No More Mac News or Opinions. Happy?
I started this blog almost three years ago now. I brought Kelly and Richard into it because I appreciate their voices. I've redesigned it four times, and I've moved it to my own server that I pay for. I've never included ads, and I never plan to. In other words, I've done whatever the hell I wanted. I've always written whatever the hell I wanted to, whether it be about politics or music or my choice of operating system.
Despite this selfishness, I'm thankful for all of the readership we get. And I listen to you. I value your opinions. You're willing to listen to us, so it should go both ways.
As has been the case for about the past year, I'm so exhausted from school and so busy at my job that I can't go into well-conceived missives anymore like I used to. I can't chime in on the events of the day as often as I would like to. Fortunately, Kelly is here to offer sound, informed judgement about the events in our world that matter from his unique point of view. When Richard logs in, it's always from his fascinating take on art and popular culture. Each of us, in our own way, writes from our own interests and experiences.
So why is it that when I post something about one of my favorite distractions—Macs—that it turns into a fucking free-for-all bash fest on Arlo? I'm sorry I don't have much else to talk about these days except for the only thing I have time for that's remotely hobby-like. It's what's on my mind, so I talk about it a lot. To paraphrase Mr. Show, I don't log-on to your blog and slap the dick out of your mouth. I'm tempted to say that if you don't like it, go read another blog.
However, I have a sign above my monitor that I try to look at before I post anything; it says "Think before you blog." It doesn't always work, but I'm pretty good about not using this medium as an outlet for jerking my knee. It's not just me that's here; it's Kelly and Richard and all of you.
Obviously, no one who reads or writes this blog other than me cares about Macs as much as I do.
Thus:
Today, I promise that from now until the time I either pull the plug on this site or die, I will never post another article about anything having to do with the Apple Computers. No more OS X. No more iPods. No more mice. No more Steve Jobs. You don't care, and I have plenty of other forums to talk about this stuff. I won't do it here anymore.
So those of you who just can't help yourself but troll whenever I post something Apple related, you can go troll at MacRumors now because you won't have anywhere to do it here anymore.
I operate this blog because it makes me happy.
I want to keep this an open forum.
I'm not going to open myself up to attacks anymore.
Finally, maybe this moratorium on Apple news will give me a chance to examine why I get upset about it, why I take attacks on my choice of operating system so personally. Obviously I have something to work out.
UPDATE: I'm not the only insane Mac lover.
20 Comments:
I hate to break it to you, Arlo, but you open yourself up for attack every time you blog about anything - we ALL do. For me, that's one of the tenements that defines an "open forum".
Personally, I don't much care about Apple one way or the other...but I DO enjoy reading rancorous discussion on the topic.
You're certainly well-informed enough to hit back, pretty hard, if you're attacked for your views...and you should. I hate the idea of LYRC kow-towing to popular opinion...
how does that old story go, about the unicorn? One person sees a unicorn, and is amazed and mystified by it - then he shows it to another person, and another person, and so on, until everybody sees the unicorn - but by that point, it's just a horse with an arrow in its' head.
The problem is that ratio of attack fervency to issue importance is so high, and I always come back to top it. We should argue and debate, but we should argue and debate about issues that matter, not whether or not OS X is better than Windows. I think it is, but who fucking cares? There's an unjustified war being fought. The tenets of science and nature are being attacked. Our government is turning into the same zealous fundamentalist theocracy that we claim to be fighting overseas. I'm not going to get up-in-arms when there's bigger issues out there, and I'm not going to give people the opportunity to raise their own ire or my own over something so stupid and insignificant.
that's too bad...I've always felt that "raising ire about stupid and insignificant things" is knee-slappin' good fun; I'd bet Fock, Kelly, and Richard feel the same way.
Maybe that's why you have such issues with this - you hate yourself for sticking to your guns so fervently, when you know deep in your heart you should be arguing points you feel are more important.
Such self-imposed guilt is enough to make you an honorary Jew.
Does that mean I'll finally learn the secrets of finding a good piece of fish and buying a Cadillac at wholesale?
Yes, but you have to be circumcised and bar-mitzvah'd first...preferably in the same evening.
So that's what they're doing when they're carrying you on that chair.
