Who's in charge?
From: "tombot"
To: erico
Subject: More Stuff re Polarizing, Clarifying, Addictive
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 09:57:06 -0500
Eric
Well - what's happening in the universe? I wish I had more access to news and information. I get exposed to more children's tv than is good for me. You mentioned something about a dormant chemical compound in relation to some person you're reading on line (I've never heard of him - Does he have his own website?). What does he say that's so great? (I know nothing about him...) Are you still reading Girard? I think of all these voices out there on the web. Who's in charge? Who has real power and authority? There's sort of a radical equality attached to it all - isn't there? It's the same way in academia.. Who decides what is relevant or deep or cutting-edge? Who is in a position to sort through all of the opinions? It's no fun (for me at least) just "sharing a point of view" if it's going to be merely "accepted" as "one's reporter's opinion"(i.e. assimilated into the mass and then neglected). But - that sort of is the problem of modern life- finding an appropriate form of recognition. We're all formally recognized - but not always in a tangible way. Your Thoughts?
P.S.
I'll have to dig up that wedding toast I had written down somewhere. I don't know if it could match the one you gave. Sorry for my case of "nerves" - it was right after 9/11...
To: erico
Subject: More Stuff re Polarizing, Clarifying, Addictive
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 09:57:06 -0500
Eric
Well - what's happening in the universe? I wish I had more access to news and information. I get exposed to more children's tv than is good for me. You mentioned something about a dormant chemical compound in relation to some person you're reading on line (I've never heard of him - Does he have his own website?). What does he say that's so great? (I know nothing about him...) Are you still reading Girard? I think of all these voices out there on the web. Who's in charge? Who has real power and authority? There's sort of a radical equality attached to it all - isn't there? It's the same way in academia.. Who decides what is relevant or deep or cutting-edge? Who is in a position to sort through all of the opinions? It's no fun (for me at least) just "sharing a point of view" if it's going to be merely "accepted" as "one's reporter's opinion"(i.e. assimilated into the mass and then neglected). But - that sort of is the problem of modern life- finding an appropriate form of recognition. We're all formally recognized - but not always in a tangible way. Your Thoughts?
P.S.
I'll have to dig up that wedding toast I had written down somewhere. I don't know if it could match the one you gave. Sorry for my case of "nerves" - it was right after 9/11...
posted by erico at 1:13 PM
2 Comments:
Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2004 12:37:13 -0800 (PST)
From: "EricO"
Subject: Re: More Stuff re Polarizing, Clarifying, Addictive
To: "tombot"
What colorful email you send out, Tom.
With regard to the radical equality of the Internet, I think there are some pundits/thinkers who are gaining reputations that give their voices more weight than others. These guys also know of each other and often criticize each other. Andrewsullivan.com, lileks.com, hughhewitt.com, drudgereport.com, a guy on slate.com, etc. Also, they tend to link to associates' websites. One measure of respectability of a website is whether they link to news articles that they are commenting upon, whether they are up front about what the other person in fact says, and let you read it yourself via the link, instead of a slanted retelling of it.
In my prior email I was referring explicitly to www.lileks.com, James Lileks' website. There are hilarious catalogs of failed men's fashion from the 50's and 60's, archives of his match collection, with commentary, and then The Bleat, his daily musing on some topic or other. The commentary is of the sort that sneaks up on you. You understand he's being something like condescending, or ironic, in his terse observations, but you need to read several of them before you find yourself laughing. From then on, it's uproarious.
I am in fact still reading Girard. In fact, I seem to be reading the same two or three pages over and over again, in my half hour of bedtime reading a night. I don't seem to ever make progress, at least with his Things Hidden from the Foundation of the World.
Finished a couple of other books by/about him.
It's when I pick up Girard that the next day I feel like writing my novel. Lileks and Girard are the 'CATALYST' for my intellectual and artistic inspirations.
Btw, we weren't blaming you for not giving the toast, but ourselves for not having things formal enough to say, "It's time to get the best man up here for a toast." Don't think of it again.
Eric
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