Day 1: In Defense of Blogging

“I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable, I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.” Walt Whitman (remembered not by me but by a dear friend)

I decided to start this 24 day blog-o-rama with a reflection on the form itself.  It is now very fashionable for commentators to scoff at the blogging culture (or even more at Twitter, blogging’s little sibling).  Usually these rants revolve around the self-absorption and narcissism of these reporters, and there is a predictable (almost so predictable that it is as mundane as what it criticizes) exasperation with being asked to read about the detritus of another’s life, “Who cares that you just ate a ham sandwich?” (oddly, it is always a ham sandwich, never bologna,  or chicken salad, or tongue).
While facile grist for the comic mill, these comments miss three essential points:

• Using a poor example to condemn a form.  “I am eating a ham sandwich,” is probably trivial and trite (unless it is done as performance art!); however, that does not mean that the form cannot be used to a better use.  One who criticizes the world of art because a six-year-old student insists on coloring houses and trees, is missing the point.  Much of Twitter and quality blogs is not self-referential at all.  Most of it points to the work of others or discusses at some length a problem or possibility.
• It might not be intended for you.  Within Internet communication communities naturally spring up and conversation, particularly on sites like Twitter, creates ties beyond the limits of geography.  I have wonderful conversations in Twitter or in blog comments with educators and non-educators I have never met (except in one case that I will talk about later).  Talking about my life, or even my day, is often an opening to conversation with friends, not a shout to the world.
• It might not be really intended for anyone.  During the 17th Century, Samuel Pepys carefully chronicled the occurrences of his day.  Today his diary is studied for details of daily life, major historical events, and clever, enjoyable prose.  In an interesting twist of venues, you can see regular excerpts from Pepys’ diary by following @samuelpepys on Twitter where the “self-absorbed trivia” of his day blends perfectly with the stream of modern diarists (I wonder if he ever ate ham sandwiches). Sometimes I write just to practice writing and working to put into words the inexpressible. As educators, how can we but encourage and applaud students who take that challenging step of translating the external or internal into words on a page (screen).

Finally, going back to Socrates who once tweeted about unexamined life, “What am I drinking, and why don’t I have a ham sandwich.”  Capturing human life, any human life, is beyond the ability of the greatest poets. It is a noble and life-affirming act to recognize the moment, and writing about it ain’t bad either.

As always, I invite your comments.