Humanity Needs Some Humanity

I've been watching the Democratic debate on TV tonight while flipping through memorandum.com to read early thoughts on both that and the GOP one from earlier. Who knows who "won" or "lost." But what I do know is that tonight turned into the pinnacle (nadir?) of depression after all these months of reading blogs.

I challenge you to visit any number of blogs, whether about politics, gaming, art, whatever, and read the comment threads. Any notion you have that humans are essentially good and decent creatures will be destroyed slowly yet substantively the more comments you read. It's a realization I've been coming to over the past several months, and reading stuff about the candidates tonight just made that realization unavoidable. So much hostility, so much hatred, so much venom--signed by everymen like "Jim" or "Carolyn" or more often than not "Anonymous." It completely depresses me to wonder if "Jim" the mailman is the guy who calls people "f*(king babykilling b*tch" with seemingly zero provocation beyond a few paragraphs on a blog. Who is this Carolyn who agrees that "Jews use people as tools" to get what they want. Do I work near her? Does she teach my child? Does she really hate me and mine? Do average people really wish that someone had assassinated a sitting US President? Who are these fellow citizens flirting with fatwas? Who are they? And why the hair-trigger leap to angry, splenetic viciousness toward others based on something they WROTE? It's not only depressing, it's f*cking scary that seemingly so many people are just brimming with barely-contained contempt and disdain to the point that they can't even read a blog without letting loose a diatribe of hateful expletives toward another person.

It certainly bothers me how the rest of the sharks attack at the first sign of chum. But perhaps what bothers me more is sometimes the lack of counterpoint when a blog post itself is hateful. One in particular (no link provided on purpose) was posted a week or so ago that was so anti-semitic that other blogs noted the "psychotic break" style of the post. But what of the comments to that post? Supportive. Cheering. Encouraging. My reaction to reading it? The same as one commenter on another site who said, "I can't read this stuff anymore; it hurts my soul." Like, whatever people may agree or disagree on politically, do you really really REALLY think that some people deserve to not live based on their religious beliefs? That some people deserved to be exterminated in a holocaust? Really? How do you go there on a blog, then log off your computer and go about your business as a member of the human family, going to work, buying groceries, kissing your kids goodnight? Do you live near me? Is my family safe from you? It boggles the mind, and now my mind is sufficiently boggled that I don't want to read another comment to another blog if I can possibly avoid it. Even if it's a blog about needlepoint I feel pretty convinced tonight that some "average Jim" person will find a way to turn it into something petty and malicious. And you can ban them from the site but they just pop up somewhere else to feed the dual beasts of anger and ignorance that seem to stalk the internet.

I know that I'm breaking my parents' rule that you never state a problem (ie, complain) without proposing a possible solution, but I don't know that any solution is possible beyond humanity rediscovering some humanity. So in addition to my rules to never blog drunk or sleep-deprived (that one I've been flouting since March '05), I think I might have to add Never Blog Depressed. Because what you end up with is a solutionless post deploring comments that ironically still allows comments.

Enhance Your Political Portfolio

As Bill over at Dubious Quality likes to say, "Your weekend starts NOW." I found this last night over at CNN: politicalmarket.cnn.com.

Tired of losing real money in the financial markets? This is your chance to make virtual money in various election markets, such as "Will Bloomberg enter before March 1st?" and "Who will be the Republican nominee?" It's good fun and an excellent time waster.

Cold Shot

Remind me why we moved back to New England? (Besides the bone marrow thing...)
That's the temperature.

And for those of you in warmer climes who wonder if those Currier and Ives pictures are accurate, I give you bona fide window rime:

Iowa After the Fact

Like I promised, I'm going to spend almost zero time on the Iowa caucuses, even though Obama won. Why? Because so did Huckabee! Come on now, people! Where's the credibility?! Let's move along now...

Although I will commend Obama's speech (the one he is delivering as I write this) to you. It's all about hope not being blind faith but about how together, "ordinary people can do extraordinary things...because we are not a collection of red states and blue states, we are the United States of America."

And I will express my disappointment that both Biden and Dodd have dropped out of the race based on their performance in Iowa. I have to say that the upcoming debates will be far less interesting and informative now that those two will not be participating. Both brought something to the mix that will be missed in their absence. I shake my fist at you, Iowa!!

Caucus Shmaucus

Today is (are?) the Iowa Caucuses. Long time readers know how I feel about tiny states winnowing the field for the entire presidential election, so I'm not going to do too much on it, even if Obama wins in a landslide. I'm so consistent in this belief I won't do too much on it even if HRC *loses* in a landslide. I'm certainly curious as to how it will all turn out seeing as the HRC camp is downplaying the importance of Iowa after spending weeks saying she had "momentum" going in. But I don't think any candidate should be forced out of the race on the basis of what Iowans say, with all due respect to Iowans.

But if you're interested in truly understanding what the caucuses are, click here for Carpetbagger's very thorough explanation: Carpetbaggerreport--Iowa

Crank Up Some Procrastination

For all you sports fans, here is Baseball Crank's 2007 retrospective. Mr. Crank and I don't see eye to eye politically, but I do so like his blogging regardless. Besides, it ought to keep you from diving right back into work this AM.
You're welcome. :)

Baby Name Regret

A perplexing article over at CNN on parents who change their kid's name after a couple of years after realizing it doesn't work. I sort of understand, from the perspective of finding out that Bambina's name is far more popular than we had thought. But to legally change it? I'm just not sure I could do it. Isn't that why WASPs invented nicknames? I knew at least three people in college who I knew as, say, Nat, Tad and Ash, none of whom had any elements of those names on their birth certificates. I just figured that was how the family naming tradition or whatever was upheld while still allowing you to call "Theo" to dinner rather than Livingston Brainerd III.

Although I probably should stop hatin' and start appreciatin' if I'm honest. Before we came home with Bambina we told everyone her name as well as the shortened version of her name (which was to be her nickname) in order to forestall anyone calling her the OTHER shortened version of that name, a nickname that we hated. (Think "Margaret" whose nickname will be Maggie rather than Marge or Peggy. See what I'm saying? You don't want to name your kid Margaret and then have well-meaning folks asking you how Marge is doing.)

Bambina Unveiled

Well, joke's on us, isn't it? Bambina allows, like, THREE people in the whole world to call her that nickname. Everyone else gets, "Don't call me that! I not like that!" Worse still, when I told her what the OTHER dreaded nickname option was, she said, "Ooooh. Call me that!" I gritted my teeth and obliged on the theory that any sign of a power struggle on the name was going to go her way--as power struggles about stupid things with preschoolers usually do. Luckily the Imperial Dominion of Marge lasted only one day until she tired of enforcing it, moving on instead to Dan Zanes guitarist Barbara. At this point the child has been Barbara for so long I honestly say, "Morning, Barbara" first and wait for her to say, "I'm George Harrison {or a peacock or a turtle) today, actually." Which also works out fine except when she gets into her standard preschooler role-playing thing where I am her (she?) and she gives me scripts like, "Mama, now you say 'Morning, George Harrison. Are you coming to my house today? I wonder if you will wear your purple tutu! I love you!"

Yes indeed; nothing like asking--with a straight face, a deceased former Beatle if he plans to wear his purple tutu to come play Ninja Warrior at your house--to make you wonder what would have been so terrible in the first place about saying, "Morning, Marge!"
cnn.com