God I love teh internets. (love the rope colors too, Monk, and there's a cool knitting project in there--if we can find needles big enough we could knit this. Just saying.)
Oh.
Sorry to be so out of it. I don't have very many on my blogroll who have more than 70 subscribers on Bloglines. Hullabaloo has 1095. And yesterday the author of Hullabaloo, who goes by Digby, revealed her identity and gave a speech. I don't read Hullabaloo, at least not on a regular basis. That's not any indication of the quality of her blog, just my personal taste.
A kind person got after Amato in comments at Crooks about how I do the blog round-up occasionally for Mike and how come I'm not on his blogroll? I pointed out Amato is not on my blogroll, either. He knows why and I hope gets it. I'm all about small blogs. That's all. (Love Amato though and visit there many many times a day of course.)
Sorry to be such a snob.
One commenter wrote me to say, and I don't really have permission to quote so I won't say who, but don't be surprised if it turns out to be a *gasp* Californian, in response to Digby...
I went to one "blogger party" to meet some independent thinkers and it was nothing more than an elitist circle jerk. That's the difference between revolution and reform. Reform seeks only to make things better within the existing construct. Mainstream bloggers don't really want to overhaul this division of labor which sets the media above the people. No, they benefit from this separation, and make it appear even bigger with congratulatory speech on just how important they've become in the past few years.
I kinda tossed and turned over the Digby speech last night and kinda had the same thought. Excuse me, nice speech, nice canapes, but can we please get on with the revolution now?
Also, points off for not mentioning artists. I guess that's the corner of the blogosphere I hang out in, want to be an integral part of. We've all got photoshop ink all over our shoes, the studio is a mess, but we're so busy creating we don't have time to talk about how we're influencing the fucking Democratic Party. Hillary supported this fucking war. She, Edwards, Pelosi, and Emmanuel are all in AIPAC's pocket same as Lieberman. Frankly? I don't have time for the Democratic Party liberal Santa Monica hippie boomer rock on to Celine Dion and pat yourself on the back for it 'take back America' because it feels good when I rub myself this way "conversation with the blogosphere".
But we artists love free food, and those blogger meet-up canapes sure were tasty, thanks.
I don't read Digby either and again it's nothing personal. Given the news cycle there's only so much that any blogger can talk about in one day. At some point just for the sake of efficiency you have to make choices about what and what not to read. That's why C&L's is a good source because its subfunction is to also act as an aggregator of items from other progblogs.
ReplyDeleteAt least you got canapes.
Here is Seattle I stopped going to any kind of meetup years ago. No food - no liquor and ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS about half the people who show up never talked. And the people who do talk never talk about anything but tech and God forbid there should ever be a mention of politics. It reminded me of Harlan Ellison's old phrase that trying to politicize science fiction fans is like trying to teach a parameceum to play jazz.
I read Digby. Actually she and Atrios were the first 2 blogs that got me hooked. I'm impressed that she speaks as well as she writes, but yeah, where are the mention of those of us who choose to express our outrage in other ways?
ReplyDeleteThe blogosphere has a hierarchy like anything else. Pundits before people, and let them eat cake scraps. I guess we artists are the even dirtier fucking hippies.
Pops I didn't go so I didn't get canapes I'll have to make my own after lunch.
ReplyDeleteMorse, well, you're one of the bloggers I think of when I type 'blog' and 'artist' in the same post. There are others.
Zaius, Tengrain, The Aristocrats, there's more. They know who they are, I hope. And they're welcome to my canapes anytime. xo
I read Digby. For some reason, I never thought she could be a she! Latent sexism on my part, no doubt.
ReplyDeleteDigby is eloquent and forceful. Quite the writer.
Speaking as one of the smaller bloggers, thanks for all you do Blue Gal. You make a difference.
ReplyDeleteThe thing with the so-called A-List is that with few exceptions, I find them ponderous and bloated, and ultimately too self-important. I think there is a tendency to become what you mock. I'm not sure if the Dem's co-opted the A-list, but the end result is nearly the same.
I love C&L because they are so independent of it all. The posts are brief and to the point, and they so readily cite sources. I stopped reading almost all of the A-List because they became boring.
And yes, MPS pokes fun at the Dems as much as the GOP, because they deserve it. Politics is not binary.
Regards,
Tengrain
Oh, I forgot to add that Morse rocks - I am in awe of him (and he knows it). If there was not a Morse, there would not be an MPS.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Tengrain
I read Digby on occasion. I thought he/she was a guy. Pretty funny, waits way too long for the punchline sometimes.
ReplyDelete"That's the difference between revolution and reform. Reform seeks only to make things better within the existing construct."
Oh, so HE is the one that knows about the revolution. He must be kinda like Keanu Reeves in the Matrix.
