I'm trying to avoid writing anything for my job this morning by puttering around the Net and writing about that. (Play, Mark Twain once said, is whatever a body is not obliged to do.) Ruffled feathers on a lot of blogs this morning after Bill O'Reilly went and blasted the lack of editorial control keeping reins on the Internet. One would think a blowhard FOXNews commentator to be the sort of twerp one could cheerfully ignore, but no one seems to be taking that tactic.
What interests me about this is a thought from blogger James Lileks, who sees a growing demonization of all things online:
I’ve noticed that for some “on the Internet” is meant as some sort of sinister intensifier. Like this:
1. Bob Johnson is accused of torturing dogs and taking pictures.
2. Bob Johnson is accused of torturing dogs and taking pictures ON THE INTERNET.
The second one sounds worse; it makes you think of the Temple of Doom in the Indiana Jones movie, a dark fetid cave with people bowing to some mad leering priest showing them unspeakable acts.
Posted by mesh at June 17, 2003 11:33 AM | TrackBackHey Mesh,
You should totally write about your job!