Candidates, Bloggers and other Idiots
I was going to stay out of the Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan discussion, but this is one of the stupidest public statements I’ve ever heard. I just couldn’t pass it up.
“they have both assured me that it was never their intention to malign anyone’s faith, and I take them at their word.”
- John Edwards ‘08 Blog
“I take them at their word.” Does that now mean something different than it used to? If you take them at what they blog about, then it seems obvious then Ms. Marcotte at least, clearly meant to malign someone’s faith.
Don’t get me wrong, I can understand hiring them, even keeping them, though I wouldn’t have done either. What the Edwards campaign seems to be ignoring though, is that these bloggers, like the rest of us, have spent a lot of time and effort defining themselves on their blogs. To read their blogs is to know who they are. Suggesting that they are somehow something different than that, is doing us a disservice. Hire them, fire them, or keep them, I don’t care. Just don’t lie to yourself or to us about who they are.
h/t Hot Air and Patterico’s Pontifications.
Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, The Virtuous Republic, Perri Nelson’s Website, A Blog For All, The Random Yak, Big Dog’s Weblog, basil’s blog, Shadowscope, Stuck On Stupid, Cao’s Blog, The Bullwinkle Blog, Jo’s Cafe, Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, third world county, Faultline USA, stikNstein… has no mercy, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
I respectfully submit that your belief that to read anyone’s blog is to know them is incorrect. No person can be defined solely on the basis of what is written on a blog. Ask yourself this, if everything you post on this blog is the truth, what percent of the truth is represented? How important are the things you post to your life? How big of an impact on the real you are they? Do they truly define who you are or are they the day to day things that get your goat? Is this a journaling of what is happening in your life or is it a deeply thought out treatise of who you are and where you are going? From your blog, I know you are graphic designer who leans to the far right politically, you are married and have at least one child. A few facts that don’t add to a whole or at least I hope not.
Comment by Fractured Consort — February 16, 2007 @ 4:42 pm
Touché. I assumed someone would call me on that, but obviously you’re the first. It isn’t so much that you know a blogger as a whole, but you know an aspect of them through their writing. While this wouldn’t give you great insight into every part of their life, it does give you insight into certain parts. If my blog were an anti-catholic rant, you could reasonably assume that I’m anti-catholic for instance. You’re absolutely right about not knowing a blogger by his writing however, it was a poor choice of words.
Comment by HDW — February 16, 2007 @ 5:03 pm
To use your example, if you wrote an anti-Catholic rant it would be reasonable to assume that you are anti-Catholic. Why should I care? The important thing is not that you are anti-Catholic but why are you anti-Catholic? Does blogging promote the airing of ideas, facilitate the finding of like minded individuals, or help people to work through issues? I guess I see a dark side to blogs that I don’t see addressed anywhere. Let’s take your example a little further, a college student who was raised Catholic rebels and starts a blog where he bashes Catholicism a couple of times. Like minded individuals comment on the site and soon an anti-Catholic rant ensues. A fit of pique has turned into an unstoppable rage. Is the blog an extension of you or are you defined by the blog? Do you control the blog or does the blog sometimes control you?
Comment by Fractured Consort — February 16, 2007 @ 5:52 pm
All good points. Blogging often doesn’t promote… anything.
Personally, I try to promote discussions of design and other things that interest me. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I as you know occasionally comment on politics, and often regret it for the reasons you suggest. It doesn’t promote anything, it’s just negative. For that reason I’ve significantly reduced both my reading and writing about anything political. The dark side of blogging is too easily accessible into when posting on politics.
On a positive note, discussions on some things seem to work fairly well in this format. Design is one of those things. It often promotes discussion, and benefits those who are in search of design information and assistance.
Comment by HDW — February 16, 2007 @ 6:10 pm