Bullard’s heated sideswipe blistered the blogosphere ..and just blasted home another powerful reason why SA ROCKS! what?! Why in the world would I claim this as a positive about South Africa?
The constitutional right to freedom of speech that each of us enjoys today has been exercised. Regardless of whether that opinion is one we share or rail vehemently against – the RIGHT to express that opinion is something we enjoy in this country. For now.
Set in a global context, there are people are being jailed in Iran, Egypt, China, Zimbabwe for the rights we enjoy here. (For those impassioned enough to write in response consider lending your voice to the greater force for good, bloggers & ‘real‘ journalists lives are at stake for the right to banter as we do). Even if it’s hate speech or degrading polemic humans have a birthright to rant.
I heartily agree that most of the blogosphere is bogus bollocks – it’s reflective of life.
“The best argument against democracy is a five minute talk with the average voter.” -Winston Churchill
But thanks to search engines and RSS I don’t need to come into contact with unnecessary swill enroute to the good stuff. We have choice what to pay attention to, rather than being offered a slim filter of what is deemed acceptable by those who know better than you (you swarthy heaving masses who need your untamed minds tranquilised for civility).
Like Wikipedia you have the right to put up whatever crap you like, but eventually knowledge neutrality smoothes out what is flaming unsubstantiated bullshite ..and oddly enough the result is an increasingly accurate view of reality to date.
So I have the right to be irritated by the article, but the only thing that could have done with editing was the peculiar association with the Virginia Tech massacre. The right to free expression had Seung-Hui Cho flagged by his professors for his violent and malevolent spewings in creative writing classes. He was a writer but not a blogger, and that fetid association sparked the flame of fury online because it was baseless.
I do certainly agree with the headline that cowardly cowering behind anonymity online allows for the depraved and sexually-frustrated to exercise their power to disseminate fear. But oddly very FEW bloggers take the route of anonymous expression – particularly because they AREN’T paid. Humans always have to have a What’s In It For Me angle. Like David Bullard, the majority of bloggers are out there to get attention. Within an Attention Economy this can translate into being paid if you prove your expertise. Most drop their blogs when they don’t get enough attention in reward, because they’re braindrainingly dull. Natural selection. But I digress.
We are so damn lucky to have the window of opportunity to evade being muzzled in this playground of paperless publishing. Policies of control instituted when people are reacting out of fear plays right into the hands of unhealthy dictatorship – political, religious or corporate. 1 order of thought-leadership not thought-control please.
This is not about oldskool journos vs bright young bloggers, it is about seeing the potency of words to shift attention. Those with the most power are those with the biggest audiences, simple. This is why entertainers & sportstars can command surreal salaries – they can capture and sustain attention. Traditional media has earned its sway. It is evolving, but still commands the lionshare and its effect proven today.
Bullard trippingly set a trap to test the bloggy waters & found his bait handsomely rewarded. It would have been a wonderful time to translate that attention: but wait, hark! ..you think Groogle hasn’t been sharing a tip or two with the man. LOL!! Ray and teamsters have been hard at work, and no doubt delighting in David taking on the bad cop role so eagerly. Sun Tzu, nay Machiavelli would be glowing with pride.
David Bullard is a court jester among the finest of the archetype, sparing no sacred cow.
Give thanks that you woke up in South Africa today, and blog for all you’re worth. Rock your bullhorn boys & girls. Who knows, you may even refine your skills and one day rise to the hallowed domain of the pressroom, I know you all secretly long for it, now dontcha?!
PS. check Bullard’s response on video (sorry bandwidth starved South Africans, but this one’s worth it)
PPS. use your powers for good and support freedom of the press, or join ISOC’s policy-making committee on digital freedom – one day this may affect you.
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May 7th, 2007 at 10:30 pm
Nice commentary there Max. The only really sad part is that I got linked to the word “it”…. Maybe with time and fame I’ll get a three letter word linked to me
May 7th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
Gees guys, what a non-event!
Last week, Donn Edwards (http://donnedwards.openaccess.co.za/2007/04/sunday-times-has-bad-hair-day.html – last ) ranted about this ST article on blogging: http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/PrintEdition/Article.aspx?id=444638
That ST article was such a joke, I commented on it on Donn’s blog – until this very moment I haven’t seen any other blogger in SA ranting about it nor its ‘author’ – was it too pathetic, not worth any reaction?
Or has Bullard just some more readers and clout? Particularly if he throws in some absurd accusations, wild guesses and junta proposals?
Obviously Sunday Times is on a mission – for a good reason – printed media are not exactly the most booming industry now that every clown, couch-potato and soccer-mom writes about the weather, hemorrhoids and the toddler taking its first steps.
So yes, David and his fellow ‘drivelers’ are Digg-ing – deeper their own graves, that is, as their poorly researched articles are not objective nor informative one bit.
But then, I doubt the regular ST reader understood one byte of what he wrote about in the first place, so it was mainly an in-crowd affair – sorry gullible bloggers, 0.5 – 0 for Bullard so far – time for revenge!
May 8th, 2007 at 12:36 am
Well written, well said.
Question – why do people feel the need to defend their opinions and/or hobbies so vehemently? Who cares what anyone says – blog if you want to. If you ain’t breaking the law go for it. If you are breaking the law – don’t get caught.
May 8th, 2007 at 5:48 am
Nice story!
I’ve been amazed at how defensive the bloggers have been and how they have reacted, especially some of the good bloggers.
Columnists are supposed to be shit stirrers, that is how they get and keep audiences – readers love to hate them. That’s just how it works.
May 8th, 2007 at 8:26 am
LOLs Hartman! oh fine fellow – I didn’t mean ‘it’ to be a slight at all – had to swing in some made linkloving for the SARocks & there were more of us journo wannabees than the pressgang so we went to the singularity .
The story again is just a demonstration of the power of ATTENTION - those who command the greatest audiences have the most power.
I doubt whether most people had the powers of concentration or time to read all of this, because I haven’t earned the right to commandeer that much of your precious time yet. Bullard has : it’s instructive.
And clearly for all we say about traditional media tumbling into obscurity through irrelevance – if nothing else this was a decisive victory in THEIR defense. As appallingly ill-researched or inflamatory we may believe it to be.. it did the job
May 8th, 2007 at 10:12 am
@ Justin: be lucky to be linked under ‘it’ – Max also put some links under the ? and ! – even without Parkinson it’s virtually impossible to click on those – linklove, yes, but no visitors!
@ Max: would be interesting to find out how many enraged bloggers actually read the paper-article or the electronic version, as it is posted on his blog as well – but ok, he remains a journalist paid by traditional media.
And sure, he created a stir – not because of the media and its message, but rather because of the immature reaction of many bloggers…