Hava Nagila! ;-)
There is a difference between good-natured ribbing and attacks and I expected someone of your own ascerbic wit to be able to tell the difference. Just because your name is Arlo Guthrie doesn't mean you have to be a cry-baby fucking hippie after all.
Does anyone, particularly you (since I don't know you) actually give a shit what I think about Macs? I don't even give a shit what I think about Macs. I, and anyone else who wants to post a reply disagreeing with your opinion, can easily be ignored. We go away. And if we don't you can just skim over what we say and shrug to yourself about what a bunch of dim-witted ignorant Mac-hating bastards we are. No need to take your toys and go home. It's your blog. Say whatever you want to say and let everyone else go fuck themselves if they don't like it. Don't take the enjoyment of blogging out of it for yourself by crying like a little girl and not posting about Macs because of the big bad meanies out there in cyberspace. And don't take the piss and vinegar out of it for your audience who sometimes actually have the audacity to disagree with an opinion found here on this blog of highest sanctity and unspeakable importance.
Blah, blah, blah. Yadda, yadda, yadda.
I thought my response to you was very conciliatory. It also took me an hour-and-a-half to write.
You see, the problem, Eric, is that I get riled up and pissy about something that means absolutely nothing. I don't like feeling that way. It's not healthy, and I'm not going to do it anymore. There are things in this world worth going to the mat for.
It's like that old joke:
"Doc, it hurts when I do this."
"Then don't do that."
It's not that I'm acting like a baby; it's that I want to STOP acting like a baby, and I'm going to stop putting myself in a situtation that makes me act like a baby until I can stop acting like a baby when put in that situation.
In other words, I'm going to chose my battles more wisely. If you want to come onto my blog and compare me to a neocon, go right ahead. I can handle being disagreed with. But it should be for something more meaningful than my choice of computer. And I shouldn't turn around and spend a large portion of my day defending myself against something so insignificant. I'm not going to give you or myself that opportunity anymore.
I'm glad you've visited my site, Eric. I really am. And I think you made some incredibly valid points. But you aren't the only one that led to this decision. I just don't feel like getting in this argument anymore. I could be doing far more important things.
For the record, I would just like to say that you are one of the top-most reasons I own an iBook right now, instead of some shoddy non-Mac laptop. After reading countless posts of gushing over Macs and listening to you, in person, do the same, it was no-contest when it came to the purchase of a computer for school. Call me uninformed, call me biased when it comes to your opinion, but spending a lot of money on technology I know---surprisingly---very little about is a big step, and due to factors like impatience when it comes to the wearing-down of operating systems (my old Dell crashed almost two months after I bought it), not wanting to deal with viruses, and not wanting to have computer geeks in my room 24/7, trying to fix the damn machine, your input meant a lot. This probably sounds like I'm trying to kiss your ass (I'm ready for the snarky reply posts), but really, I'm just thanking you for sharing something that not only means something to you, but turned out to be very helpful info.
Additionally: I have always believed in the power of the scroll bar. Being a blogger myself, it always perturbs me when people try to start shit just because they disagree with something you or your fellow bloggers post. Granted, the debate on here is a little different than what I usually come across, but in my opinion, if someone really doesn't like something, they should forego reading it. It's not up to the blogger to censor him or herself for the sake of readership. That being said, I respect your choice to discontinue your Mac commentary; however, I hope you're doing it more for yourself, than for others.
-Rebecca
Arlo, of course you have the right to do anything, or make any proclamation on this here blog you damn well please, but...
The whole Apple/PC debate aside, I'm more concerned about your obvious shame for feeling strongly about an inane subject. Banning the subject from LYRC is a temporary solution at best, you know?
I don't see any reason to feel badly about vehemently defending things you care about, regardless of how "important" they are - it's not like you have a finite amount of thought, or passion...you're not paying attention to one issue at the expense of the others.
I hate the impression that you're censoring yourself, and by extension, LYRC. Wave goodbye to the open forum...
It also bugs me that you're inadvertently putting yourself in the position of being the final arbiter on what issues are "important"...that's kinda creepy...
THERE. I have now opened the doors of this debate into a larger, more important issue.
