Anyway, it seems that a LOT of bloggers- particularly the science bloggers- have been shutting down their blogs lately. I wanted to let you know (if there is anyone still reading), that I have no such plans. I don't feel obligated to blog over here (so it's not a source of stress), I'm not worried about being outed (I am tenured, after all), and I still love this outlet for writing longer pieces than I can on FB and the fact that it does still give some tiny bit of anonymity compared to FB (as in my relatives don't read this- not to mention about half the people I went to high school with!) I do miss the culture of bloggers from a few years back, but I actually interact with a lot of bloggers on FB now, anyway. If nothing else, I love this space as a personal journal. I sometimes look back through my archives to see what I was worried about or doing during the last few years. That aspect of it makes me want to blog more often, actually. I started a professional blog under my real name (link is on my FB profile), but I only blog there about once a month- and I am VERY careful, since my students and colleagues may read it. I don't blog about ANYTHING personal there at all, but I like it for what it is.
Anyway, maybe people don't feel like talking about politics and that's fine. I just get too much flak over on FB if I post anything about politics, since I have former students and relatives who are conservative- my own mother watches Glenn Beck for pete's sake. I just wonder how many others see this racism creeping into attitudes toward our president...
17 comments:
OK, my excuse is that I've been sick and I am trying to get caught up on my Google Reader.
Re: The President...I think people need to understand that he was given the horrible task of trying to fix the mess that we are in. Those who complain aren't exactly coming up with ideas. In fact, it's Congress that I don't trust.
I don't blog much about politics. It's tough being an Independent.
Re: The bloggy world...I've notice that many blogs, and a few of our mutual bloggy friends, have either shut down or gone private. I've worried about being outed, especially because of some of the stuff that is going on with my job. But, I will not shut down either. I will just take extra care in blogging about the work stuff.
I do miss the blogging community of old. So many of us has cultivated such wonderful friendships via the blog. I hope that doesn't disappear completely.
Anyway, that's my excuse!
My excuse is that I get very angry discussing politics and if I see anything about politics, I don't read the posting. That's all. I read all the other postings though :-)
Thanks, everyone! I definitely wasn't trying to make anyone feel bad- I often read and don't comment, too. I just figured I would hear something since that last post had so many different topics in it! Take care, all! :)
I'm embarrassingly behind on the news. And blog reading, for that matter.
Yeah, I'm just behind on my blog reading. I do racism in attitudes toward Obama, although I had a troubling conversion with a friend not long ago who insisted that we ought to support him unconditionally because he is black. Her thinking was that he's fighting an uphill battle and he doesn't need criticism or questions from his supporters--the other side is making it hard enough.
I don't find the idea of unconditionally supporting a charismatic leader very appealing. So sometimes I'm the wait just a minute now Mr. President brigade because I know I have friends who are in favor of supporting him no matter what.
I also tend not to trust people who are charismatic. This is probably a fault but he seems too good to be true sometimes. That makes me a little uneasy, as a historian of empires.
That said, the idea of not trusting him in some grand sense... I think, yes, that is about race for a lot of people.
Thanks for the feedback, everyone! I have never really blogged much about politics, but I can see why people would rather avoid those discussions. I've always felt that I could blog about whatever is going on in my life (rather than just work-related issues). It's nice to hear from all of you, anyway! I haven't been keeping up with blogs too well lately, myself- except for Cute Overload!
I think we're all behind from the start of the semester, but we're reading.
I do read too, just a little behind on the Google Reader!
After thinking about it, I agree with Seeking Solace re: Congress...
I'm glad you're not stopping the blogging!!! ;)
I'm still here -- just terribly behind in commenting!
I do miss the old blogging community. There are *so* many people who have shut down their blogs -- some of whom I didn't realize had disappeared until I hadn't seen any posts from them in my reader for months. Fortunately, many of them are on facebook... but it really doesn't feel the same. FB is too limited for the interactions we've had through blogging.
Facebook just isn't the same, is it? There's something about pseudonymity that frees me up to write more. But now that more folks actually have figured out my real identity, even my blog doesn't feel as "safe" as it used to.
Glad you're still blogging. :)
Still reading, just preoccupied with teaching and life. Glad to see you back!
I agree with your notion of "suspicion" about President Obama: if he were white, we'd be hearing other criticisms. I was delighted that he confronted his critics rather assertively in the SOTU, but note that those who now call that "aggressive" or "in your face" are probably the same ones who would say that about a woman giving a similar address. I think he's holding up rather well, given the crap he was left with, and appreciate someone who can fess up to his mistakes instead of passing the buck.
I read your blog and I'm not planning to leave my blog either. I'm glad you're sticking around.
I'm surprised how many of you are friends with bloggers on FB. Are you friends in real life FB or a pseudonym? How do you know so many bloggers in real life?
I never trusted Barack - he's a politician. However, I suspect that a lot of distrust of him comes from the fact that he made a lot of promises for his first year that he didn't keep (health care, repealing DADT, etc). I realize that he is not completely to blame and that he didn't mean to lie - he just underestimated how difficult his job would be. Still, to assume that the general public distrust it due to his race and not his lying seems overly cynical to me.
Still reading, even if no longer blogging as SciWo. Just a little overwhelmed and distracted these days...but I want to hang on to some threads of the old blogging community.
Even I've been a little burned out lately. And I'm ever so disappointed with Obama's lackluster leadership. To me he seems like a conflict avoider, and those drive me crazy.
Hi! I just stumbled on to your blog today. Is that a good enough excuse for not reply? ;) Anyway, as I've started blogging on being a professor at a community college, I'm enjoying finding other out there who understand why I whine about students who whine. I understand the need for privacy, but my school knows how outspoken I am, and as long as I don't mention any names, I'm comfortable talking about what goes on in my life. Of course, that's just me! I look forward to going through your archieves and reading more.
My reader has made me lazy. :D
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