"Mainstream bloggers don't really want to overhaul this division of labor which sets the media above the people. No, they benefit from this separation,..."
Big on complaining, short on explaining. When one person calls another elitist, they are pegging the other person into niche, and thus acting superior themselves. Personally, I like to be called elitist scum, thank you very much.
Hillary supported this fucking war. She, Edwards, Pelosi, and Emmanuel are all in AIPAC's pocket same as Lieberman.
That is just not true on so many levels. On the other hand, if you love Trent Lott so much, why don't you marry him? ;0)
Tengrain, have you forgotten to take your meds again? You didn't need me. You were born to be a blog star.
ReplyDeleteWho the fuck is Digby? Never heard of it. There is a band called Digby. Are they related?
ReplyDeleteMy impression of the "blogosphere" thus far, although it's only been two months, is that it's elitist just like everything else in this country.
I look at other blogs, and I think "Shit, anyone can write this drivel. Where are the 'writers'?"
Not there are no "writers", but the "popular blogs" tend to be promulgated by automatons who write the same things over and over. "I am a Liberal hear me meowww."
I've visited numerous "Progressive" blogs only to leave wondering what separates them from the next, and how the fuck did they ever become popular? I've even had several of my comments deleted by "Progressives". (Don't get any ideas Blue Gal).
I'm on a soapbox, give me a moment.
I'm not trying to whine about "poor poor me." I have full confidence in my writing ability. My concern is more in relation to how are things ever going to change if everything stays the same? Other than a couple of wedge issues I don't see much difference between Rips and Dims.
I will say I do love me some Blue Gal because she's helped us a great deal.And one day when I'm looking down upon the Proles from my Ivory Tower I will not forget my humble roots, and how Blue Gal believed in a simple country boy with a dream as big as the ever lovin' sky. (Damn these mushrooms are killing me).
Anyway, that's it. You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming. Bzzzzzzzzzz
I don't think there needs to be an either/or. I love Digby, but I'd love her analysis regardless of where it appeared or how popular the site was. I'm completely with you on the importance of artists, but cut her a little slack. I thought she did an amazing job of hitting most of the big issues in a pretty short amount of time. She had to be dragged into the spotlight reluctantly. Her general theme, as always, was about being blogging being inclusive, not elitist, and she's hardly a rah-rah DLC person, nor is she arrogant (in contrast with that dismissive MyDD post you wrote a great piece on, about all we rabble bloggers not on the "A-List" and who don't make a living blogging).
ReplyDeleteBut putting that aside, speaking of the arts, I know if it were it not for the Bushies, I'd be spending much more time in the arts. There's political art, of course, and that may be the best outlet. But personally, I've become a newsjunkie and have read so much more non-fiction in the past five years because in 2002 it was clear where things were headed, that the Bushies wanted war. Spalding Grey had a bit in his last piece about how (since he and his wife had a new kid) the powers that be get away with their crap simply because folks are too damn busy to pay attention. All I'm saying is there are many paths up the mountain, many voices to be heard, the lighting of one candle doesn't diminish all the others, and all that. But definitely, you're dead on about the importance of artists (and it's a further reminder to me about why Althouse's anti-fiction, aren't-the-arts-cute-but-extraneous BS needs to be smacked around further).
A very wise woman once said to me, "everything is political ... see that exit sign, someone voted on what color it would be." If we care about our world, and each other, we simply have to be politically active. And until we change our political winner-take-all system, we MUST do all that we can to drag the Democratic party to the left. God knows there are plenty of political consultants who are trying to drag it to the right.
ReplyDeleteAn example would be political consultant Mara Vanderslice, who advises a number of Democratic candidates. During the last election Vanderslice urged candidates not to talk about separation of church and state when discussing religious issues because the term raises red flags with people of faith. (There is more on this at the AU web site, www.au.org.)
This is, of course, nonsense. Most Americans, religious and non-religious, support the separation of church and state. They know that the alternative is a government that meddles in religion or, worse yet, a type of theocratic state. No sensible person wants that here.
I have certainly been critical of Democrats. But when we are talking about presidential politics, the reality is we are going to get either a Democrat or a Republican. Since the Republicans seem too wedded to their religious right base to shift as far left as I would like, the Democrats are the only viable option.
And I feel compelled to say something about your comment that "Hillary supported this fucking war." You know that I love you BG, and I appreciate all that you do for small bloggers and for issues you care deeply about, but that comment is simply not a true.
Let me close by saying there isn't a single person running for president on the Democratic side that I don't have some problem with. But that said, any one of them would be far superior to any of the announced (or suggested) candidates on the Republican side. Does saying that make me a cheerleader for the Democratic party?
BAC