Scandal Mongering Ron at The

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Scandal Mongering

Ron at The 7 Habitus echoes a frequent lament of some of us, that unless you write and explore things positively scandalous, it is hard to get comments, and sans comments it is often difficult to know where to go.

Blogging is much like conversation--many see it as a journalistic medium--and it may be to some extent, but the real excitement comes where there are comment boxes, feedback, and notes of interest at a single place. I don't mind reading the ocassional blog with no comments--but I'm often frustrated--possibly because I am very lazy when it comes to this medium, that there is no way to communicate directly. I have to go off-line to e-mail to make a comment or bring it back here. Thus, I infrequently even try to comment at such places. Each person has their own reasons for the set-up they choose. For example, in the Carmelite Chapel, I have deliberately chosen not to have comments, as a chapel should be silent except for the prayers rising to God. On the other hand, both of the other blogs have comments. I'm surprised at how few comments the bookshelf engenders, leading me to wonder if anyone visits--but I didn't put in a site meter because it little matters--the conversation is important enough to continue even in the paucity of significant feedback.

One thing I noted to Ron is that most of us who would comment run our own blogs and commenting elsewhere detracts from the time we can spend in our own pursuits, trying to flesh out our blogs. And, as far as it goes, that is true. But there are other factors at work that I sometimes wonder about. When people comment on deeply spiritual things, no one seems to have much to say. Whereas when they comment on an intellectual abstraction, there seems to be no end of comment. Now, that makes a certain amount of sense as well--it is easy to argue intellectual things. In the face of spiritual revelation, what is there to say? And yet. . .isn't that exactly the kind of thing we want to encourage? Isn't it where we get insight and help in matters that are most important to us? Isn't it where we should be doing the most encouraging? Should the Fr. Keyes's and the Ms. Knapp's of the world be getting a greater share of support than those who scour the newspapers for things anyone can read for themselves?

I don't know. I can't figure it out--and I suppose it little matters, although it does exercise me every now and again.

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This page contains a single entry by Steven Riddle published on April 28, 2003 7:54 AM.

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