letter to Meryl
Meryl has some things to say about blogging, and what she likes to read and link to. I have written her a letter about my philosophy of blogging. I've expressed this here, and in other blogs, in part, but I hope this kinda fills in the whole philosophy a bit:Meryl, I've come to the conclusion that having a blog is like having a soap box in that famous London park. You get to stand up and talk, and see what kind of a crowd you draw. In many ways it is a continuation of my belief as stated in my blog that the ordinary joe is what has made America great. A blog lets an ordinary guy talk about things that are are important to him, and because of the Internet, someone, somewhere, will listen. Blogging is the way, at last, that everyone's opinions have the opportunity to be heard. True democracy.
The thing about blogs is that, as you accurately pointed out, they're not all about facts. For a lot of people, it's about going to the window and screaming into the night "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it any more!"
A fact filled blog is hard work, but I would suggest that the nature of blogging is not about fact filled posts. There are about three million or so blogs, and I don't believe that many folks are interested in well-reasoned discussion. They want to talk about their cats, or that SOB husband, or the joys of polyamory, or the sorrows of being fifteen. More than anything, they just want to stand on that soap box and draw a crowd.
Our small, political corner of the blogging universe values fact filled discussions. But I've often had plenty to say without a lot of facts to back it up. Being able to just express myself becomes an end in itself. I can talk about the Ten Commandments monument in Alabama without being a Constitutional scholar. Opinions and feelings expressed in blogs have a value, to the bloggers, and even to those who read them. They are as much an expression of view and sentiment as any rally or sign or letter to the editor.
You never HAVE to read another blogger, nor link to one. I read a few that are notorious for rants, and you, yourself, have ranted more than once or twice. I've never minded those rants. It's your soapbox; stand up and shout! I'm proud that I live in a place and time where I can. The Internet may still change the future far more than we think, and blogging is a symptom of that, a sign of the change that may come. A world where everyone can be heard. -- posted by Chuck at Sunday, August 24, 2003 | E-mail | Permalink | Main |
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