Mini-Echo-Chamber

Wherein Our Heroine Reverberates.

I think Rana and I have our own little mini-echo-chamber going on. It does help that she and I have various interests in common (reading, knitting, Yoga, and blogging). Yesterday she wrote a post about a subject I have touched on before, the coverage of blogs and bloggers in the mass media. Last time, it was political blogging that got to look at itself in the funhouse mirror. This time, it's "Mommy Blogs" (what a name - blech) who are getting the reductionist treatment. Reading the article without reading any of the blogs themselves would give you the idea that every parent ("Mommy Blogging!" it's for dads too!) who blogs about their children is neurotically fixated on the minutiae of their little one's every belch and diaper-change, a focus that is sure to lead to whacked-out kids. Phrases like "navel gazing," "hand wringing," and "exposing the dark underbelly of parenting" litter the article, which despite glancing references to the humor that these blogs often contain, reads like a cautionary tale.

The definition of navel-gazing surely varies from reader to reader, but it's probably a safe bet that a blog you consider to be navel-gazing is one you won't return to. And some of these blogs have huge readerships. Additionally, labeling something like Mimi Smartypants or Dooce.com as a "Mommy Blog" willfully ignores the caustic urban observations and literary critiques of Mimi or the tightrope that Heather is able to walk when she is simultaneously able to be sarcastic and loving about her upbringing as a southern Mormon.

Anyway, back to Rana (this is our echo-chamber, after all). She suggests that we write our own "article" in the voice of a "lazy mainstream journalist with an axe to grind." She starts with:

"The author of the weblog, Frogs and Ravens, who hides behind the pseudonym of "Rana," writes about life from the perspective of a "post-academic" (a fancy way of describing those who "drop out" of university life). Self-absorbed posts about her mental state and internet quizzes dominate the content, with occasional forays into politics, knitting and poetry. Like other "grab-bag" bloggers, it is clear that she writes whatever comes into her head, perhaps seeking validation from her blogging peers that she and her Ph.D. are not as irrelevant as they seem. Such self-absorption and pre-occupation with peer group dynamics is typical of Gen-Xers, along with their tendency to bristle when the so-called "mainstream media" ventures into their closely guarded lairs."

Here goes: The title of "Writing... or Just Typing?" immediately tips the reader off that this blog is written by someone unsure of her own literary merit, seeking to screen her insecurity behind a pose of disaffected sarcasm. Styling herself as "an Heroine," her posts have no central theme other than her own trendy interests (Yoga, gardening), and she often devolves into frothing rage over what she considers other people's oblivious behavior. Like all too many bloggers of her generation, her pets and her husband are common topics. Basil T. Quackstein, a psychology professor at the University of Punditry says, "When a loved one presents their particular view of you in a public forum, such exposure can cause paranoia and a feeling of being out of control of their own image."

Heh.

Posted: Tuesday - February 01, 2005 at 08:09 AM | |