After announcing her departure from the site, [strike leader] Alegre was the subject of insults by dozens of commenters.Dozens! Ooh. Ouch.
[Kos's Markos] Moulitsas fumed on the site's front page, "People expect me to give a damn that a bunch of whiny posters 'go on strike' and leave in a huff. When I don't give a damn, people get angry that their expectations aren't being met." Of course, characterizing Clinton supporters, especially female Clinton supporters, as "whiny," didn't sit well with many. A Maryland mother of two in her mid-40s, Alegre said she won't publicize her real name because she fears harassment from anti-Clinton bloggers and commenters....Really? Upper middle class? I can believe there are more men than women, but enough to make it "relatively homogenous"?
The Netroots has always had a hostile streak, and it's natural that as the Democratic Party and the Netroots themselves began to wield more power, some of that hostility would be directed inwards. Its denizens are also a relatively homogeneous bunch--largely male, middle-aged, college-educated, and upper middle class.
Goldstein notes that Moulitsas and Armstrong are still pals and that "For Armstrong and Kos, with the primary all but over, everything is approaching normal again." But Goldstein's subtitle is: "Will the fight between Daily Kos and MyDD have longer lasting implications than its founders realize?" He seems to be driving at the notion that those privileged males are missing something, which he tries to convey by ending the piece with a quote from Alegre:
"I've always gotten the impression there that women didn't really hold a high place in their heart," Alegre says, referring to the male leaders of Daily Kos. "I'd go back. But I don't know if I'd be welcome after the stink I caused."Eh. I'm left feeling that Kos and MyDD don't really have a problem at all. There were 2 strong candidates and people got excited about them and blew off some steam. Big deal.
The writers strike was a dumb idea that left its leader without a high platform to blog from. Now, she has her regrets. Sorry, that's not the big theme she wants it to be. If Alegre deserved the elevation she once had on that platform that Kos built, she ought to be able to blog independently now instead of whining — yeah, whining — about not having a place in his heart.
Posts
21 comments:
Oh MY!!! The Stalinists and Trotskyites are unhappy with each other. Who would have thunk it.
I don't spend a lot of time over at the Netroots sites, but blew off some steam seems to be an understatement. There is a hatred of Hillary Clinton that really surprised me.
Splitters!
agreed with allens; the spitefulness and personal attacks against hilary (fantasies verging on the psychotic) and her supporters at places like the daily kos are a bizarre spectacle.
if obama gets the nomination then the split that exisst among democratic voters (most of whom support clinton and have rejected obama) will be repeated at the netroots, but just with more added vitriol and blamestorming.
One would be tempted to say that "Alegre" needs to spend more time with her two kids, and less time whining. The "real" world is a tough place. Go back to taking care of people and impacting lives.
I read one very liberal blog by a Hillary supporter (older woman is the blogger) and they have gone nuts saying Obama is an empty suit and his supporters are sexist.
The blogger used to link to other libs stories by saying "go read Gleen (Greenwald)" or "go read Digby". She always used first names only like she was buddy-buddy with all the lib bloggers.
Well needless to say that coziness has frayed with several of those first-name buddies like Kos.
"I read one very liberal blog by a Hillary supporter (older woman is the blogger) and they have gone nuts saying Obama is an empty suit and his supporters are sexist."
I've read similar editorials, including one by an aging feminist who tried to browbeat women into voting for Hillary by calling women who support Obama "gender traitors".
Identity politics reaps a sour crop, to be sure.
Whining about not having a place in his hear.
Now that's a problem innit? She assumed Moulitsas has one.
(misspelled whining up there ^^^ before)
Lee Daniels: Damn girl, we chained up and we have to work together if we gonna get where we want to go.
Karen Brent: I don’t care what you say. I am gonna stick it to the man every chance I get.
Lee Daniels: Well you lost so you betta get used to it bitch.
(Black Mama, White Mama, 1972)
There is a hatred of Hillary Clinton that really surprised me.
It cuts both ways. Take a look at the comments section at Taylor Marsh, or NoQuarter. These are Democrats, but you'd never know it. LOL.
What is "MyDD"? First time I've heard of it. I would have thought it was a hard-to-fit woman blogging about her favorite bras. I do know dailyKos is an internet phenomenon.
Most women are not truely double D's. They have been mis-labeled. They would be an E, F or G cup. The secret to a properly fitted bra is to get the proper cup size, and not to get a double D in a bigger band size. Then there is no support and the girls will be sad and droopy.
WE CAN"T HAVE THAT!
Its denizens are also a relatively homogeneous bunch--largely male, middle-aged, college-educated, and upper middle class.
What do you think he means by middle-aged?
I'm 52. To me, I've been middle-aged for about 12 years, and I've got about 13 to go.
