Distortions

One of the odder and more frustrating experiences is being part of a group that is enduring the process of being "discovered" by the media, particularly when the members of the media doing the reporting clearly did an utterly half-ass job learning about their subject. 

Lucky me seems to have a mild knack for finding activities that fall afoul of this dynamic, and for finding them sufficiently in advance to have a sense of ownership about the activity in question.  (I'm not claiming to be cutting edge, just to tending to become interested in things slightly before they hit the big time -- things like yoga, knitting, various tv shows...)  Blogging, obviously, is one of these activities.

It is tiring seeing someone effusing about something as if it's the newest, weirdest thing on earth when you've been acquainted with it for months or years.  It's even more so when that someone then sets themselves up as some sort of "expert" on the subject, qualified to tell the world what their new interest "really" entails, when it is so glaringly obvious that their knowledge begins and ends with the first two pages their search on Google produced.

The most recent manifestation is an article in the NYT (registration needed, or go to bugmenot) about "mommy blogs" (a rather cutesy name that serves the function of stuffing complicated people and their writings into a pastel box adorned with bunnies and little blue elephants).  As D. and I were flensing the NYT this Sunday, I looked up and saw a familiar toddler's face.  I immediately recognized her as Leta, daughter of Heather Armstrong (of dooce.com).  Sadly, the article was not that profound, and it didn't do a great job explaining the phenomenon of parents blogging about parenthood; in some parts it even veered into the dismissive and derogatory.  (11D and MUBAR have some of the best commentary; there are many other biting criticisms sprinkled throughout the web if you're interested.)

I don't get this.  If you have an axe to grind, why haul other people into it, especially if you have to distort their words to do it?  If you're genuinely interested in explaining or documenting a phenomenon, shouldn't you admit (at least to yourself!) that you are not an expert, and that when you talk with people with more experience, you should listen to them?  Finally, why is it the internet that seems so frequently confusing?  Is it just that this is an area in which I have a certain knowledge and competence and am therefore more sensitive to misreadings, or is it that bloggish internetty things are somehow antiethical to the usual way of things in the general media, somehow threatening?  (I lean toward the latter, because for all the stereotypes about "granny" knitters and woo-woo "Eastern" spiritualism that pervade discussions of knitting and yoga, for example, the basics aren't wrong, nor are there same degree of dismissive digs that I see in internet-related articles, especially ones about blogging and bloggers.)  Why is blogging in general, let alone "mommy blogging" in particular, so threatening and misunderstood?

Comments

[Jill Smith]

Amen, sistah.

- Your knitting, Yogini, blogging friend

[wolfangel]

Because there are no female political bloggers to be threatened by?

Next week: infertility bloggers = whiny selfish brats, or self-absorbed spoiled bitches?

Just wait until they get to the post-academic and academic bloggers.

[yami]

These people get paid by the word, not by the insight.

[Rana]

Heh. Imagine what they'd do with this blog. Dimes to dollars they'd talk primarily about the quizzes and the whining, and ignore everything else. Then they'd wrap it up into some generalization about how poorly (post)academics function in the "real world." *rueful grin*

Hmm. There'd be a fun meme to pass around: describe your blog as if you were a lazy mainstream journalist with an axe to grind.

"The author of the weblog, Frogs and Ravens, who hides behind the pseudonym of "Rana," writes about life from the perspective of a "post-academic" (a fancy way of describing those who "drop out" of university life). Self-absorbed posts about her mental state and internet quizzes dominate the content, with occasional forays into politics, knitting and poetry. Like other "grab-bag" bloggers, it is clear that she writes whatever comes into her head, perhaps seeking validation from her blogging peers that she and her Ph.D. are not as irrelevant as they seem. Such self-absorption and pre-occupation with peer group dynamics is typical of Gen-Xers, along with their tendency to bristle when the so-called "mainstream media" ventures into their closely guarded lairs."

*holds hand out for journalist's salary, flexing fingers impatiently*

[yami]

Heh. You mean my two cents isn't enough pay? ;)

The only problem with the meme is that journalists all have the same two or three axes. We'd need an axe-to-grind generator... hmm.

[wolfangel]

Wow, Rana, that rocks. Do me, do me!

[Rana]

Oh, gad. Are you sure? :)

[Rana]

Maybe I could just offer some pre-owned axes, ready for the grinding?

Women/bloggers/academics/fill-in-the-blank - they're so self-absorbed!

Gen-Xers - yeah, they're still slackers.

Bloggers - those geeks I hated in high school are now trying to horn in on my job.

Environmentalists - they're weird, tree-hugging freaks, but you should still recycle.

Academics - oh, look, they're trying to make sense of the real world. Aren't they cute and clueless? (Or -- stupid out-of-touch liberals -- why are we allowing them to teach our kids?)

Knitters and other crafty folk - so charmingly retro. Too bad the diy trend going to die like all those other fads.

Pet bloggers - how sad is this, using cute animals to generate hits?

Yoga - lots of weird chanting and turning yourself into a pretzel -- but Madonna does it, so it must be cool.

Okay. I am now frightened. Surely it is not healthy to find this so easy!

[wolfangel]

I am very sure. Yours was very funny, on lots of levels. I'll promise to write a snarky, self-involved reply, too. And then we can talk about how bloggers take themselves too seriously and have no sense of humour.

Clealy mine is doing some faux-Elizabeth Wurtzel without all the drugs and filling a void in my life with pets. And we can add some fun stuff about the "refusing to grow up/still living at home" stuff -- I forget what stupid name is cool for us now.

No pressure, but, really, I would be honoured if you would journo-speak my blog.

[cindy]

Rana, don't forget "Sometimes considered a close-minded, intolerant liberal, she is famous in the academic blogosphere for her viatribes against the right" ;-)

[Rana]

Heh. :)

[Rana]

Okay... I embark upon wolfangel's journo-synopsis, albeit with some trepidation. (I'm afraid of missteps; there's a fine line between funny and mean.)

"It's not only Americans who are driving the explosion in personal blogging; now our neighbors to the north are getting in on the action. One such blogger is "wolfangel" (and yes, that's with a small "w" -- such stylings are common in the Canadian blogosphere). Writing about kittens, iPods, and job woes, her blog expresses the typical concerns of the "Twitties" -- those young adults who move back in with their parents after failing to make it on their own. The weblog format, evoking as it does the rambling, freeform conversations that happen in college dormitories late at night, seems a perfect match for those who are determined to avoid growing up."

*whew*

It's much harder doing someone else!

[wolfangel]

Hee. And many thanks. If I ever make an about page, can I use this? (Though in fact I have never lived in a dorm: I was at home through undergrad and in an apt in grad school. But that's perfect, since the mommy blog article was a little mistaken in facts, too.)

[Rana]

Hey, you're more than welcome. :)

I think the error will feel right at home with its made-up friend of "twitties" (there really is some silly name for adults-who-are-"immature" but I can't recall it).

Here's Jill's contribution to the genre. Quite funny.

Spread the meme! Snarkery and mockery are our friends! :)

[Rana]

Ah. Here it is. The stupid label is "twixter."

[Jill Smith]

Spread the love! Er, no - spread the "scare quotes" and pseudo-intellectual "punditry."

Basil T. Quackstein's opinion* is available for articles, public affairs television programming, and children's parties.

*he only has the one, you know.

[wolfangel]

Twitties is a much better name than twixters. I will try to write my own as well, though I feel somewhat lost for snark today.

[wolfangel]

By the way, Rana, your description of me is now up, since about pages are easy to make in this version of WP (finally).

[Rana]

:)