Comments on: Public Opinion In the Age of Fractured Culture http://www.blackgate.com/2009/08/14/public-opinion-in-the-age-of-fractured-culture/ Adventures in Fantasy Literature Thu, 17 May 2012 04:43:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Maria http://www.blackgate.com/2009/08/14/public-opinion-in-the-age-of-fractured-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-1121 Maria Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:49:25 +0000 http://www.blackgate.com/?p=2990#comment-1121 Ah Bill, people looking to confirm their own biases was true in old journalism/tv delivery as well. Quite possibly one of those aspects of human nature that doesn't change much despite the media/distribution/technology changes. But I like being Ideal. I'll settle for that, even for the day! Maria Ah Bill, people looking to confirm their own biases was true in old journalism/tv delivery as well. Quite possibly one of those aspects of human nature that doesn’t change much despite the media/distribution/technology changes.

But I like being Ideal. I’ll settle for that, even for the day!

Maria

]]> By: Bill Ward http://www.blackgate.com/2009/08/14/public-opinion-in-the-age-of-fractured-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-1120 Bill Ward Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:16:10 +0000 http://www.blackgate.com/?p=2990#comment-1120 Sounds like you're more in the ideal category than part of the average, Maria. I agree there are some really great aspects to internet news gathering, just seems like a lot of people don't look for much beyond the confirmation of their own biases. But you are right, the information is there if a person bothers to look for it. Sounds like you’re more in the ideal category than part of the average, Maria. I agree there are some really great aspects to internet news gathering, just seems like a lot of people don’t look for much beyond the confirmation of their own biases.

But you are right, the information is there if a person bothers to look for it.

]]> By: Maria http://www.blackgate.com/2009/08/14/public-opinion-in-the-age-of-fractured-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-1119 Maria Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:57:24 +0000 http://www.blackgate.com/?p=2990#comment-1119 James--hah! I was going to write about how much I love blogs and the openness of them--along with the fact that I think it has really improved my ability to get news. But...I'd feel kind of like one of those otherwise smart people... I think all things have their place of specialty. Journalism has a niche and so does blogging. I was never a newspaper reader, nor a tv watcher. I love browsing hundreds of news articles all at the tips of my fingers. Some are better than others--but for me, I must say, it really is a vast improvement over the old scheme if for no other reason than I use it. I am more informed, more involved. I can get any side of the issue; I call follow whichever I choose. I can learn or express my own opinion, and I think that is a wonderful thing for any nation. I wish all nations were so free. James–hah!

I was going to write about how much I love blogs and the openness of them–along with the fact that I think it has really improved my ability to get news. But…I’d feel kind of like one of those otherwise smart people…

I think all things have their place of specialty. Journalism has a niche and so does blogging. I was never a newspaper reader, nor a tv watcher. I love browsing hundreds of news articles all at the tips of my fingers. Some are better than others–but for me, I must say, it really is a vast improvement over the old scheme if for no other reason than I use it. I am more informed, more involved. I can get any side of the issue; I call follow whichever I choose. I can learn or express my own opinion, and I think that is a wonderful thing for any nation. I wish all nations were so free.

]]> By: James Enge http://www.blackgate.com/2009/08/14/public-opinion-in-the-age-of-fractured-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-1104 James Enge Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:54:48 +0000 http://www.blackgate.com/?p=2990#comment-1104 "I mean, if I’m going to get into a long, drawn-out argument and be forced to commit to one side or another, let it be about something important, like Early vs. Late Heinlein, or the virtue of Conan pastiches, or whether the Dune sequels are worth reading." Dude! (I mean that in the good way.) I know what you mean about the possible value of controversy... but I think, for fiction writers, the rules are different than for professional controversialists like Ann Coulter or Michael Moore. For them, shock and outrage are the basic stock-in-trade. But, because successful storytelling is not controlled by ideology, a storyteller has the opportunity to attract readers from outside the limits of his own ideology. He cuts his potential audience by being abusive toward people who don't agree with him. I'm not saying people should hide their deeply-held convictions, though. Civility, not insipidity, is my goal. AND ONLY A TREACHEROUS NAZI STALINIST--no, maybe that's enough. “I mean, if I’m going to get into a long, drawn-out argument and be forced to commit to one side or another, let it be about something important, like Early vs. Late Heinlein, or the virtue of Conan pastiches, or whether the Dune sequels are worth reading.”

