Bleggalgazing
[Titular coinage coined by BDR to the best of our knowledge.]
YOU MAY, you few who venture here, have noticed that the legitimate posting has been thin here at The Stump lately. We’ve got a dozen starts and stops in the blog post drafts folder, and feeling more and more apathetic about all topics every day.
We cut our teeth as a political blog of sorts, following our rulers daily crimes, rationalizations and nonsensical rhetoric. We started out opposing war and torture and discovered along the way that we also oppose imperialism and our amoral mixed-economy “capitalist” system. Where does that leave us when it comes to politics blogging?
If politics in America has come down to stylistic hair splitting between parties that equally serve the economic interests of entrenched power, if the various conflicts and stalemates among our ruling class are meaningless. If in the political media…
…contentless tactical “analysis” and the responding think piece regretting the absence of substance have become the political equivalent of the call-and-response liturgy, the undramatic dialogue at the center of the discourse of political journalism… [IOZ]
…what is to be said of blogs that comment on this type of thing? Is there any meaning in repeatedly remarking upon meaninglessness?
Who knows what will become of this blog? Changes of some sort are surely coming. In the meantime we’re posting things of a somewhat different nature on this new Tumblr thing the kids are all talking about at Stump Lane The Lesser please look in on us over there.
In the meantime here’s a mini post:
Toyota: meh.
EVERY auto company is sitting on known safety issues with their vehicles. Recalls are based on economic decisions, not safety concerns. This is a witch hunt. The media makes the public out to be such fucking ninnys afraid of everything and demanding complete safety. If it’s true everything they say about you, Public, well, BUCK UP. Driving is unsafe. At least in that it will never be perfectly safe. If you want a post about this whole thing read this one. Just replace “Toyota” for the TSA and “sticking accelerator pedals” for terrorism. And be sure at least to watch the video over at that post.
Stump Lane 
I think there’s something to be said for betraying the news cycle at some level. Alienation cannot be fought by alienated means!
Look at how Twisty does it: she follows her life-cycle, and makes the spectacle work for her. Or Richard at TEM, writing about what he reads. Then there is BLCKDGRD, doing his own thing.
For me, the focal point really has to intersect with my everyday life. Otherwise, I don’t care very much.
You’re right to suspect a large portion of what passes for “political blogging” as a waste of time. But that has never been this blog.
This tumblr craze is all my fault. I went there first and then encouraged the others to follow. Peer pressure is a bitch.
Thanks, JRB. I’m sure I will continue in one way or another.
And while I won’t stoop to blame it on you, Agi, the Tumblr thing is fun, but it kind of blunts my thought process. I feel like I might have contracted a sort of technology induced ADD or something.
This too shall pass. Eventually.
Was telling Agi about an friend of mine, an academic, who’s trying to write a paper on internet-swarming, and he can’t yet put his finger on what it is about tumblr that’s setting off bells in his head.
Well, guess who’s tonguing a bleggalgaze about it.
But yes, yelling SUCK! at the obvious can get old.
Fixed that video at the other post. It should actually play now.
I’ve managed to avoid tumblr because once I clicked on something at Agi’s place and next thing I know, it was one of those hour-that-feels-like-five-minutes laters, scrambling all over that diabolical internets program. And I’m all about earning my taxpayer-funded paycheck.