tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post8200007952958039375..comments2024-01-16T08:07:10.417-08:00Comments on Infinite Philistinism: Gawker/HRO/TumblrVadimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16748591562916338637noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-77440115641268006102011-07-11T12:11:07.752-07:002011-07-11T12:11:07.752-07:00I am likely guilty of some of the crimes you'v...I am likely guilty of some of the crimes you've mentioned, but it pleases me to read this nonetheless. I appreciate the reminder.Ellehttp://janeanger.tumblr.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-90410590533931967972010-05-26T21:49:59.335-07:002010-05-26T21:49:59.335-07:00Imagine an old man, trying to figure out what this...Imagine an old man, trying to figure out what this blog stuff is all about, stumbling upon this discourse at the end of a string of 6 or 8 links. It is an unexpected yet welcome treat to find something thought out, reasonably complete and written with an interesting mix of sardonic humor, cynicism and seemingly sincere analysis. You have given me hope that there is, indeed, something worthwhile to be found on these internets. <br /><br />On the other hand, I now feel compelled to backtrack and see for myself these people and things that have sparked your dyspeptic, if well presented, commentary. So, thanks...perhaps for nothing, perhaps for something, but for the moment at least.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-54436187384998039932010-05-26T18:50:12.895-07:002010-05-26T18:50:12.895-07:00Vadim,
My initial thoughts: It's rare that I ...Vadim,<br /><br />My initial thoughts: It's rare that I actually read something and feel the writer has an admirable depth and grasp beyond the realms of bullshit "criticism" pieces. It's even rarer that I make it to anyone's blog, let alone all the way through a single blog post, since I hate them so much. Even my own. Nice work!<br /><br />A few minor criticisms: not sure what your age is, but it really isn't relevant. What's more important is your maturity level, and by setting up your piece with the disclaimer, "... frankly if you don't already have a good working grasp of Gawker/Tumblr/HRO I'd stop right now," you've already adorned your piece with it's own bit of HRO. I didn't know who Emily Gould, the Tumblr community of "new LiveJournal" writers are, or Carles, nor do I care. I write for a living and get paid to do it, and I don't have to follow self-deprecating nitwits like these to know when bad writing is afoot, in print or online.<br /><br />Maybe take a step away from these accidents. Really, it's ok ... nothing to see there ...Roxannenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-42223273994649909982010-05-26T17:22:34.710-07:002010-05-26T17:22:34.710-07:00Pynchon is a surrealist? Weird. What if I write tl...Pynchon is a surrealist? Weird. What if I write tl;dr? lol omg, wtf!<br /><br />I want to say that hipster runoff is the worst thing to hit blog land VISUALLY since the first color blind person went to metafilter. Whoever runs hipster run off probably spends three hours to make their posts look like a pastiche of a first year art students high school scrap book. <br /><br />Your post is well written, however it could use some shearing; thus my tl;dr joke. I feel your roundabout way of approaching your triple subject: Gawker, Tumblr, Hipster runoff was a detriment to your overall argument about the pathetic uses of language utilized by these illiterate scato-philes. <---speaking of pathetic uses of language.<br /><br />-peace <br /><br />mmmysterioussfAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-48123778496524925052010-05-26T17:10:19.554-07:002010-05-26T17:10:19.554-07:00This was too long for Twitter? Really?This was too long for Twitter? Really?Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09973162883908686165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-32275403656280980242010-05-25T12:25:53.836-07:002010-05-25T12:25:53.836-07:00@the last anon Balk and Choire are guilty of this ...@the last anon Balk and Choire are guilty of this sometimes. But: "Balk's Cock" was the joke that kept on giving, and Choire's thing a few weeks back about not being able to come up with daily blog fodder resonated with me. So fine.Vadimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16748591562916338637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-85937772489043738842010-05-25T08:01:58.583-07:002010-05-25T08:01:58.583-07:00Does this mean I have to set up a Google alert for...Does this mean I have to set up a Google alert for "Tylercoates" now?Tylerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05968741071051880942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-27657473287278059502010-05-24T20:11:31.290-07:002010-05-24T20:11:31.290-07:00If no one else will name names, I will:
