I have a theory that discussion on the Internet is supported by three main topics, or pillars. In no particular order they are Stories About Pets, Wingnut Political Discourse and Porn. Practically everything about the internet relates in some way to these three pillars.
And having written about a hundred entries, I suppose it’s time for me to figure out where I fit into the whole scheme of things.
First off, Porn is right out. Setting aside any of the moral, ethical or legal issues, there’s just no point. The market is saturated! It’s like Amway or Metabolife… If you want to make any money you can’t just sell the product, you need to be a supplier to other distributors. And at this point there are so many established porn merchants that it’d be impossible to displace them…
Hm. You know it’s going to be a weird day when you find yourself seriously considering writing a diatribe about pyramid schemes and how they relate to “Porn Merchant Brand Loyalty.” And for those of you who found this place while searching for “Amway Porn” I’m truly sorry to disappoint you. I’m just going to drop this line of thought right now before I confuse the Google search engines any more…
Moving on to politics, I suppose I could fit in there. I read news from local, national and international sources, and I try to keep myself fairly well informed. Unfortunately, I think I lack the evangelical fervor of the hard-core idealogue. I have my views and opinions, but I don’t feel any burning need to impose them on others. I don’t have any desire to mock people for believing differently than I do… I guess I was just raised a bit too polite for politics.
Which leaves Pet Stories. Somehow it seems a bit trivial. On the other hand, it can be humanizing. Take a look at CalPundit for an example. He’s one of the political web log gang, but he’s taken to posting the occasional cat picture to remind his critics that he’s just another human being. Or, as he puts it, “We’re actually fairly ordinary people in real life. […] I myself, for example, steal candy from babies only when there’s simply no other choice, and I imagine my ideological opposites, misguided though they are, feel much the same way.”
That’s good to see. I think a lot of the problems in the world are rooted in a lack of sympathy. I’m not talking about Hallmark Card sentimentality or anything. Just the simple acknowledgement that other people, no matter what differences you may have with them, are human beings.
Maybe I should talk to some of the docs around here about engineering a virus that would make us all low level telepaths who could sense pain or something. It’d certainly make it tougher to wage war… But on the other hand, a lot of professional boxers would wind up unemployed… Ah well. No such thing as a perfect solution.
Heh. I guess I am diverging into politics. I’ll try to keep it to a low level. Let me know if it gets too irritating.