Why put put that shit where people can step in it?
Inspiration can come from the strangest places. Mac Diva was inspired by getting three toxic nasties in the space of an hour to write about the reasons some folks blog. Interestingly enough, the NY Times has an article in the Technology section that touches on the type of blogger, though not the type of blog, Mac is dealing with.
The article in the Times is about first amendment rights and such:
… Tucker Max's site promotes something like the opposite of character education. It contains a form through which women can apply for a date with him, pictures of his former girlfriends and reports on what Mr. Max calls his "belligerence and debauchery."
… "Katy Johnson holds herself out publicly, for her own commercial gain, as a champion of abstinence and a woman of virtue," Mr. Carey said. "The public has a legitimate interest in knowing whether or not her own behavior is consistent with the virtuous image that she publicly seeks to promote."
That last quote just makes me say, "C'mon. Am I supposed to believe Tucker Max's site is trying to perform some public service?" The man sells a book titled "The Definitive Book of Pick-Up Lines" at his site. At best, his reason is to say, "Hey, I screwed Ms. Vermont, and you can too with the help of my book." At worst, it's a means of lashing out at her. Between the two extremes lie all manner of possible motivations but I cannot be convinced the public interest is one of them. Neither can I be convinced that posts containing nothing but vile language is useful in any way.
I don't mind seeing folks actively market their stuff. Seeing it done based on link count doesn't bother me as much as the fact that it works… but it doesn't surprise me much. And I'd much rather see "hey, look how cool I am" than "hey, look how much he sucks.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 6/2/2003 11:08:18 AM |