I'm not trying to arbitrate what is and isn't an important topic. But c'mon, man. Macs vs. Windows vs. Linux? Does trying to reach a concensus about this help save our planet? No.
Y'all can talk about whatever you want. I'll even start posting open threads. I won't censor anyone other than myself, who needs to figure out what's important right now.
Yes, these issues are a lot bigger than just Macs vs. PCs. I'm confronting myself on a lot of issues these days, and I'm coming out on top of most of them. I need to keep up my good work. And THAT is an important topic.
Rebecca: Where's your blog? I've seen it before, but I haven't kept up.
I'll hang my head in shame and admit that I post on LiveJournal (so that might make me a journaler, and not a blogger, if you want to get technical about it...). Most of the entries are locked (for friends only) and uninteresting: just tidbits about my life, rants about the political climate and certain news events, and, of course, my very own version of Mac-Lovin' Commentary---Movie-Lovin' Commentary. I'm not educated enough yet to post entries about the flaws in foreign policy or ramble on about stem cell research (lest I sound pretentious), but if you're interested in reading, shoot me an e-mail.
Pretty soon, I'll be starting a public journal that'll chronicle my academic and student life at Sarah Lawrence, so people can read about what I'm doing at their leisure, instead of my sending annoying monthly e-mails in regards to the subject. I've always worked best in the writing medium, and creating an ongoing memoir in the form of a blog seemed like the best option.
By the way, back in January, when we got together, you had me listen to The Go! Team. A friend recently gave me their album for my birthday, and I have to say, it's quite excellent. And I don't know if you still like The Arcade Fire, but I saw them at Lollapalooza, and if you still enjoy their music, I'd really recommend seeing them live. Despite the 103-degree weather, they put on an excellent theatrical-style show, and it was well worth almost fainting just to see them.
-Rebecca
Gosh darn it! I was trying to get you to tell me to fuck myself and swear that it will be all-Mac all-the-time from now on. You refuse to be goaded - which is probably a sign of wisdom or inner strength.
I appreciate that I am not the sole reason for this decision. But I can't help but feel largely responsible. I was the one who posted about OSx86 in a completely unrelated post. I started the ball rolling most recently. I own a fair share of the blame.
And it was never my intention for it to go that way. Months ago when this Apple thing went down I think I posted something about how OS X had been ported to Linux already, blah, blah, blah. And you wrote back (correctly) that it wasn't really the same and never would be. So when I saw the article on Wired News (I read Wired News for Chrissakes - it's not like I'm cool) I remembered our previous exchange and just thought I'd get your goat a little bit with it. Why? I don't know. It was late and I was kind of drunk. I was actually just going to send it to you as an email but I couldn't figure out any way to contact you directly. Again, I don't know why. It was based on a months' old exchange about nothing. I posted, this all started, and now you seem pissed, hurt, bitter, and are stopping talking about something that clearly you really like.
That's no good. When I first started frequenting this page "Macs" was part of the description. I mean the name of the damn blog is "Like You Really Care" so there is no need to have long thought-out, well-researched posts every time. It isn't The Guardian. It's a blog. It is totally ok to be passionate about something that others may find completely inane. On the other hand it is a blog and that makes it public and any opinion you have may very well inspire a response - and not always a thoughtful or researched one. Mine certainly aren't.
If you feel that you don't want to open that part of your interests to public praise and/or ridicule it is solely your decision and had you just stopped posting about Macs probably nobody would ever have noticed (and I don't mean that in a nasty way). But you posted in a kind of angry "Are you happy now?" way which makes it seem like you don't really WANT to stop posting about such things you just feel like you have to because shitheads like me will post in response. Which makes me feel guilty and I apologize to you sincerely. The last thing I wanted was for anything I have written to change LYRC since it is my favorite blog on the web just the way it is.
But sorry is not enough. So, in your honor, I have posted my embarrassing passion to my own blog http://www.livejournal.com/users/yerch
I hope that you will drop by to ridicule me. Most people just accuse me of being drunk. Now you can come and add "sissy" on top of that. Fair is fair after all.
Keep posting as you always have. That's what keeps the blog fresh. It is a mixture of three personalities with diverse interests (not all of which are "important" by any means) and it would be losing something if you didn't continue to post about the things you like, regardless of what others may think about it.
