Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Defence

I started this off as a comment but have made it a post now.

I respect shoot-straight-from-the-hip Subbu's opinion a lot. My article on blogs was half-researched and too generalized. But there is a bigger idea underlying that I want to talk about.

Idea of comedy

I am heavily inspired by Thurber in writing and George Carlin in stand-up. GC calls stand-up comedy "knowing where the limit is - and then crossing it". I know a lot of people find him gross and vulgar. But I think he's a new brand of philosophy.

This brand of irreverant writing where you just bash out the popular opinion (in this case, the power of blogs) has the effect of elbowing in an alternative opinion in a sea. This is similar to militancy brand feminism, caste-racial-ethnic affirmative opinions - The idea is that if you don't shout and swear, you will not be heard; if you don't demand a mile, you won't get an inch.

Where I disagree

Yes, I am not a prolific blog reader; but I am a prolific reader and know bad writing from good. And the idea of the blogs is to comment without "earning the rights". Everyone who is party to a phenomenon has the right to comment.

Where I agree
I agree of my not exploring life as much as I should. I am trying. I also am guilty of generalizations all the time: but I try to keep the exceptions floating in my mind somewhere.

Ultimately...

My points converge to the all-pervasive mediocricy and lack of ideas of our times. Despite the power that a blog gives you, most blogs are full of the same everyday platitude that invades us from the media-barons controlled media (read Pankaj's Chomsky's review where he talks about Manufacture of Consent). Seldom do I come across an original idea and irreverance.

3 comments:

Nishant Kashyap said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Nishant Kashyap said...

Have been reading the exchanges between you and subbu. While I am nowhere close to either of your levels of "Blog conciousness"...but I would do some CP nonetheless..;)...so here we go... my understanding is that a blog is just an online journal...and if so, then the person..mainatining it should be free to write whatever he/she wants ( even if its..."Zzzzzzzz"...) and if I don't like it I would just go to the next blog..:)...and next and next..till I find something like "Blandspice" which makes me think and say hmm... and makes me wanna hit the comment button..........(BTW remember there is an audience for everything...even for "Zzzz..."s!!).

Bland Spice said...

hmm nice point kashy.
but once you have put anything in the public space - a stray comment, a scandalizing piece from the grapevine, a blog - except criticism.

As I did :)