I am 19 and attending university, and my major requires me to take an advanced writing course. I’ve already taken an advanced short story course, and screenwriting doesn’t appeal. I sign up for a late morning class titled “Advanced Poetry Workshop,” taught by a stunningly handsome poetry prof in his late forties. The first day of class, he tells us we’re to choose a poem by our favorite poet, and bring in a sample for the rest of the class. I go up to him later in the hall, and – acutely aware of his presence, as a mind, as a man – I complain that I don’t have a favorite poet. “In fact,” I conclude (whine), “I don’t even read poetry!”
I’ll never forget the look he gave me.
…
I read an article titled “Is Google Making us Stoopid?” from The Atlantic, (reproduced here, in case they restrict access later…). The premise: shrinking attention spans and increasingly convenient media soundbytes (short/sensationalist stories, lots of video feeds, cell phones/Blackberries, etc) are combining to force a new kind of organization on the brain. We’re less good at deep thinking, says the author, much more prone to skimming, to getting the sense of something, rather than getting at its roots. (Knowledge is the New Information, in other words? :)
I posed this idea to a friend of mine, and he said (I paraphrase), “that’s absurd! It’s not that we think less, it’s just that we’re spreading our thinking around a lot more – we don’t do it all at once, we do it in little pieces.”
I protested.
“No, really,” he said, “Once, I would have written a book, and a few people would have read it. And then I’d've written a paper, and published it, and a few more would have read it. And now, I write blog posts, and they’re part of a larger conversation the blogosphere is having on different topics, and a lot more people are involved.”
That was the moment when I realized: I‘m having an ongoing conversation with this friend of mine about blogging. Every now and then, we talk for ten minutes, or half an hour on the subject, but we’ll never sit down and have a formal debate (I hope!) on the subject – just like we’ll never take an hour to discuss business strategy, or what wine to drink when, or the best way to skin a cat.
So does this mean the blogosphere is a bit like hanging out with your friends, in an endless court-of-opinion, where the better-prepared lob facts and figures around like so many tennis balls, and those with good grammar, spelling, and style have the racquets? In my opinion, yes. And in my opinion, often the blogosphere looks like the TV ad for The Ladders (a job posting site), where the fans all jump on the court and try to hit the ball(s) at once. Chaotic, crazy, and it’s hard to know exactly who the pros are. Especially when some of the pros are pros by accident, when some are lying about being pros – but, most of all, especially when you’re just starting out.
..
I began this blog to keep my family up to date on my movements; a solipsistic excuse not to call, or perhaps a recognition I’ve always communicated better in print. it’s evolved, over time, as a way for me to keep writing, a reason to keep examining the world, trying to take it apart, see what makes it tick. I hadn’t considered it as anything more than personal. Thirty hits on a good day.
But now, I’m realizing that, like it or not, I’m on the tennis court too – and my opinion about that Atlantic article (I haven’t made up my mind, yet — what do you think?), my thoughts on healthcare, and anything else I post (you’d be amazed how popular my post titled “My First New Car” is…) — it’s all out there, in public. It’s all part of a longer, larger conversation.
And – and here’s the interesting part – perhaps when I post I also accept an obligation; to read others’ posts, to get involved, to participate, not just toss my ball(s) up in the air. Reading what others are thinking, in other words, will inform my own thoughts – in a completely different way than reading classical media.
Action follows understanding; So will I stop reading BNet, and The Economist, and The New York Times? Definitely not. Will I start reading more blogs? Yes.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
..
Incidentally, I did finish my assignment. I went to the library and began reading poetry out of journals until I found one poet I couldn’t seem to put down. Poetry’s worth it, after all. Reading other poets? It definitely helps your own poetry – and it helps you see the world a different way, adds to your writing. My prof was right. Check this out:
Glory
Every time I use that green shampoo
or pass some unknown woman on the street
who’s used it that morning, her hair still wet,
I inhale deeply
and think again of you
on top of me, your waterfall of hair
covering my hands covering your breasts
and cascading forward onto my chest
as you leaned down,
that charge the green air
filling my head as I closed my eyes
and surrendered my skin to the exquisite
whispers of your hair as you swept it
over my drowning face,
my fingers rising
entwined in your glory, as they still do,
every time you use that green shampoo.
-Michael McFee
