blogging is dumb, take 1

I'm a recent convert to blogging, but it doesn't take long to figure this game out. It's the same game played out in chat rooms, listserves, and email threads, with a fundamental characteristic that probably dates back to the first smoke signals – any open forum is guaranteed to suffer from a low signal-to-noise ratio.

Sure, there's an upside in that blogging gives loads of smart people a forum to disseminate stories, offer opinions, and generally move public discourse forward. More blogging = less sheep (he equated, ungrammatically). I believe I am more educated and better informed across a variety of topics thanks to the blogosphere. [INSERT advertisement with smiling white suburbanite family saying "THANKS BLOGOSPHERE!!!"]

But man, the downside is an avalanche of opinionated effluence. A prime example comes from the fallout over Kevin Sites, the embedded reporter who filmed a Marine murdering a wounded Iraqi captive in Falluja. The footage is brutal, the circumstances are complicated, and the subject is explosive. This is exactly the type of issue that requires examination beyond the specific events or individuals involved, because it speaks to much larger issues of our involvement in Iraq, the values that we're fighting for, and America's credibility throughout the world.

I'm sure there are many thoughtful blogs about this subject, but their signals are all but drowned out by the noise. Some of the more depressing heaps of jingoistic bullshit have piled up here and here. I understand that war is hell, and I respect that many people (especially veterans) would be upset to have a Marine singled out for accusation while enemy factions booby-trap bodies and behead the likes of Margaret Hassan. But very little of the online discussion contributes to any understanding of this event. Most of what I see coming out of the blogosphere is nothing more than an endless stream of simple-minded recriminations, hateful bigotry, and ignorance masquerading as patriotism.

Maybe it's better to have the loonies on display rather than allow them to fester in backrooms and secret societies. Groups like the KKK were much more menacing and influential when they were secretive, but became outright silly once they tried to formulate their retrograde Nazi ideology for a broader audience. Thanks to blogging, it's easier than ever to see the stupidity on parade, front and center. But even though it may wither under the harsh light of day, I can't say I enjoy seeing the shadowy hatred lurking inside my friendly neighborhood reactionaries. In the case of the Falluja video, opinions are certainly like assholes, and I'm beginning to wish the blogosphere would start wearing underwear.