The Theater of the Absurd
I found this article on the A-Team's Blog a while back. (I'm telling ya, they have great stuff!) It can be found in its entirety here, at Reformation 21.
In "The Theater of the Absurd," Carl Trueman suggests the danger of blogging is that blogmeisters begin to believe that, along with the right to speak, they have the right to be heard. And the internet makes it so easy to be heard! Trueman suggests we combat that nonsense out there by spending the majority of our blog-reading time on blogs that have substantial credentials. It makes far more sense to read the blog of a minister, perhaps, than the blog of some kid with a network computer in his bedroom.
Two sections in this article are worthy of quoting here:
It is that the whole blog phenomenon is inherently ridiculous; that the
more serious it tries to be, the more absurd and pompous it becomes; and that I
believe that if you can't beat the inevitable blogological deconstruction, you
might as well join it, and that with relish. As the old Buddhist proverb says,
'When faced with the inevitable, one must merely accept the inevitable.'[...]
Or you could try another way, what we might call the 'Samuel Beckett' option: face this theatre of the absurd head-on; join in with the other nobodies pretending to be somebodies; laugh at your own ridiculous complicity in this nonsense; expose the systemic contradictions for all they are worth; mock the blogworld for all of its inane self-importance; and in so doing try in some small way to subvert the system from the inside. It may not ultimately work; but you'll have fun in the process.
So from this nobody pretending to be somebody, Happy New Year and Happy Blogging!
posted by Danielle | 1:22 PM
15 Comments:
"Why blog? No one is going to read it, except maybe my friends and family--and they already know what I think."
let me quote to you Keane, a new group i've discovered, ironically through some friends who i've come to know through blogs and message boards.
"I don't know your thoughts these days/ We're strangers in an empty space/ I don't understand your heart"
even those who "know" you don't really "know"; there is always more to know.
to quote another (Anne Frank), here's something i've put in my blog a couple times.
"I haven't written for a few days, because I wanted first of all to think about my diary. It's an odd idea for someone like me to keep a diary; not only because I have never done so before, but because it seems to me that neither I--nor for that matter anyone else--will be interested in the unbosomings of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl. Still, what does that matter? I want to write, but more than that, I want to bring out all kinds of things that lie buried deep in my heart."
couple that with what L'Engle :) says of writing, how in order to live it needs to be set free. a writer who writes stories for herself has dead stories. only once they are free to be read by any and all can they live and breathe.
so, while you may not always write stories, you still let your thoughts live in a way they can't when they are sitting on the otherside of your skull, or even buried on your computer.
We read to know we are not alone. One of the characters in Shadowlands says that. Eireann and Mike, I think that's a little bit what you are getting at. I would say that, in general, I agree. The internet is one way that we can connect our world with the world of others; and yes, posting thoughts online lets them "live" in a way that they cannot do when they are only written for myself (though I'm not sure I would call the life that they live an abundant life...).
At the same time, however I think it is worth noting that it there is a bit of pretention in posting my thoughts online, especially when my posts are on things in which I lack expertise. Donald Miller, for instance--I know little about him, but in the blogosphere, it's fine for me to post my thoughts on him, anyway.
I like what you quoted from Anne Frank. She would understand exactly what I'm talking about here--that neither I--nor for that matter anyone else--will be much interested in my thoughts. But that's okay, because I do want to "bring out all kinds of things that lie buried deep in my heart."
But I think these thoughts need to be held as one--I will continue to write, probably continue to blog (I'm hooked, now)--but I'll do so knowing that I'm being ridiculous in my self-importance.
just so long as you know your place. :)
Hey Eireann... what's ouch?
Mike...yeah, yeah, yeah...
Danielle,
I can relate to your feelings. Sometimes I get the idea that us bloggers just take ourselves way too stinking seriously. I mentioned that in a post of mine actually right as I got 'hooked'.
:)
I also like what Eireann said on the subject though too. I don't blog with the intention of changing the world anymore than I talk expecting others to hang on to my every word. I just AM. My blog is just ME. Like it, love it, read it, or don't. It still is. For those who want to enter my little brain... they can. Some people get upset at what they find, others become intrigued, and a few are probably encouraged in some twisted way (the sickos).
Anyhow, cheers to your blogging. You've been linked on mine as a friend!
(and don't mind Eireann, she often rambles on uncontrollably...)
Love the new blog template!
Hey, ya know, blogs are like the little bulletin boards that hung up in your dorm. Every one had one, everyone "decorated" hers in a way that represented her. I remember your R.A. one year that had big 'ol glamour lookin' shots of herself plastered on hers...other people had encouraging scripture leaping off the walls...other people made sure the causes they stood for were represented...still others had huge posters of Michael Vartan (Oh, was that Valerie?? Hi, Valerie!) -- you get the idea!
For the most part, I don't read a blog expecting to dig out research. I read them like I would someone's bulletin board, for inspiration or ideas (especially when I read other Christian homeschooling mom blogs). Or to understand better the way people think (especially when I read blogs of people who think very differently than I do, I try to figure out the logic of their thoughts). Some blogs I read just to get to know my sister or my dad a little better -- to see what's inside their opinionated minds (cuz even though I know you both, we don't always have the time to sit around and argue, yeah?) :) A lot of times blogs serve their original purpose of just providing links and resource reviews -- getting the word out, free advertising. Sometimes, I may check the blog of a very cool pastor or author that I look up to, but usually out of curiosity to see what his real life "bulletin board" looks like!
