I used to think that blogging was a way to create ideas and engender debate about serious issues. That was a primary reason why I began blogging about politics versus kvetching about my life and the (crap) music I listen to. Similarly I found many (non-)political blogs in NE Ohio (ie: Pho's Akron Pages, Psychobilly Democrat, and Brewed Fresh Daily) that seemingly wanted to fulfill the same ends and they are terrific. They successfully bring up the tone of debate, even when it's an obnoxious din. In the run-up to the election last fall, I read BSB fairly religiously and posted with some regularity. I found Russell and (later) Jerid to be respectable in how and what they wrote, most of which never failed to be interesting.
But lately I can't say I've been feeling the same towards certain aspects of the blogosphere. Maybe I didn't notice it before, maybe I did and willfully ignored it, or maybe I just didn't care, but it seems like there is much more sniping and boo-hoo name calling than productive and informative debate. Pho, Redhorse, and BFD, among others, have kept it clean, keeping on hard news items (or pimping Eric Mansfield's blog - which is amazingly good and shows a fine journalist doing fine journalism).
But BSB has regressed into a devolutionary - perhaps counter-revolutionary - pattern, trading personal jabs with people affiliated with the Ohio Republican Party, calling names and playing "gotcha!" when it's least needed. Jerid's New Hampshire Project is great and the news he provides keeps me tuned into BSB while someone mentions The Ohio Republicans Would Never Lie To Us. Especially online. There's nothing particularly informative there, just a post filled with vitriol. Plunderbund has similarly fallen off of the map in its coverage of things political and substantive in Ohio.
So while not to make a big deal about it (although I am), I think it's high time to remove them from the Ohio Blogroll. I don't see the point in having things up that convey Ohio as a vast hellhole of a political wasteland.
But maybe that's just me.
-rl
5 comments:
Interesting we're having similar thoughts--I took them off my Feedburner daily email compilation a few weeks ago, having thought about it for a few months. First of all, I sensed less value, and then, I sensed things were getting more nasty than funny. There's a fine balance between biting humor and pointless evisceration.
Yeah. This bickering was entertaining to a certain degree, but now it seems like bloodsport in poor taste.
I don't know. I'm about raising the bar, they just seem to be about lowering it into the soap opera.
If I'm wrong, by all means correct me.
Sorry you both feel that way. You'd be surprised, but the cordialness between some of the folks in the Ohio blogosphere is really quite professional via email. That said, I prefer to respond to blogs that take pot shots at folks families and spread rumors of the nature involved with the Coleman bruhaha. That said, there've been plenty of shots in the past taken that probably didn't need to happen.
Regardless, sorry we're not in your tastes. Best.
Oh, and the news in the post you referenced specifically revolves around who posts at the Republican Party's State of the Union blogs. I think the interactions and relationships between politicos are important - it sheds light into what's going on in a campaign or party. You may not like BSB's rhetoric used at times - and that's fine - but I think it's hard to deny the fact that it's interesting SOTU has never revealed who posts there. And the activity has been questionable.
It was just one example. Look, I don't want to get into a pissing contest over this, this is just how I felt about the matter. Some people feel the same and there are others who don't. It's just a matter of preference and what some of the matter has become falls outside of my preference.
-rl
Post a Comment