The blogger who wrote under the name Jon Swift with a wit worthy of his namesake has died at the age of 46, leaving an ache in those of us who not only enjoyed his high style but benefited from his uncommon warmth and generosity.
In a world of so much me-me-me with links, the man whose real name was Al Weisel presided over Blog Amnesty Day to call attention to the work of those who were, as I was three-plus years ago, just getting started and had few readers beyond their friends and relatives.
His quasi-Conservative style, which has been compared to that of Stephen Colbert, often left me laughing out loud, so perhaps the most appropriate tribute is to direct attention to one of my favorite posts of his--about steroids and guns.
His gifts for both satire and friendship will be missed in a time when the supply of both is dwindling.
Showing posts with label Jon Swift. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jon Swift. Show all posts
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Blog Amnesty Day
Over at his place, Jon Swift is running his own stimulus plan by pumping attention into the blogosphere's equivalent of America's small businesses.
As a grateful past recipient of his generosity, I wish I could add to the list, but I've been so busy trying to read and memorize the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that my eyeballs need amnesty.
For relief, I'm hoping to catch up with some of the entries on Jon's list soon and recommend you do the same.
As a grateful past recipient of his generosity, I wish I could add to the list, but I've been so busy trying to read and memorize the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that my eyeballs need amnesty.
For relief, I'm hoping to catch up with some of the entries on Jon's list soon and recommend you do the same.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Will Obama Be Bad For Blogging?
Over two years and 2000 posts ago, George W. Bush made a blogger out of me. I was coasting along in octogenarian ease, writing an occasionally lofty OpEd piece or irate letter to the editor, when my reactions to what Bush was doing--rage, ridicule and disbelief--demanded a more immediate and unbuttoned outlet.
Now, with Barack Obama on the horizon, a different set of responses seems to be in order. The new president, unlike Bush, is familiar with the connections between words and actions, and what he does and says is likely to prompt more serious and prolonged thought than raw emotion, analysis rather than upset, not the best aphrodisiac for blogging spontaneity.
If so, that would be a social loss. As Andrew Sullivan noted in his recent Atlantic piece, "The wise panic that can paralyze a writer—the fear that he will be exposed, undone, humiliated—is not available to a blogger. You can’t have blogger’s block. You have to express yourself now, while your emotions roil, while your temper flares, while your humor lasts. You can try to hide yourself from real scrutiny, and the exposure it demands, but it’s hard. And that’s what makes blogging as a form stand out: it is rich in personality."
This melancholy mood is inspired by Jon Swift's now-annual collection of the best blog posts of the year. Reading these self-selected outpourings of estimable minds and hearts is a reminder that the most effective criticism is inspired by boobery rather than brilliance (see John Mason Brown's classic review of a Hamlet performance: "He played the king as if afraid someone else would play the ace").
Will next year's collection be as much fun to read? Will Obama, with his elegance and (please God) effectiveness, subdue us into nodding our heads in agreement and interjecting the occasional, tentative "Yes, but..."? Will a literate Leader of the Free World enslave our critical savagery?
Not to worry. Right from the start, with his choice of Rick Warren for the Inaugural benediction, the new President has indicated he will show clemency for bloggers. He will, at a minimum, provide enough mistakes and miscalculations to inspire us to keep saddling up and riding to the republic's rescue with our wit and wisdom.
Even Obama's most fervent admirers should not "misunderestimate" his capacity for the kind of folly that keeps life interesting and bloggers blogging.
Now, with Barack Obama on the horizon, a different set of responses seems to be in order. The new president, unlike Bush, is familiar with the connections between words and actions, and what he does and says is likely to prompt more serious and prolonged thought than raw emotion, analysis rather than upset, not the best aphrodisiac for blogging spontaneity.
If so, that would be a social loss. As Andrew Sullivan noted in his recent Atlantic piece, "The wise panic that can paralyze a writer—the fear that he will be exposed, undone, humiliated—is not available to a blogger. You can’t have blogger’s block. You have to express yourself now, while your emotions roil, while your temper flares, while your humor lasts. You can try to hide yourself from real scrutiny, and the exposure it demands, but it’s hard. And that’s what makes blogging as a form stand out: it is rich in personality."
This melancholy mood is inspired by Jon Swift's now-annual collection of the best blog posts of the year. Reading these self-selected outpourings of estimable minds and hearts is a reminder that the most effective criticism is inspired by boobery rather than brilliance (see John Mason Brown's classic review of a Hamlet performance: "He played the king as if afraid someone else would play the ace").
Will next year's collection be as much fun to read? Will Obama, with his elegance and (please God) effectiveness, subdue us into nodding our heads in agreement and interjecting the occasional, tentative "Yes, but..."? Will a literate Leader of the Free World enslave our critical savagery?
Not to worry. Right from the start, with his choice of Rick Warren for the Inaugural benediction, the new President has indicated he will show clemency for bloggers. He will, at a minimum, provide enough mistakes and miscalculations to inspire us to keep saddling up and riding to the republic's rescue with our wit and wisdom.
Even Obama's most fervent admirers should not "misunderestimate" his capacity for the kind of folly that keeps life interesting and bloggers blogging.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Posts Definitely Not Mortem
My New Year's hangover comes from a surfeit of good reading provided by Jon Swift in rounding up their own favorite entries of the year by writers of lesser renown than the usual suspects of the blogocracy.
In a world of so much "me, me, me" with links, it's a feast of passion, wit and irony across the political and philosophical spectrum.
Honored as I am to be included, my thank-you note has to include a quibble about Jon's own choice, delightful as it as, to steer readers to one he did recently about steroids and guns that is my favorite.
In a world of so much "me, me, me" with links, it's a feast of passion, wit and irony across the political and philosophical spectrum.
Honored as I am to be included, my thank-you note has to include a quibble about Jon's own choice, delightful as it as, to steer readers to one he did recently about steroids and guns that is my favorite.
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