Just a quick thought based upon the mocking tone of a news-scraping site that only goes after low-hanging fruit:
We've all heard the Nuremberg Defense: "I was just following orders." Interestingly enough, courts and courts-martial do not feel this is sufficient defense against performing acts which are morally wrong.
Then there's the Yuppie Nuremberg Defense: "I just need to pay the mortgage." This is usually claimed whenever someone has to do something distasteful/unethical/wrong in order to pay the bills. See: the TSA.
I posit that there is also a Blogger Nuremberg Defense. To whit: "Hey, you knew I was an asshole when you started reading this blog." In other words, if you the reader feel that something is in poor taste, it's your fault for feeling that way. It's basically a non-apology in the guise of an apology.
Please note that this is not a call for censorship. You can say whatever the hell you want to say on your blog. I just feel that if you're going to be a douche, you should step up and own your words with a "Yeah, this is how I feel, and that's not going to change" rather than suggesting that your blog is some kind of subtle performance art and anyone who takes offense/doesn't find it funny is somehow not getting it.
Hell, I once lost readers because a good chunk of Canada couldn't take a joke (or understand satire, I'm not sure which.) Kindly note that I owned my words and didn't apologize for them.
Some people may think that I've done exactly the same thing that I'm accusing the other blogger of doing. Well, maybe so, and if that's the case I'll own that, too. I don't think that I have, but maybe I'm wrong. Whichever one it is, I stand by my opinions, and I won't apologize for them. I may apologize for the effects they cause -- Hey, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings -- but I won't ever apologize for my words unless I am proven to be factually wrong, e.g. I called you a lying shithead, and it was just proven to me that you weren't lying. I'm sorry I called you a liar. The shithead portion still stands.
Friday, November 16, 2012
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You have no idea how much A. I love this and B. how much I wish I was more like you.
ReplyDeleteLOL, at least you didn't get any death threats... :-) And I DO agree with you!!!
ReplyDeleteGood heavens, why would anyone want to be like me? I'm a mess.
ReplyDeleteYou keep on being you, A Girl. You're awesome and we need more like you in the world!
Actually I thought your piece on Canadians involving themselves in our politics was spot-on.
ReplyDeleteInstead of "Blogger Nuremburg Defense," I would use the term "Blogger Serpent Defense" for the phenomenon you describe.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet one more reason I like you
ReplyDeleteFor the sake of completeness/honesty, I would point out the individual you are talking about does have multiple articles published in various fairly high-level magazines, indicating that he does generate original content worthy of being paid for.
ReplyDeleteNot that this necessarily excuses what he has done in your eyes, of course.
I did not know this. All I have seen of this person is the news-scraping site. Perhaps he isn't quite as uncreative as I had first surmised.
ReplyDeleteI still stand by the rest of my accusation.
did you make someone butthurt over your musings here? i miss so much when i'm off in the woods.
ReplyDeleteTo be brutally honest, I'm the one that was butthurt by what someone else said. It just hit too close to home, and was full of "Hah hah, look at the freak" mockery.
ReplyDeleteah, well, i suppose you told them "what for".
ReplyDelete