Meaghano
T...If no one else will name names, I will:<br />Meaghano<br />Tylercoates<br />Maura whatever<br />Anyone involved with the Coming and Crying project<br />Various current and former Gawker writers (FEK, Emily Gould, etc.)<br />Anyone associated with n+1<br />Writers for The Awl who are not Balk and Choire.<br />Tess Lynch<br /><br />One thing not discussed in the piece above is the constant use of italics as much as all caps, as in <i>you guys</i> and so on.<br /><br />These people are popular because we all want media jobs in New York and they have them because of their trust funds and Yale connections and ability to give BJ's to get what they want. They are essentially retailing what it means to be young and okay financially and in New York and getting play on a regular basis. It seems like a pretty good life, but I'd never want to write like these people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-5283507622580582862010-05-24T17:01:38.867-07:002010-05-24T17:01:38.867-07:00Anyone who thinks HRO is written without a heaping...Anyone who thinks HRO is written without a heaping pile of irony is pretty thick. Sorry, anon, he isn't some stupid person stumbling into the room. The writer might not always be making amazing work (certainly some pieces have been better than always) but it's insanely clear to anyone with half a brain that it's not straightforward stuff. It's an obvious attempt at culture critique while remaining a successful (probably for monetary means) part of that culture.<br /><br />you may disagree whether it works or not, but I can't believe you really think they are just using "scare quotes," for example, haphazardly. <br /><br />In any case, I don't think anyone (including Vadim) is thinking about this in the same way people say "TXTING IS DESTROYING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE" because there is a glaring qualifier about the subsection of our niche this actually effects right up top - the English language will be fine and will evolve as it always has... but it is a shame that some people who could have contributed in lovely ways to literature will probably end up stumbleblogging instead.Ian Aleksander Adamshttp://www.ianaleksanderadams.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-5354099228690309932010-05-24T16:28:26.400-07:002010-05-24T16:28:26.400-07:00Thank you for this. My guess is that most of thos...Thank you for this. My guess is that most of those who actively disagree with this are people who feel compelled to publicly defend Emily Gould. I'd also guess that not even they could point to anything here that isn't true.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-88701493670273414462010-05-24T15:50:43.665-07:002010-05-24T15:50:43.665-07:00Your proximity to the very people you write about ...Your proximity to the very people you write about (age, educational background, career choice, etc.) makes this piece all the more vital. Thank you, Vadim.Andrew Granthttp://www.bentenfilms.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-31870368678975569212010-05-24T13:29:32.091-07:002010-05-24T13:29:32.091-07:00"People who write for fun" is not how I&..."People who write for fun" is not how I'd describe someone formerly employed by one of the largest online blog empires. Or for someone employed to be the public face of a blogging system.<br /><br />I'd call them "employees."john lichmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-88059847448464177692010-05-24T12:22:15.000-07:002010-05-24T12:22:15.000-07:00So people who write for fun on the Internet are la...So people who write for fun on the Internet are largely bad writers, and tend to be self-important about the things they write.<br /><br />...<br /><br />This is the opposite of insightful.Mike Hacheyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07217810496959139634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-14195103410921867642010-05-24T09:22:13.301-07:002010-05-24T09:22:13.301-07:00As noted above, the stupid 2000/2003 thing has bee...As noted above, the stupid 2000/2003 thing has been fixed. <br /><br />MisterHippity is here! But where is KarenUhOh?Vadimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16748591562916338637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-62618963893926650322010-05-24T07:35:38.515-07:002010-05-24T07:35:38.515-07:00Ok, to summarize:
