So I'm reading this book. I started it a while back, but I'm having trouble getting into it. It's called The Cult of the Amateur, by Andrew Keen. It's a short read, and the subject matter seemed interesting when I picked it up. Keen presents a premise that internet amateurs are eroding our culture. Music, video, and literature: all will vanish, because of YouTube, Wikpedia, and yes, my dear readers, anonymous bloggers.
I'm part of cultural decimation. Kind of makes me feel warm and fuzzy, like a hot bath and my favorite toaster.
My mom always said I was special. Take that bully high school jocks! You gave me wedgies, I murder your culture. Well, actually no. You never made it past Dr. Seuss, and finger paints. You won't miss Van Gogh or Vonnegut. Your culture died before it even slimed the Petri dish.
See? This would be an interesting premise (and well, why I bought the book in the first place). I'm first in line to champion the library over the internet. I think they both have their place, but if you want reliable information, go to the library. If you need a quick fix, go to the internet. I wrote a college thesis on the mutating written language based on our dependence on oral and visual stimuli. OK, so it was about words disappearing because people's dependence on radio and television (wrought-iron becoming rod-iron, coleslaw, cold-slaw. You get the point). I like the first description better. So did my professor. I got an A.
Keen? I don't know if I can finish the book to give him a grade. I don't mind the Chicken Little approach so much as I hate the elitist sour grape whine. He seems to want to break the world into "You fools" and "Us literati" It was good of him to include himself in the "Us" don't you think? Maybe I'm just pissed cuz I'm a "You." Either way, his book paints a world where all the fecal flinging monkeys (yeah, "You"s) are storming the castle and burning everything in sight. Books, paintings, news, video, you name it we "You"s are ruining it.
In his world, only the "Us"s are creators, because they're the only one's intelligent enough to understand what's important.
"Let them eat cake."
Thanks Mr. Keen.
I was hoping he'd offer some solution, some alternative, some "Us"ian insight, but no, he's just running circles with his foot nailed to the floor. The book is a whimper from beneath the blankets. Making it even tougher to read, he seems to be more of a coat tails "Us" than a real "Us." He's upset because He's been sidekick to the schoolyard bully, and now there's a new badass on the asphalt. He's afraid people will discover a pseudo behind the intellectual.
I don't know if this is really the case, but this is how he paints himself. The brave new world he proposes uses the web to gather all information; accepting the voice of the net as gospel.
OK, that's just stupid. If you're reading my blog, thinking I'm the end all/be all on divorce advice, then please do me a favor: see the glowing button on the front of your computer? Press it and hold it for about 5 seconds. Now, never touch it again. Thank you. I'm an idiot trying to figure things out just like you are. I offer what I've found, if it works, great. If not, sorry 'bout that.
What's more, things aren't that different from the pre-web wide world. One of the first things they taught me in school was "check your source for relevance." If I'm writing a paper on subterranean marsupials, I'm probably not going to cite "High Times" as a reliable source. I think I can make that leap and say BustyGirlsLikeItUnderground.com isn't going to get me what I'm looking for either. At least not for my marsupial insight anyway.
Keen acts like we're all idiots. We'll believe anything so long as it's written on the bathroom walls. Look, the internet is like a town, we should look at the information in chat rooms and blogs the same way we look at facts thrown out by Floyd the barber.
Please. I know you know this. So why doesn't a self-proclaimed "Us?"
Like I said, I still haven't finished the book. It's too much. I wonder if he's divorced? If so I'll bet he wasn't a candidate for a "friendly divorce." You have to lay pride aside if you want to pull that off.
MyUnwife and I are doing pretty well. We're meeting up this weekend or next to get some documents signed. Then there's the filing and stuff. No, we still haven't filed. She's waiting until mid-month so she can pay for it.
So now you're saying "See? She's not sure. She's reconsidering filing!"
Ok, that is funny. You guys are great. That's like slathering yourself in honey and laying in front of a bear waiting for a bath.
No, this is a money thing. Trust me. On divorce, I may be Floyd the barber, but when it comes to MyUnwife, I am Robert The Rose Horse. Well sort of, more expert than hero..I guess I'm just one of "You" trying to get by.
2 comments:
Yeah, I've heard of Keen's theory. You can almost think it's true, if you read all the news commentary on abcnews.com or cbsnews.com. Yikes.
On the flipside, you could check out www.housingdoom.com.
I think all the net does it make communication more available. All communication. Good or bad.
Right. It's not a filter. Which is what you could argue that the "old school" media establishment provided. It requires that people take a more critical look at what they're reading. It also means that we teach critical thought to the next generation so that they have the tools to survive.
It's just like eating. You can scarf down all the Funyuns you want, but you're going to need some nutrition if you expect to thrive.
If you learn anything here at all, learn to think for yourself.
Now repeat after me, "I am an individual. I will think for myself..." ;)
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