I have my parents visiting*, so posting may be light this weekend. If you haven’t checked out Kevin Drum’s analysis on the strengths of blogging, do so: it’s pretty comprehensive, although I think that he’s ignoring one in particular. Not fact-checking – he’s aware; he just doesn’t think that it’s all that important – but something that I’d call… hrm… is there a word, actually? It’s the condition where you gain reassurance (via an act of communication) that you really aren’t nuts, because other people react to what you’re communicating in an emphatic way. Those reactions could be either positive or negative; it’s not important, because it’s the reaction that tells you that you aren’t alone for thinking something’s important.
Which is good, because let’s face it, folks: we’re all more or less weirdos, here. We give a damn about politics, including the really obscure stuff, and we’re obsessing over an election that 90% of the population hasn’t even begun to care about yet. More to the point, I’m willing to bet that at least half of us have loved ones who just generally don’t give a flying leap – thus forcing us to peck, peck, peck away at our keyboards for half the night until we find somebody else who wants to talk about pollution credits.
(pause)
Then again, I could just be projecting.
(Via Priorities and Frivolities)
Moe
*My esteemed Leftist readers will no doubt be pleased to hear that they are genially taking me to task for my Republicanism – although neither of them are going to vote for Senator Kerry. Politically speaking, it’s a wash.
“although neither of them are going to vote for Senator Kerry”
Jeez – I think the third-party choices are actually way worse than the incumbents – perhaps you could urge your folks to at least vote for Bush on this rabid Democrat’s behalf.
Hehe, my loved one made the mistake of introducing me to Sullivan a while back and, while he’s no longer an every day read, blogging, er, make that commenting on the wonderful blogging of others, has stuck to me. Its kinda like an electronic tarbaby.
More to the point, I’m willing to bet that at least half of us have loved ones who just generally don’t give a flying leap
Mine calls blogs my “bullshit websites” and I’d better make this comment and get offline before my beloved gets back and finds I haven’t made the room up yet.
happy weekend all!
The lefty side says hi to your parents!
This is why you have to marry someone equally as nerdy as yourself. My husband and I blog together.
“It’s the condition where you gain reassurance (via an act of communication) that you really aren’t nuts, because other people react to what you’re communicating in an emphatic way.”
“Feedback” is too obvious?