Communal Crier
New Site:
Everything About Nothing – Someone’s gonna make a site called “Everything/Nothing” sooner or later.
Editorial – The Midnight Rant
This “editorial” (might as well go along with the newsletter theme) was originally written as a response to an e-mail from an “anonymous” (who has since revealed themselves, but for the purposes of this, I will withhold their name.). Instead of thinking of a new rant, I’ll just do a cut and paste job:
“I understand where you’re coming from completely. I guess it’s all a matter of what you feel most at home with. I started my site for the purpose that I would never have the self-discipline to keep up with a handwritten journal. I’ve tried. On the other hand I have a couple friends who do keep a handwritten diary.
“What you say about the “bad things” of e/n – like Pie of the Day and Women Bashing. True, they may be tasteless (in your view). But things like S-IS are too intense, too personal and probably ill-fitted to be classed as e/n. S-IS has always been a separate part of Kill’s site, and, as he has said, never e/n. I started my site as a sole purpose to *get away* from intense, emotional stories and accounts. Well, actually it was Shlonglor’s page that prompted me to start mine. Something relaxing, relatively impersonal and fun to read. I have never liked to read highly emotional/personal accounts – the line between things that are well written, and (teenage) angst is very fine. The opportunity to slip into pretense (another thing I dislike) is all too easy in this type of writing. (Hence I have not visited Frus’ page for a few months now, not from spite, just from disinterest). Kill’s S-IS are one of the few personal stories I have enjoyed reading – unpretentious, and “there” not claiming to be anything. Although still, at times the writing got too “stuffy” for me.
“Frankly, I prefer staring at the BAMF Pie o the Day than read Frus’ “Classic” angst-ridden ego-centric rants. But that’s just comparing two specific sites.
“Your site belongs in another community. Your journal is not at all e/n. It’s not a weblog either (the weblog lot tend to be much more civilised than us and a touch pretentious – you see, we e/n lot are the plebians of the journal world). Your site fits into the sort of category sites such as www.bittersweets.org and www.flaunt.net are in. It’s that type of style.
“I do appreciate the quality of sites such as these, it’s just that their style does not gel with me at all. “I would write about the things that matter to the thinkers out there [Anonymous’ words].” E/N is not the place to look for this :). As I said before, we e/n lot are the online equivalent of plebs. We’re like the bunch at the pub. Rowdy, out to have fun. Throwing insults. Getting into fiery arguments about stuff that may or may not matter, with little “structured debate” to it all. But when you’re sobering up at 3AM in the morning, you occasionally lapse into a mood of deep contemplation. Occasionally. That’s how it seems like to me. We’re not trying to change the world. Inferno.”
I reckon that this last paragraph says it all. It backs up where Solosier is coming from nicely (a view I understand totally). I believe it is justification for our motivation. If you think a community with an audience of (at a guess) a couple thousand is a bad influence on today’s youth (despite being written mostly by today’s youth), sober up and write a letter to your local TV station, or Hollywood. For all the good that will do. If you don’t like it, don’t come. We’re not those in-your-face Commies standing outside the ticket booths at the railway station selling copies of the “Green Left Weekly”.
Lastly, that letter to Solo was typical of someone attempting to emulate a well written letter. “Solosier’s remonstrations are a cesspool of defeatism. Solosier’s objectives are amalgams of popular themes among lewd slobs, unrestrained fatuitous ruffians, and grungy calumniators.” Give us a break. Trying to make yourself feel superior just because you’ve sent us scuttling for the dictionary, are you? (I hope that letter wasn’t a joke. Can’t be too careful nowadays :)
Side Observation: Is it me, or do most (if not all) out of school e/n posters are in college/uni or have a job?
12:57am (GMT +10.00) tomorrow 