I know blogging is an individual as people are, and that people do it and read 'em for a wide variety of reasons.
I don't think you need to worry that anyone would take you too seriously or think you were being pompous in sharing your thoughts.
You are just sharing you.
And don't you love the comment part?? Imagine if you had the freedom to walk up and down that dorm of yours leaving sticky notes critiquing the gals' bulletin boards -- ay ay ay!
Added as a friend on Miroslav's blog? Oh no--now I'm really trapped!!
Just kidding. :) Miroslav, I think you hit the nail on the head--and I don't think I'm arguing with you or Eireann (who, btw, has a great name! I think that everytime I type it) on that point. I actually love your blog--I think you've provided a great forum for people to talk about personal issues that are important to you and to them. And reading it is so addicting that I can't get together with my family without your blog coming up multiple times!
And sistah, I'm not too concerned about other people thinking I'm pompous. I'm more worried about becoming pompous--though I'm sure I'd do a good job at disguising it! (BTW, we DID have white boards with markers in the dorm--so we were able to comment on the others girls bulletin boards. It's just that these comments, here on the 'net, are much easier to be read and responded to by more people! It is very cool.)
I keep coming back to what Anne Frank said. She captured it perfectly--I think it may have just earned a spot on my sidebar. That is, if my feeble understanding of html is ready for the challenge...!
Blogging fits the postmodern paradigm in the sense that the authorities are broken- now everyone becomes an authority whether ought to be or not. However, it's also a bit democratic- if I'm not posting anything worth reading, no one's going to read it, not even my mother. Over time we give authority to certain people because they stand out above the rest.
As with anything, there's a danger of twisting it. Becoming pompous is a problem, but one I've encountered more in the blogsphere is lack of responsibility. For whatever reason, some people feel they can post whatever they're thinking at the moment, regardless of who they represent, who they might offend, etc. While taking blogging too seriously is a danger, so is not taking it seriously enough- words still have consequences.
In a letter, C.S. Lewis said he prefered to think that "everyone is as special as I am." Perhaps it's just a fresher way of saying "love your neighbor as yourself," but I think it may be a helpful foundation for the ethics of blogging. We must keep our true place in perspective, also realizing that our words have the potential to damage others.
Roger,
Well said on the danger of words. Best intentions aside... they do pose a very real danger if not monitored.
Hey Danielle,
It may just be me... but I just about do an eye-vomit when I tried to read your blog. The font is ... cute... but not very practicle for my eyeballs. But that might just be me. I got a comment from somebody on my blog b/c I use white font on black background. I just ignored their complaints. hehe... feel free to do the same.
oops... and let me clarify ... I'm only talking about the font on the COMMENTS section. Everything else looks fabulous. The whole dark font and centered thing just screws me up.
Roger,
I echo Miroslav's "well-said!" I have definitely seen people feel mistreated--often unintentionally--through the internet. I particularly like the ideas you pose about blogging being a democracy: things not worth reading won't be read.
I also think that somehow the two possible faults with blogging that you mention are still tangled up in my mind--they both stem from the believe that I am All-Important.
Miroslav, I see what you mean about the Comments section. Big time. I guess I didn't look too closely at that section as I read the comments in my email. But I can't for the life of me figure out how to change their style. I'll fool around a bit more tonight and see if I can't talk my pops into helping me sort out the problem. Thanks for the tip!
Why blog? I like that.
"The Corner" is a great blog. It lives in that part of the blogosphere that deals with the concerns of conservative politics. And it is has plenty of links to fun timewasters, plus there is banter, intramural debate, and joking around. It is the blog for the editors and writers of National Review Online. http://corner.nationalreview.com/
And it was the politically conservative section of the blogosphere that took down Dan Rather wrt the phony report on Dubya's Nat'l Guard service. Bloggers are a political/media force.
Lots of professional writers blog. You can get entertaining info about all sorts of things. Lung cancer: http://cathyseipp.journalspace.com/ . Or animals in the urban back yard: http://www.povonline.com/mybackyard/My%20Backyard01.htm
But why would an unknown bother to blog? Aren't there more effective ways of reaching people with your message, or of accomplishing whatever your goal is?
Except, some who begin as unknowns do have an impact with their blogs. http://reallivepreacher.com/
And a blog can be a window across the world to another culture and religion, and remind us of our common everyday humanity. http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/2004/05/ibrahim-and-dark-future.html
But, c'mon, this is America. The REAL reason to blog is so it will catch on, it becomes the "don't miss it" read of the moment, then advertizers will want to pay you money to run their banners, a national magazine offers you a weekly column, Hollywood signs you to write a movie script, and you retire to Malibu.
Danielle,
Hypocrisy! It was one-half your fault I started my blog- and now you are complaining using the very reasons I did not want to do it. I knew it would mostly just sit there except for family and friends, who mostly know what I think anyway.
Mr.D (D does stand for something else in your case)
----
Ha-Ha! Dad caught you!!
YOU did talk him into blogging, you silly little girl, and then you complain about whether or not blogging is a good idea.
There is no going back for you. You are a part of the blogosphere.
Now hurry up and get goin' with your posts!
The public forum is an American tradition. People would politely (or unpolitely) listen while one person after another could share their thoughts on a given subject.
Unlike family dinners when everyone talks over everyone else blogging allows times to process what is being said and form a comment.
Christians should care about faith and the state of the world today. You are doing a great job of sharing your thoughts here is a space where they have a chance to be heard! (unlike our family dinners)
keep it coming!
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