Dude! (I mean that in the good way.)

I know what you mean about the possible value of controversy… but I think, for fiction writers, the rules are different than for professional controversialists like Ann Coulter or Michael Moore. For them, shock and outrage are the basic stock-in-trade. But, because successful storytelling is not controlled by ideology, a storyteller has the opportunity to attract readers from outside the limits of his own ideology. He cuts his potential audience by being abusive toward people who don’t agree with him.

I’m not saying people should hide their deeply-held convictions, though. Civility, not insipidity, is my goal. AND ONLY A TREACHEROUS NAZI STALINIST–no, maybe that’s enough.

]]> By: Soyka http://www.blackgate.com/2009/08/14/public-opinion-in-the-age-of-fractured-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-1097 Soyka Sat, 15 Aug 2009 14:00:56 +0000 http://www.blackgate.com/?p=2990#comment-1097 I used to write a newspaper column, for which I was paid, though not greatly, but it did signify that the publication felt I was reasonably literate and informed so that someone actually wanted to read what I wrote and, in the course of doing so, might see the advertising and be inclined to renew a subscription. I also had an editor who would rein in some of my more hyperbolic tendencies. If I inadvertently in the heat of a deadline made a grammatical mistake or a typo, someone would catch that. And if a particular submission wasn't really all that good, I'd be asked to rewrite or reconsider the topic. For the most part, that doesn't exist in the blogosphere. There are no entry barriers, i.e., can you write, do you have any authority to write about a topic, are you interesting, can you write about something besides yourself? Sure, 99.9 percent of the stuff goes unread except by the bloggers immediate friends and family (and even they don't pay that much attention), and the good stuff gets known, if not in mass media terms, at least within certain niches (this blog, perhaps?). Truth is, I shudder when otherwise smart people think that the blogosphere is an improvement over what used to called journalism. I used to write a newspaper column, for which I was paid, though not greatly, but it did signify that the publication felt I was reasonably literate and informed so that someone actually wanted to read what I wrote and, in the course of doing so, might see the advertising and be inclined to renew a subscription. I also had an editor who would rein in some of my more hyperbolic tendencies. If I inadvertently in the heat of a deadline made a grammatical mistake or a typo, someone would catch that. And if a particular submission wasn’t really all that good, I’d be asked to rewrite or reconsider the topic.

For the most part, that doesn’t exist in the blogosphere. There are no entry barriers, i.e., can you write, do you have any authority to write about a topic, are you interesting, can you write about something besides yourself? Sure, 99.9 percent of the stuff goes unread except by the bloggers immediate friends and family (and even they don’t pay that much attention), and the good stuff gets known, if not in mass media terms, at least within certain niches (this blog, perhaps?).

Truth is, I shudder when otherwise smart people think that the blogosphere is an improvement over what used to called journalism.

]]> By: Ryan Harvey http://www.blackgate.com/2009/08/14/public-opinion-in-the-age-of-fractured-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-1092 Ryan Harvey Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:02:02 +0000 http://www.blackgate.com/?p=2990#comment-1092 Good follow-up, Bill. On my own blog I've avoided politics and religion as well, and it's really for four reasons: 1) I don't want to attract tons of trolls, 2) there's already plenty of very dedicated blogs on both subjects, 3) although I have strong opinions on the topics, I don't have much interest in <em>writing</em> about them, and 4) as someone who is starting to get work published and is shopping around novels, I don't want to alienate readers with opinions that fall outside of literature and film. Also, I writer blog reviews because... well, I love the writing art of the review. I can't help but write them. And I like giving them a public forum laden with my touch of personal editorial caution Good follow-up, Bill. On my own blog I’ve avoided politics and religion as well, and it’s really for four reasons: 1) I don’t want to attract tons of trolls, 2) there’s already plenty of very dedicated blogs on both subjects, 3) although I have strong opinions on the topics, I don’t have much interest in writing about them, and 4) as someone who is starting to get work published and is shopping around novels, I don’t want to alienate readers with opinions that fall outside of literature and film.

Also, I writer blog reviews because… well, I love the writing art of the review. I can’t help but write them. And I like giving them a public forum laden with my touch of personal editorial caution

]]>