It's frightening to think the folks writing comments and diaries on Kos or sites like it are 40-65 years old. They seem like they're all about 22.
So these wacky Kos people might be somebody's boss? They might have children? They own their own cars and drive them? They might have a house on my block. This is disturbing -- like finding out you're living next door to a paroled axe murderer.
I'm beginning to think the Internet has spread the "rage virus" from 28 Days Later:
"It started as rioting. But right from the beginning you knew this was different. Because it was happening in small villages, market towns. And then it wasn't on the TV any more. It was in the street outside. It was coming in through your windows. It was a virus. An infection. You didn't need a doctor to tell you that. It was the blood. It was something in the blood. By the time they tried to evacuate the cities it was already too late. Army blockades were overrun. And that's when the exodus started. Before the TV and radio stopped broadcasting there were reports of infection in Paris and New York. We didn't hear anything more after that."
Its denizens are also a relatively homogeneous bunch--largely male, middle-aged, college-educated, and upper middle class.
Oh, God, what on earth.
Is this true? Aren't Lefties supposed to be less whitebread than Righties?
From previous Althousians' comments on Kos I gather they are anything but "Kidz", but surely "upper middle class" has gotta be a stretch.
I am neither poor, nor male and being in my early 30s I'm not yet middle-aged, but I feel I fit this same criteria.
I really feel disenchanted with the Blogosphere.
It's composed of exactly the same type of people I hang around with: college-educated, well-to-do, well-spoken people.
Where is the diversity if even the Leftosphere resembles what feminists call "patriarchy", and the black activists call "Eurocentrist"? And few are on food stamps?
Where are the blue-collar white lunchbucket crowds on the Blogosphere?
I'm certain even the so-called "Afrosphere" are better off than your average black American.
You know, when the time came to blog the DNC convention this Denver, the black bloggers were up in arms because the 55 official bloggers called "State Blogger Corps", were mostly white.
The Democrats said their criteria was blogtraffic, and nothing else. Black bloggers were outraged.
And by God, you can see their point.
How outrageous is it that the Democratic Party can't even provide quotas for black bloggers to cover a convention which will almost certainly select its first black man to run for the Presidency?
What a sham.
Cheers,
Victoria
It's frightening to think the folks writing comments and diaries on Kos or sites like it are 40-65 years old. They seem like they're all about 22.
Heh, quite so. As I mentioned before, they sometimes reference playing video games...
But then John, I'm reminded that few people act like they do on the internet, in real life.
(I'm rather stately in real life, not garrulous and down-to-earth as I am on Althouse, e.g.)
So what you see on Kos or MyDD is what they sometimes cannot say to their peers for fear of alienating them; plus, the more intensely you feel on a topic, the more it boils inside you, until you find a conduit for its release.
It's no secret that that's the secret of the internet.
Lots of folks who would fly off the handle if they didn't do so over the ethernet.
I used to think the demographic of the blogosphere was radically different than those on USENET, the precursor of forums and blogs.
After all, those were populated by baby boom academics who spoke about weighty topics, and were decidely left-of-centre.
And wouldn't that describe our blog-owner here (minus the exact political affiliation) down to the ground?
(My other blog playgrounds are Instapundit and Volokh...)
Cheers,
Victoria
Victoria, your own blog is also very stately. I wouldn't have guessed you were a Brit based on what you write here, but I got curious today and looked at your site and definitely got that expat feeling.
Of course, I'm probably wrong about that.
Anyway, it's not just the content of what the Kossites write that seems childish. It's the language. You can read screenfuls of comments that are just pure name-calling and bitter invective. What's the motivation to take a moment off from whatever you were doing to write "Fuck Cheney" and nothing more? That's not the blogosphere, it's a wall in a public restroom.
55 state bloggers? I thought there were 57 states!
Where are the blue-collar white lunchbucket crowds on the Blogosphere?
They are blogging about other things. Their favorite hobbies and interests. Hot Rods, family, cooking, hunting, home schooling, art.... most anything besides navel gazing about George Bush, Karl Rove and Hillary Clinton. They are out there.
It's frightening to think the folks writing comments and diaries on Kos or sites like it are 40-65 years old. They seem like they're all about 22.
"Heh, quite so. As I mentioned before, they sometimes reference playing video games..."
Hey!!!.....just because I like to play video games on my lunch hour..... :-)
What's the motivation to take a moment off from whatever you were doing to write "Fuck Cheney" and nothing more? That's not the blogosphere, it's a wall in a public restroom.
I agree. This is why I appreciate Ann's blog. All kinds of interesting conversations even with those we disagree with.
John wrote:
Of course, I'm probably wrong about that.
No. But just remember should you ever meet me, that the rather grand ice princess in front of you has a volcano of passion inside her.
I'm the Grace Kelly of the Blogosphere.
(Heh, I wish)
Post a Comment