I’ve only been at this blogging thing for about a year now, and I am learning a few things as I go along, slowly maybe, but learning just the same.
One of the things I’ve learned is that people don’t like to comment on controversial subjects or subjects that take a lot of real thought. Recently, I wrote a piece on “Obama, the Genocidal President,” that included an article by a prominent Black minister giving facts to back up the title. Since the “thought police” or the “blog Gestapo” has not been activated yet, I thought it would be safe to post such an article and hoped to get the thoughts of others on the subject.
My next post was on the economy titled “Throw away the shovels and stop digging.” I retrieved an article from The Australian newspaper by a prominent Australian economist. He offered an alternative to repairing the economy and showed how the policies that this administration has adopted have failed in the past and will certainly fail once again. The crux of the article was that government spending does not create wealth, and it does not solve the problems that have been created, basically, by government interference. Apparently, no one had an opinion on this subject since no one posted a comment. I am left puzzled as to how to interpret this: Do people agree with him or disagree with him?
My questions are these: Are people afraid to comment on difficult issues such as these? Does it require too much thought for people to respond? Would they rather have some mundane post of the generic type relating to the goings on in the government or the country where they can sound off without really having to give a great deal of thought to the subject, or where they can either poke fun or bash the object of the post?
I went back through all my posts for the past year, just over 130 or so, and found that the ones that were more serious and required a little more thought, both in reading and commenting, got the fewest comments. Those that were lighter and required little thought, other than venting or making fun, received more replies. The exception was the posts relating to illness and such.
This gives me cause for concern. Some time ago, I read an article stating that people have forgotten how to think, how to reason together and wrestle through difficult ideas to come up with good possibilities or solutions. I admit that even writing this scares the #&@% out of me. Have we become like sheep who will passively follow anyone with the intestinal fortitude to get up and lead, no matter where they are going? Have we passively surrendered to those who tell us how to think, feel, and judge matters? Have we stopped fighting for what is right because we may have to get out of our comfort zones?
So, as I ponder what I have learned about blogging, I have begun to ask myself: Should I stick with the bland, the mundane, the "no brainer” posts, or should I continue to offer something of substance? Of course, the extension of that question is: Should I stop blogging altogether and just post on other blogs?
I will await the verdict from those who read this blog. I know there are many out there who are reading, even though there are few replies. The numbers on my stats show this to be factual. So what is the verdict? Continue posting thoughtful posts, post no brainers, or stop altogether? But first, I urge everyone to exercise the grey matter on this:
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
14 comments:
Git er done Ticker. We are paying attention.
Fred Gregory
Look at it this way: You stop but Cone & his ilk continue talking.
Complicated/controversial or not, comments are not a measure of who is reading. I've got a whole damned town reading and talking about mine.
As you say, people are generally scared.
They need generals.
Dallas, I'm reading you. Not commenting because I agree and saw nothing I could add. Which of course is so unusual for me I think you will agree!
I think I know how you feel tho because I get very very few comments on my post. And of course I say about anything I feel like saying. Today's post: Brenda's Black and White Rant is a good example.
I finally sign up for a statcounter and was shocked at the people who stopped by. BB
Dallas, Sometimes, it is a matter of how much time I have available to respond.
There are instances where what you write is so opposite of what I think that it would take alot of time to address the differences; sometimes the blog attacks persons, i.e. Hillary, or the Dems etc. that make it difficult to respond regarding the issue and the person who is being talked about as sometimes they are lumped together.
Todays problems and solutions need bi-partisan solutions and bi-partisan participation. Differences need to be seen as differences and not labeled as unworkable just because a person is of a different political persuasion.
I would like to see the issue discussed with a more balanced view. Some of Obama's problems are difficult ones which were inherited from the Bush years and yet Obama seems to get the brunt of the blame, esp for his attempts to do something. Obama is getting dinged for his bail out plan and yet Bush did the same thing. I would pose the question "Under what circumstances are bail outs helpful and/or harmful?" and so forth.
I personally think that Bush got us all in a bushel of trouble but my approach is to identify areas of need and then collectively see what the best solutions are that will help us get back on a productive track. Bush bashing is not helpful nor is Obama bashing helpful. Let's discuss and conceptually come to some mutually acceptable definition of what needs to be changed and then discuss ways to get things turned around.
Just a thought. I do respect the time which you put in while writing these blogs.
Joe D
Joe, one can not have a discussion unless there is more than one person talking. Well, I suppose they can since both you and I have dealt with folks who carry on discussions with themselves all the time but then we know that they are a bit on the unbalanced side or have some other problems. LOL.
As I have always said, comments are welcome no matter if one agrees or not as long as they are kept civil. You comments on anything I have sent to you have always been civil and I appreciate that. We don't always agree but we do agree to disagree in a polite and civil manner.