That's my latest meaningless opinion.
Again, apologies.
-Eric
Yeah, Rebecca--point us to your blog, and we'll (or I will, anyway) read it like a religion.
Arlo--you should, indeed, do what you think best; if that means not talking about the Mac, so be it. But I would like to request that you take no vows on the matter. Something noteworthy on the subject may come up, and I would hate to see you barred from a subject that you obviously feel great passion for, and have a great amount of knowledge about.
As for triviality and "importance"--well, that's a thorny issue for me. I feel that writing and reading here has gone a long way toward politicizing me. I'm more up on current events, and the various shits pimps and hosers who hold office and create said events, that I've ever been in my life. I can hold my own in a political discussion with most people. I feel that I owe all of this to Kelly and Arlo. Be all that as it may, my posts tend to run more along the lines of "Francesca Lia Block has a new book!" (she does, too. Its called Necklace of Kisses. Weetzie Bat is 40, and My Secret Agent Lover Man is traumatized by 9/11) or, on a good day, "I found some goth snake porn on the floor of the Mystery Spot, then we went and had ice cream at Scientology hq."
Far from earth-shattering. Nowhere near important in any way. Downright absurd, truth be told. But I go on doing what I do, and posting what I post, because its what interests me, and people seem to enjoy it.
Its a crazy thing with the comments, too--someone (let's say, for the sake of arguement, Kelly) writes up a well-worded post, seething with outrage, about something super-important (ie, "A man in Wisconsin has photographic proof that the president and cabinet like to beat up little girls and pregnant women, preferably pregnant women in wheelchairs. This is being reported nowhere except here, and no one is doing anyhing about it.") and the little comment number on the main page stays a zero. But let one of us post a post to the effect of "Tits are quite the bee's knees" or "What would happen if Superman gave the Hulk an enema?" and the place is a gabfest all of a sudden.
Speaking for myself, I always WANT to comment on the important things. But when I'm staring at the little "leave comment" box, all I can thing is "those assholes" or "sigh--we're all doomed", and then I go off a post something about Aurora monster model kits, just to make myself feel better--just so I feel like I'm talking to my friends, and maybe it'll all be ok.
I guess my point here is that I'm not going to beat myself up for writing about the ridiculous things that fascinate me, but I sure hope that all of us manage to keep posting things that matter, comments or no comments.
Richard, you made me laugh so hard a little bit of coffee shot out my nose. Unfortunately, it’s iced coffee... and a shard of ice pierced my septum in transit. Now my throat is flooded with blood. You dick.
Arlo, please post whatever you want whenever you want. Why else have a blog?
-Steven
Kelly--Mission Accomplished!
I like Macs.
I gotta say that, while I don't read the MAC posts with a fine-toothed comb, I am sorry that you are abandoning them. This is a subject on which you are well versed. I encourage you to reconsider your promise to respond to ignorance with abandonment of your position.
What are you, a liberal or something?
I think the reason that you receive these attacks is due, in part, to the personality that Apple has created around thier brand.
People use PCs becuase they are ubiquitous within the office environment. They are, despite what you may argue, the standard for computing, word processing, and basic surfing among most americans. To combat this, Apple needs to establish a value that overrides the standard, at least for some.
People use MACs because they "Think Different". People use MACs becasue they have an honest skill that is not maximized by a PC. People use MACs because they want to Save Christmas. To some, but not me, this branding strategy may come across as Elitist. As in:
"I use a MAC because I am smarter, better, more informed, or more creative than you."
Again, Arlo. I do not agree with this. I am only identifying the source of the malice. People like to dogpile on the Geek. When you blog about the hidden truth about MAC superiority, you open yourself to the phenomenon.
Once upon a time, I drove a Jetta. It was a cheap machine, a reliable purchase, and a necessity to accept what sounded like a good job. Anyone remember that Trixie website? Imagine the ribbing I got. But didn't VW bring that on all of us? Didn't they build a forced culture around thier line of automobiles with all those charming ads aimed at the head of Gen-Xers like a sniper's bullet in Dallas? Didn't they put a fucking flower vase in the dashboard of that Beetle?
When a product becomes a status symbol instead of a basic consumable, the rules of society blead into rules of commerce.
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