1. You hate Emily Gould.
2. You...Ok, to summarize:<br /><br />1. You hate Emily Gould.<br />2. You hate Tumblr more.<br />3. You love HRO - although you used to hate it.<br /><br />Do I have that right? I don't want to go back and re-read this ... there's a lot of words up there!MisterHippityhttp://misterhippity.tumblr.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-9936132303707482412010-05-24T07:13:04.658-07:002010-05-24T07:13:04.658-07:00You were way ahead of the game reading Gawker in 2...You were way ahead of the game reading Gawker in 2000, since it wasn't online until 2003 - but someone else has already noticed this.<br /><br />Sadly, even though I have a Tumblr, I have trouble disagreeing with most of what you've written, especially your points about the death of decent prose. Tumblr is far and away not alone in killing good writing or even the concept of the same, however - if you'd ever tortured yourself with a look at a content farm like Assoc. Content (just bought by Yahoo, who is even now looking over in the early light and trying to gnaw its arm off, coyote in a trap-style) you'd see that sites like that are by far the greater danger. <br /><br />The Internet's inherent democracy, which supposedly gives just about anyone a chance to jump out in front of the pack and shine, is also its biggest weakness. It didn't start with Emily Gould or Tumblr, but it has, as you point out, achieved a particularly loathsome refinement there. I actually went back to a blogspot blog to do a certain kind of writing because the Tumblr gestalt is so firmly set against anything that doesn't echo the perennially bored Adderall addict take on "snark" and writing in general. Tumblr's clever dashboard setup silently enforces the Tumblr approach to writing. If you don't take a certain tone or post a certain type of ADHD-friendly media, you won't get "likes" and "reblogs" and since most of us are astonishingly insecure and desperately want to feel that even these Internet strangers are friends, we gear what we post towards what others will like. I felt much better about one of my Tumblrs when I decided to just treat it like Twitter without the 140 character cutoff and the other Tumblr I run, which is (perhaps tellingly) more popular was never intended to be for more than links, videos and the occasional brief commentary anyway. <br /><br />And HRO? I think I'm too old to bother.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-5657281163740862922010-05-24T07:08:01.281-07:002010-05-24T07:08:01.281-07:00interesting post!interesting post!sarahspyhttp://sarahspy.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-6489000670221579222010-05-24T06:55:38.763-07:002010-05-24T06:55:38.763-07:00nice
bushwick aberdeen is hardcore
carles is a rea...nice<br />bushwick aberdeen is hardcore<br />carles is a real shining light, IMO<br />mr. dream is nick sylvester's band, I supported them on kickstarter a while ago<br />cool postAdam Humphreyshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05708724306804260838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-23281322009785108762010-05-24T06:14:44.635-07:002010-05-24T06:14:44.635-07:00It boggles my mind that people give that "Car...It boggles my mind that people give that "Carles" such credit, treating him like some kind of self-aware PoMo genius. The reality is that he actually IS the character everyone seems to think he's just "portraying." Try keeping that in mind the next time you read something he's written. <br /><br />Imagine a dim-witted fool bumbling into a room full of intellectuals. The fool says something completely stupid, the intellectuals assume it must be some kind of deep, reflexive, meta-ironic statement, and laugh and cheer him on. The fool has no idea why his statement is so funny to them, but he just keeps talking, voicing literally every thought that crosses his mind. Everyone keeps laughing. That's Hipster Runoff.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-7902510599072794652010-05-24T06:02:20.631-07:002010-05-24T06:02:20.631-07:00I don't know if this was a typo but Gawker did...I don't know if this was a typo but Gawker didn't launch until 2003, not 2000.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-25502262383206220632010-05-24T05:21:54.818-07:002010-05-24T05:21:54.818-07:00I really liked your critique of lazy net prose, bu...I really liked your critique of lazy net prose, but you lost me when you started praising HRO. I wouldn't call Carles dangerous, but I do think his cynicism--which I don't find funny, I'll admit--is more of a contagion than an act of satire, and that even memes directly witnessed by only 0.00001% of the internet can trickle down. True, most of these things are deeply niche, but I think they're not as contained as you say--I've seen stylistic tics from all sources (G/HRO/T) creep into the public conversations of high school friends and older writers who should know better. We're not better for Gawker or Tumblr, but we're certainly not better because of the detached nihilism of HRO, either, and neither deserves praise.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-49354732217497859542010-05-24T01:49:05.092-07:002010-05-24T01:49:05.092-07:00Just realized... you know, as bad as it gets, at l...Just realized... you know, as bad as it gets, at least it's not this: http://wprobot.net/<br /><br />The internet could always be more evil and terrible, apparently. :(Ian Aleksander Adamshttp://www.ianaleksanderadams.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-83869318426711308192010-05-24T01:42:52.527-07:002010-05-24T01:42:52.527-07:00Very entertaining essay! I love a good rant. I thi...Very entertaining essay! I love a good rant. I think this was a good one. <br /><br />Didn't seem that long to me (in case you're still feeling sheepish) but I'm probably a little more used to reading in illuminated media than a lot of other people.Ian Aleksander Adamshttp://www.ianaleksanderadams.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-82788044116726141972010-05-23T21:26:07.023-07:002010-05-23T21:26:07.023-07:00Wow. Nick Sylvester's really got some problems...Wow. Nick Sylvester's really got some problems, doesn't he?Glenn Kennyhttp://somecamerunning.typepad.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4784478023310697381.post-79459039938231837442010-05-23T20:58:17.826-07:002010-05-23T20:58:17.826-07:00Bravo, sir. Your best conviction of the accused is...Bravo, sir. Your best conviction of the accused is your own razor-sharp prose.Nictatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12174200071752059810noreply@blogger.com