Hat tip to the estimable http://bgalrstate.blogspot.com">Blue Gal, who points us to the following two sources (though no transcript yet). Birmingham Blues writes from this year’s Writing Today conference:
I’m a blogger.
Which, according to [Time critic] Richard Schickel, the lunchtime keynote speaker, makes me an "idiot," writing only for my mother and perhaps a distant cousin. Hey, Dick, I might have one cousin who reads my blog, but my mother? Never.
Clearly, Mr. Schickel is an accomplished and successful writer, but I didn’t quite follow his criticism of blogs. He was in the middle of a talk about the writing life — write every day, follow your instincts when choosing your subject matter, savor those times you can write without compromise, and get paid for your work. All good points, and perhaps he was thinking of that last one when he said that blogging is for "idiots." After all, very few of us get paid for our work.
Now, I don't know what that makes Joe Klein: Either Klein's an idiot, or not a blogger. Tough call.
Daily Diatribes confirms:
Our keynote speaker at lunch was none other than your very own Richard Schickel and his topic was every day writing. I was listening intently, for the most part, although a small part of my brain was occupied with wondering what would happen were I to throw myself upon the unclaimed cheesecake at the table and gorge myself, when Mr. Schickel cut me to the quick with his words.
He had been speaking of writing and was urging everyone in the room to go with their instincts, write about what they love and to, above all, get paid for what they do. He then went on to say that no one should waste their time blogging, since it is an unpaid activity and no one other than your mother and maybe a cousin or two will be reading it.
Now, it would be great if there was a foundation that put a check in the mail whenever I posted, no strings attached. And I think it's great that there are people who think that might actually happen.
But until there are ponies, I will continue in the tradition of "Determinatus," "Candidus," "Vindex," "Populus," "Alfred," "Valerius Poplicola," "T.Z.," "Shippen,", "a Bostonian," "a Tory," "E.A.," "a Layman," "an Impartialist," and "a chatterer," not to mention "Publius," of writing under a pseudonym, for nothing, to advance a political cause in which I deeply believe: The restoration of Constitutional government.
NOTE I note that only the first source attributes the word "idiot" to Schickel, which is why I didn't quote the word in the head. Perhaps Schickel was referencing the famous quuotation from Samuel Johnson: "None but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." If so, both Schickel and Johnson were wrong.
Here's why. See the highly ironic etymology of "idiot":
"Idiot" was originally used in ancient Greek city-states to refer to people who were overly concerned with their own self-interest and ignored the needs of the community. Declining to take part in public life, such as (semi-)democratic government of the polis (city state), such as the Athenian democracy, was considered dishonorable. "Idiots" were seen as having bad judgment in public and political matters.
Surely, given our condition of Constitutional crisis, it's Schickel who is the idiot?
UPDATE Confirmed: Both sources heard the word "idiots."
UPDATE Welcome, My Tiny Kingdom readers!
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Thanks for the link
I don't know if there's any way to get a transcript -- if the conference organizers were videotaping, it wasn't obvious. I wish I'd been taking notes or recording, but it was such an innocuous speech till he dropped his verbal bomb. Of course, he's not the first person in the mainstream media to diss bloggers, and I'm sure he won't be the last.
See, this is why you don't need me.
Oh. Except I sent you the tip. Well, yeah, you need me for the occasional tips. We actually have Kathy (above) to thank for that.
But the post? You need ME to write posts for YOU? Feh.
Blue Gal
http://bgalrstate.blogspot.com
http://ristocrats.blogspot.com
Blue Gal
http://bgalrstate.blogspot.com
http://ristocrats.blogspot.com
My mother couldn't be bothered to read my blog.
She wasn't into Big Politics - she was the sort of person who made food for neighbors when they were ill or there was a death in the family. Her interest in politics didn't extend beyond our block or her office. She was alive during the early years of my blog, but she died a couple summers ago without ever having looked at it.
My father would have loved it, but he died in March of 2000, and I've always been grateful that he didn't live to see what happened to our country later that year.
However, I do have a quality readership that includes at least a couple of first-class journalists who write for money and get published regularly that I know of, plus a bunch of excellent bloggers, fine commenters, and lurkers who support me in e-mail. Who could ask for more?
I often suspect that a certain well-known columnist swipes some ideas from me, but he's never contacted me so I don't know for sure. I also know that someone at Air America is reading my blog and passing things on that turn up on the air. It doesn't matter. If you can do anything to get the memes out there, you have to do it.
Now, who is Richard Schickel?
More liberal media at The Sideshow.
More liberal media at The Sideshow.
Who is Schickel?
Avedon:
A critic (movies, theatre) at Time.
No authoritarians were tortured in the writing of this post.
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
Pity
There seems to be a sad community of people who can only consider financial need as a reason to write. Thank heavens for the bloggers, who enjoy it.
I love this community because it values thought above returns.
And my mother thinks computers are evil, so there's not a chance she'll ever read my blog(s). She's read a couple of magazine articles I published, some even under my own name, but come to think of it none of the plays. But I am privileged not to have had to write for publication, to keep food on the table. Sorry for those who have to sell.
Ruth
Ruth
Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged
I think Anne (Of "Tiny Kingdom" fame, and the linchpin in the rather circuitous route that led me to you and your site...) had the right of it when she told Mr. Schickel that it would be irresponsible to condemn blogging without reading any of them. After all, you can't review a film or book accurately if you have no frame of reference -- why should blogs be any different?
Sure, there are blogs out there that are used primarily as tools for keeping in touch with one's family, but those blogs can be wildly funny and intelligent as well. Just look at "Tiny Kingdom", and you'll know how well it can be done. There are endless varieties of blogs -- political, academic, economic, parenting, crafting, informational -- and all have something to offer. You first have to be willing and open-minded, which Mr. Schickel does not seem to be.
Not all bloggers are idiots, and obviously not all critics are worthy of their previous good press.