Tuesday, May 12, 2009

My parents are arguing about what the best way to blog is.

"Wild and outrageous" or "finely tuned"?


posted by John Althouse Cohen on Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Tags: , , ,

12 comments:

Jason (the commenter) said...

Isn't that a mischaracterization? Althouse just wants to produce a mixture, while RLC wants to only produce dense analysis and introspection. Or are YOU trying to be wild and outrageous?

May 12, 2009
John Althouse Cohen said...

Althouse just wants to produce a mixture
Isn't this a mischaracterization?

She's not just talking about what she wants to do. She's talking about what he -- and, by extension, other bloggers -- should do. And he's not just talking about what he wants to do, but about "wild and outrageous" people in general.

May 12, 2009
Jason (the commenter) said...

but about "wild and outrageous" people in general

I'm sure all the wild and outrageous people he mentions produced "finely tuned" plans which were read and approved by people of his mindset. It takes a wild and outrageous mind to see through such things. Wisdom doesn't come just with heavy thoughts, sometimes it floats down on sunbeams.

That's why you can't be just "finely tuned" anymore than you can be just wild and outrageous. You need to be able to dip into both worlds. Hence RLC's need to be "more wild and outrageous".

This whole thing is like an argument between Nietzsche and Kant. Nietzsche strikes the first blow with a clever sentence. The Germans have to wait for an English translation to find out what Kant said in response.

May 12, 2009
Jason (the commenter) said...

What's the argument? A summary:

Althouse: This is how you can blog more effectively.

RLC: This is a journal, not a blog.

May 12, 2009
John Althouse Cohen said...

By the way, "argument" isn't an insult. It's an interesting discussion about how one should blog.

May 12, 2009
Zachary Sire said...

A good blog has to be a mix of both. And wild and outrageous should still be finely tuned.

May 12, 2009
Richard Lawrence Cohen said...

No prescriptive rule need be applied. There's no one way to blog -- that's one of the beauties of the form. "Could" would be more appropriate than "should." I hope to exemplify one way of blogging, as Ann and John do in their two different ways. I don't believe mine is the best way, the worst way, or any measurable way in between; it's just the way I can do it. I can't change my fingerprints, either.

Anyway, nothing's outrageous anymore. And if it's just about traffic figures, who cares?

In an online quiz, "Which German philosopher are you?" I came out as Nietzsche.

May 12, 2009
Jason (the commenter) said...

Zachary : And wild and outrageous should still be finely tuned.

Yes, we should all try being a little bit more like Jem.

May 12, 2009
Ann Althouse said...

Oh, cool. I get to be Nietzsche.

***

BTW "wild and outrageous" was not a carefully thought-out phrase. I think Jason knows what I meant.

May 12, 2009
John Althouse Cohen said...

BTW "wild and outrageous" was not a carefully thought-out phrase. I think Jason knows what I meant.

You should have finely tuned it.

May 12, 2009
Ann Althouse said...

"You should have finely tuned it."

Wasn't it better to have this conversation?

It was a phrase tossed out in an email... that inspired multiple blog posts...

May 13, 2009
John Althouse Cohen said...

I was just joking, but yeah, I think the whole thing is a useful debate to have -- that's why I posted it. There's enough irony to go around.

May 13, 2009

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