#I Apprecoate You Reaching Out

[mariacallous]

Sometimes your criticism of people not exposing themselves to complex topics can come across as not intending to get them to change but just as dismissing their opinions. I get why you dont apprecoate uninformed opinions but i dont see why you have to dampen enthusiasm.

I think sometimes the balance of this being your personal blog and also your way of communicating things you are interested in conflict.

You can be very mean about using popular media like marvel movies or whatnot as a source of complexity. Which is fine and all, but which reads as mean if you want said posts to reach an audience. But you also post news stories and sometimes very thoughtful essays which i assume you want as wide ranging as possible.

So you made fun of that last bloggers very long post about literature appreciation. I just think thats uneccesarily mean, cause like, whats the point? If its to discourage finding the value in popularish literature im not sure I see the point.

Idk im on anon so i may be way overstepping here, but you asked so i figured might as well comment.

I’m going to work slightly back to front here.

That very long post that person made was both a fundamental misreading of the OP’s point and also an example of one of the things I dislike and push back against a lot - a Candide-esque trahison des clercs. I don’t have an issue with finding interest in popularish literature - I have an issue with people elevating it to a pinnacle and insisting you don’t need to go further and that you can’t be critical or frustrated with it and how unavoidable and prominent (some might say dominant) it is, or that you have to keep in mind how many people probably worked really hard to produce it and that effort needs to be considered when assessing the output. I have an issue with people going out of their way to reinforce the prevalence of that.

That blogger was also incredibly presumptuous and rudely intrusive, especially considering they misunderstood or didn’t comprehend the original point being made. And at excessive length.

My issue isn’t really with people not wanting to expose themselves to complex or complicated issues (but also I want to make clear that I do think it *is* an issue) but that they are proudly and aggressively insistent about their lack of exposure to and wanting to deal with complexity and difficult or unpleasant things, and also how horrible people are about their interests and even sometimes likening it to a therapeutic or personal assistance necessity and like they’re an underdog.

Because it isn’t and they aren’t. The marvel movies are some of the most ubiquitous pop culture and media offerings we have. They’ve won. They’re shaping, for better or worse, how movies and other media are made and sold and interacted with. Book offerings get churned out in a similar manner.

The problem is that this coddling and insistence on simplicity and lack of nuance or complexity is a cultural and social negative, because it is carried over and reflected in other aspects of life. And an insistence on remaining simplistic, on not dealing with complexity, is dangerous. It leads to people not understanding the fundamentals of how things work, and of what goes into it. It’s an easily distracted and easily swayed potentiality which only serves bad actors and profit-seekers. And so many of the people who like the marvel movies and booktok stuff (to use two specific examples) are some of the loudest and most assertive voices and also some of the most inflexible and hostile which adds to it.

I get frustrated and push back when I see people acting this way (although I try to not do it too much on their posts) because it is inherently not a neutral mindset or action.

I’m not sure I entirely understand the distinction you were making between this being both my personal blog and also my way of communicating my interest in things because they’re one and the same. There are some posts that I would like to get more exposure sometimes but for the most part this is my blog where I write and share my thoughts and interests and don’t always need or even want an audience. Sometimes I’m just venting and getting stuff out.

[flavoracle]

I really apprecoate your restraint about strong language, especially because on the very rare occassion you do use it, its an incredibly powerful punctuation on a very good point

Thanks! This is one of the reasons that I use swear words so sparingly, and it's an attribute I picked up from my mom and my granddad (her dad.)

I probably only heard my Granddad swear two or three times in my entire life, but you can bet I was paying attention when he did.

I should also point out that I never heard my Granddad use a swear word directed at me, or any other specific person (and the same goes for my mom.) They were only used for more abstract concepts that he had strong feelings about, like racisms, hypocrisy, and greed.

I appreciate you reaching out to share the positive affirmation, @thesnacken. And for the fond memories of my Granddad that they reminded me of.