Thu, Sep 16 2004

Blog Power

If you doubt the power of blogs in today's world, check this out. Behind the Homefront pointed to news of soldiers with blogs being called on the carpet for their blog posts. My War is still up and running, but this sort of report is very telling. Of course, if a soldier's blog really does present a security risk, the advice to choose words carefully before posting makes sense. Still, common sense says that anytime someone tries to get a writer to pull back on the reins of writing, it means the writing is worrisome, if not downright threatening, for the one putting pressure on the writer. Right or wrong, blogs are commanding a greater-than-ever share of interest in the online world of communication.

posted at: 14:45 | category: /Writing Life | link to this entry

Politics Is Serious Stuff, So Laugh!

I really liked the interview LA Weekly did this week. Nikki Finke spoke with Jay Leno. I've always enjoyed that part of the work comedians do in taking public news stories and running them past a series of funhouse mirrors. These mirrors don't change the news, but instead, they bloat and stretch the stories into loony reflections so that we can bear to look and laugh at it all for a few moments, knowing all the while that we'll have to step outside the fun house and face the real stuff again in a little while.

For some reason, some people get angry when comedians are really good at this.

When political comedy pushes my buttons, I've learned not to get angry at the comedian, but to stop and ask myself why I can't bear to look in the mirrors for a few moments. If I can manage to do this, I usually learn something about my own prejudices and passions. Jay can't reinvent the bad news or pretend it didn't happen. Jay's job, as a comedian, is to just drag me kicking and screaming past those funhouse mirrors in the funniest way possible. I'm just glad he's up for the task.

posted at: 10:11 | category: /Arts and Entertainment | link to this entry