Um, people? I'm just as passionate about politics as the next guy, but whatever happened to civilized debate? Did that fly out the window when communication became so much easier? Propaganda can spread faster and we suddenly feel like facts aren't worth the time they take to double check?
If I work up the courage, tomorrow I might post a nonpartisan list of environmental stances from both candidates. I might not. I'm a little scared of the cruel responses due to the "ownership" people seem to feel with the blogs they read.What do you think? Can discussion be civil?
Because a blog is so public, the writer becomes a public figure. In many cases public figures are expected to withhold the personal. Is this rightfully so?
Oftentimes people source blogs as factual news, rather than editorial writing, which causes a deeper, resentful chasm between bloggers and writers, and the validity of each. What do you think about all of this?
Politics in the land of an amateur blogger: good idea or bad?
5 comments:
I really like what Heather had to say about this:
http://dooce.com/2008/10/20/dancing-monkey
I posted on my blog about going to the Obama rally and received no backlash at all. So either I have a lot of people quietly stewing, or people agree, or they can look past my politics. Who knows!
I'm a little scared too! I'm sure my readers will be kinder than the ones on d*s were (since there's an awful lot less of them, good odds!) but it's still a little nerve-wracking throwing anything "out there" that could potentially ostracize anyone. Guess we'll see what happens! :)
I saw that at Design Sponge as well. While I think some people are confused about the facts, I think discussion about disagreements is important. We all have opinions, right? Why should we hide them. But at the same time it is important to allow other people's opinions to be heard as well. There is nothing that bugs me more than someone coming on to some public forum disagreeing about something and then everyone labeling them "argumentative" or "judgmental" or "a jackass" :)
I think you should list the facts. who couldn't use some good facts right about now!
i think it's a good idea. & it's important to keep discussion going. i saw that d*s post & it was sort of insane how upset people got at her. i decided a couple months ago to post my opinions on my blog, twitter & flickr. it felt like i was hiding something that was very important to me when i wasn't doing it. great topic! :)
It's so important to bring various voices into these debates, and it's REALLY unhealthy for folks to maintain that design -or any art, any creation- is isolated from the political realm in which it takes place.
Part of the beauty of the Obama campaign -whatever your views on his policies- is the notion that we all are change agents, in Everything we do.
Time to recognize our own politik! And to help the world get to a place where we find it as beautiful as we hope our personal lives and creations can be.
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