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Old school news outlets enjoy pointing out this kind of excess as a reason to dismiss all of a blog's arguments wholesale.

While they meanwhile cheerfully publish people calling for genocide, at least in the English speaking world.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 06:07:22 AM EST
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But they are trusted sources in people's eyes.

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 06:08:11 AM EST
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My point is that it's never a good idea to give the press, or anyone else, an ovious reason to dismiss you offhand.  For example by suggesting the painful slaying of people out to make a quick, yet perfectly legal buck...
by Guillaume on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 06:16:32 AM EST
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I think if people are looking that hard - do you think any reasonable person could have taken him seriously? - for ways to ignore you, they'll find them anyway. Your typeface won't be serious enough, or your colour scheme will be juvenile or something.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 06:20:50 AM EST
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It's not the people looking hard and nit picking that you should worry about, it's the people who use this kind of statement to look no further.  You said it yourself:


do you think any reasonable person could have taken him seriously?

If it isn't serious, why read it?

I'm sorry to be picking on one post, and person, in particular.  But this is the kind of thing that makes blog reading fastidious to me and to some people I've spoken to: "some good stuff...too bad about the comments though".

Ultimately, it's about how wide you want your readership/impact.

by Guillaume on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 07:00:58 AM EST
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"Too bad about the comments"?

You know, the quality of the comments on this blog is a cut above most others.

You should see the Spanish blogs. Another ETer described them to me as "feisty" which I think it's a polite understatement.

Though I do agree with you to a point. DeAnander was on a campaign to get people to stop it with the sexist jokes and set phrases at one point, too.

But if people start policing style like that (say, handing out 2's to people who make less than tasteful jokes) then the same people whom you expect will write off the blog because of the jokes will say it is a humourless bastion of political correctness.

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 07:10:57 AM EST
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I'm sorry, I should have been clearer.  My "Too bad about the comments" remark was meant to illustrate a complaint that I have heard about blogs in general, not this one in particular.  I agree that the comments here are often top notch.

Also, I want to make it clear that I am in no way trying to strike a blow for political correctness which I despise, nor am I a fan of the various speech polices running amok.  I believe in free, not freeish, speech and I am acutely aware of the dangers posed by self-censorship.

My general point is that Eurotib claims to have a broader purpose, seeking a larger audience.  Therefore, when posting here people might ponder whether they are really contributing or just making noise.  If that means less "funny" people, less intellectual pontificating, I'm not sure it's a bad thing.

by Guillaume on Wed Apr 4th, 2007 at 07:58:25 AM EST
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