A rambling monologue of one man's views on society, politics, business, environment, consumerism etc. If you want to know which trash can to put this in, "dissident American independent with liberal and tree hugger tendencies" will do.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
The upside of anonymity: a review of a comment thread
Pandagon and done it again. Amanda Marcotte, in pointing up the obtuse misogyny of a particular repeat offender, managed to convene a lively, informative and, for most of its long run, a very respectful and adult conversation that managed to stay largely on its topic of the social significance of a kind of cosmetic surgery you might not have heard about. Toward the end, a few commenters began to flame each other but for most of its duration, what I'd be tempted to call the "vagina dialogues" operated as a safe place to compare experience and learn of feelings about stuff you just never could discuss face to face with more than a few of your closest friends or S.O.'s. Really, it was kinda special because for a long time, the only snark or rebuke being handed out was to a few resolutely clueless trolls. Just what Amanda and crew are tilting at when they say "patriarchy" really does become a bit clearer to at least some of the commenters as the thread progresses. Though it might seem trashy to prudes, and it is not totally free of meanness and miscommunication, I think it is an example of a beneficial sharing hard to achieve in any other format.
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2 comments:
"Dumbo flaps"??? I always wait until I have an hour to spare for your blog because you send me off to such interesting places.
I don't know why I shook my head and said 'only in America' because it probably happens in Oz as well.
Jahteh: While most of the contributors to that thread appear to be yanks, there are a few from other places as well, UK among them and I noted a few commenters who attributed their "grooming" choices to the steamy weather in their particular corner of Oz. The phenomenon of such revealing honesty in the company of a crowd of perfect strangers is not unheard of at Pandogon. Its hard to imagine a room full of people, wearing masks, let us say, talking like that.
I aim to please my readers, all six of them. I think most people read blogs in an unseemly hurry; as if they wanted to sound informed and aquire the most current opinions without the work of actually digesting all the news. But not here at ET: in readership, I go for quality, not quantity.
BTW, spiffy new email addy ya got there.
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