Yes, Obama is getting dinged for his bail out just as Bush did. I ding em both because I call the bailouts a waste of taxpayer money. To this point my view has been proven correct for nothing in the last stimulus had done anything to correct the economy, it only enriched those who reaped the pork. The common individual got nothing except a few dollars that they immediately spent on basics, at least some did others wasted it on TV's and Air Jordon's or what ever.
This so called stimulus is pure pork as I showed in the post yesterday called Stop digging. Roosevelts plan did not dig the country out of depression, it only deepened it and it took a massive WAR to bring the economy to it's feet. GBritian tried spending it's way out of the recession in the 70's and it took Maggie Thatcher to pull them out when she CUT SPENDING which is exactly what needs to be done now, not throw good money, that we don't have so it really isn't good money it's paper after bad. Toilet paper is more useful. This so called stimulus bill will be the ruination of this country but it will be a great payback for the Democrats and the votes they received. Much to their dismay it will backfire on them just as it did on another useful idiot by the name of Jimmy Carter. Need I say more.
As usual thanks Joe for you inspiration. I look forward to you having time to respond on the blogs in the future. The shovel might be a good place to start.
It seems to me that longer posts are less likely to attract comments. I'm not sure if it relates to how controversial the subject is or not. I've always thought it was more a matter of people not wanting to take the time to read the longer posts.
Miss Shore, is it because people are too unaccustomed to reading? Not trained to read? Or is it because people are too lazy to read? I don't buy the not having time excuse because people have time to text message, e-mail and post of facebook and then claim they don't have time for other things.
Perhaps another reason could be that people have grown accustom to 30 sec sound bites and feel that tells the whole story. That type of life style is what certainly effected the outcome of the past election. Truth... you don't learn much in 30 sec sound bites.
If you have a good post, I seldom comment, as I think you've pretty well covered the subject, and my comments would only be moot.
I always read them, Ticker, but I seldom post a comment. I can only substantiate what you've already written.
Old Rose
Ticker,
I did comment (briefly) on your "Stop Digging" and "Didn't Take Long for the Truth to Out" entries yesterday during the 9 am hour, so: yes, somebody was indeed reading and commenting.
Your extremely thorough entries (I almost want to call them "columns", but I shall restrain myself) are so well-researched and well-expressed that I believe they perhaps intimidate some folks. I can only speak for yours truly, of course, but I think that some of us are afraid of being able to craft a sufficiently intelligent response worthy of the original post -- and therefore remain silent.
And no, dammit, don't get all self-conscious on us now -- I'm jus' sayin' . . .
Jeff Dreibus
"This gives me cause for concern. Some time ago, I read an article stating that people have forgotten how to think, how to reason together and wrestle through difficult ideas to come up with good possibilities or solutions."
Dallas, this is the legacy of our public school system. Our children spend 12 years there, and they leave not knowing how to think, reason, write or pretty much anything else, other than how to be tolerant and sensitive. You see, our public schools are about equal outcomes, not equal opportunity. When your objective is to find equal outcomes for all, students go to the lowest common denominator.
As an example, my oldest granddaughter recently graduated from a GCS high school. She received her IB certificate, which is difficult, and placed 3rd in her class. She was accepted at Duke University. This is all very nice, but she graduated without much, if any, grasp of proper grammar or writing skills. She is an educated person, but finds it very difficult to express herself, verbally or in writing.
Ive been blogging a long time and I've get to predict which article will generate more readers or comments. One doesn't necessarily lead to the other.
"She is an educated person, but finds it very difficult to express herself, verbally or in writing." Stormy
Are you surprised? I am not. Kids in school today do not have a clue how to write even a simple sentence much less put together a string of them into a paragraph and have it make sense. The answer multi-choice or fill in the blanks for the most part. During their off school time they text message which is nothing more than a bunch of abrv's and letters which is suppose to communicate a rational thought. They no longer have discussions in schools because someone might express a thought that is not PC and hurt some dang fools feelings and thus get the school sued or the ACLU down on the teachers and school. Families do not communicate other than text messages , e-mails and with grunts, screams or yells as they rush to here and there. And you expect our youth to actually be able to express themselves in a rational and educated manner?
Ticker, we all have this problem. The thing is people are reading but honestly, most do not have time to comment. People are thinking too, because they wouldn't be reading if they weren't thinking.
Just keep on keeping on. It's important.
Anonymous said...
" If you have a good post, I seldom comment, as I think you've pretty well covered the subject, and my comments would only be moot.
I always read them, Ticker, but I seldom post a comment. I can only substantiate what you've already written.
Old Rose "
That's pretty much it as far as I'm concerned...
Your pretty much on target Ticker...
Thanks !!!
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