Tuesday, September 28, 2004
(7:01 PM) | Adam Kotsko:
We also do posts
Not just t-shirts and other paraphernalia. Some of us even post at other blogs. Case in point: Adam Robinson. His blog, though once dead, has risen with a new power! Since then he has directed his unique insights toward the world of fashion, to music (and again, this time with special reference to my ignorant comments about his purportedly "Nietzschean" approach to music), and in perhaps the best of the lot, to politics. The response to my ignorant comments was originally the best post in the world -- so good that "[y]ou'd get oral sex just for reading this post" -- but it was lost through the malice of fate. And so, the resulting post is not the greatest post in the world: it's just a tribute.Other people also blog. Sometimes they write about news stories. I usually just trust what they say about the news stories without following the links, because Rathergate has convinced me that blogs are more reliable than the
So, no, no, no. What I'm really afraid of is that when we left-wingers ask, "is America aware that in this way they are only creating new tensions?" they miss the point. What if the aim is to introduce instability to the entire region and then to brutally impose some kind of universalized emergency state or new order? But even if the U.S. is consciously counting on the global disorder, it will not be able to control it. My only hope is that American interventions will give rise to some kind of resistance. My big hope - as an atheist, praying night and day for it - is that the resistance in the Middle East will not be simply kidnapped by the so-called fundamentalists. That this resistance will have at least secular socialist wing. And I think there is a fair chance at it. Look at Iran. There is hope.Of course, as we know, Zizek is probably not relying on enough empirical evidence and is not tapping into the latest insights of formal logic or set theory, so his ideas are to be dismissed with scorn and self-satisfaction.
In other news, my two neighbors across the street joined a growing trend in my neighborhood: putting up signs promoting the reelection of George W. Bush. I'm trying to come up with a subtle and witty form of vandalism that can be quickly applied -- something that they hopefully wouldn't notice while I was doing it or for a while after it was done. All of the signs in my neighborhood look like this.
Finally, Atrios, who has recently been indulging in more text-based posts, befitting his status as an economics PhD working for a liberal think-tank, has posted his tips for those who wish to break into the exciting field of blogging. His summary:
Popular bloggers either a) post a lot, b) have a unique/funny/interesting take on things, c) have been around awhile, d) a combination of a)-c) with a) being the most important. That's just the way it is. Figure out how you can fit into that. Most blogs don't derive their popularity from their "authority," and those that do usually are by people with some credentials. Simply expressing opinions without advancing any kind of new argument isn't a way to differentiate yourself. What I mean is that people may go to DeLong for economics (yes, I'm an economist, but I've never tried to establish myself as an authority here on the blog), and Volokh or Balkin for Law, but I don't think people come to this site for my opinion on issue "X."I know that Bianca was wondering a while back how to break into the blogosphere, although now apparently she's taking a break due to school. Also, if you're a risk-taker by nature, I recommend you visit Elizabeth the Sexy Texan's News You Can Use. Or Not. I know that a lot of you probably would prefer some sort of assurance that you will be able to use the news on a given blog, but I think Elizabeth gets points for honesty. And if you're in the mood for someone who works 68 hours a week and still posts at all, you could probably try out Rebekah's blog.
