Learning is Not Aways Fun

After months of lurking, and occasionally engaging, I have come to the conclusion that the political blogosphere is a uniquely deaf place.  This is not meant to be a significant revelation.  It is a note to myself.  Learning to participate in the discussions is painful and requires a really thick skin.  I am regularly insulted for things I have written, I am more regularly insulted for things I have not written and don’t believe. 

An ideological persona seems to be required.  If you don’t have one, one will be assigned.  The most cogent argument will get one of two responses, mockery of intent or  denial of logic, each based on your assigned persona.  Often even people who try to agree with you destroy the logic of the simplest explanation.  Everything is bigger, more important and requires more nuance than any 25 comments could cover.  Otherwise much less would be required to be said, and that is the most painful lesson. 

Most people in the blogosphere just want to have something, anything, to say.   Even people who agree vigorously need to just point out the missed nuance.

So now I spend what little time I have reading only a few blogs (not counting technology blogs). In that case I have all of the personas memorized, I can skip most of them and continue my search for that one reasonable person with whom I can have a real exchange of ideas.   I would really get excited if one day someone said, “I am not sure what we should do in Afghanistan but I think these few ideas are important to me, what do you think?”

I am sure, somewhere, there are people who don’t have everything figured out.  I am sure there are people who don’t hate the other side for being blue or red or Southern or Yankee or xenophobes or rich or downtrodden…well, you get the idea. 

 I am sure they exist.

I guess I haven’t learned that much after all.