The Curious State of Jblogging.
The Jblogosphere is mainly reacting in a couple of ways to the events in Israel. One is to blog about the war. There are a number of blogs that are doing a spectacular job, none better than my seraphic friend, Robert Avrech. Others, such as Jameel and Aussie Dave, are providing enlightening "live blogging" from Israel. And, of course, David B is providing his usual keen focus on events political and military. Ben Chorin, on the other hand, is acting as resident prophet. Dov Bear, as usual, is being provocative.
Most everyone else is lame, including yours truly. It is amazing to see the silence of the Jblogs. Most Jbloggers, especially those of us in galus, are having a very difficult time posting anything meaningful (other than, of course, in my case, biking related posts which are immensely important). Many are simply not posting or are posting at a very reduced rate (and with very low quality and relevance levels).
I wonder how long this will last?
The Jblogosphere is mainly reacting in a couple of ways to the events in Israel. One is to blog about the war. There are a number of blogs that are doing a spectacular job, none better than my seraphic friend, Robert Avrech. Others, such as Jameel and Aussie Dave, are providing enlightening "live blogging" from Israel. And, of course, David B is providing his usual keen focus on events political and military. Ben Chorin, on the other hand, is acting as resident prophet. Dov Bear, as usual, is being provocative.
Most everyone else is lame, including yours truly. It is amazing to see the silence of the Jblogs. Most Jbloggers, especially those of us in galus, are having a very difficult time posting anything meaningful (other than, of course, in my case, biking related posts which are immensely important). Many are simply not posting or are posting at a very reduced rate (and with very low quality and relevance levels).
I wonder how long this will last?
Labels: Random Thoughts
posted by MoChassid @ 11:58 AM
5 Comments:
At 12:53 PM,
DovBear said…
You mean "provocative" in a good way, I hope. I've gotten a wonderful response from people about my "Can the IDF kill civillian" posts, and also my posts about what rallies mean to Israelies.
At 1:26 PM,
Ezzie said…
Yes and no. Some (like myself) wrote a lot in the beginning, then felt it was taking over our day (speaking to Jameel yesterday on the phone, he felt the same way). Now I'm being a bit more choosy in what I write about, and I'm also trying to blog about other stuff as well. WestBankMama had a good post about the need to 'get away' from it here and there, too.
Also, check out JBlogosphere - there's a list there (though it may be pushed down a bit by now) of people who at least were blogging a lot from Israel. (IsraelRules, for example.)
[All of the above are Blogspot blogs... and don't get me started on DovBear.]
At 2:04 PM,
DovBear said…
Oh, it was taking over your day? How sad.
And what does "don't get me started on DovBear" mean? Do you deny that my posts have been very well received. Look through the comments, and you'll see Israelis (including one Mr. Treppenwitz himself) and Americans alike - from both sides of the aisle - have either acknowledged the points I have been making, or are happy to have a forum where they can be discussed.
Ezzie, some people want to read about the news from Israel; others want to discuss the different issues *surrounding* the news. Surely, there's room for both types of blogs.
At 4:29 PM,
PsycleSteve said…
What is there to write about?
Having been a right wing activist for about three decades I have argued, made speeches, marched and chanted with the best of them. Has all the time and energy that I put (wasted?)into "politics" ever made one iota of a difference? Nope.
Israel is surrounded by an empire of hatred stretching from Indonesia to Morocco. This empire posseses what is currently the world's most valuable asset giving them immense wealth. They also enjoy huge populations, vast and beautiful land masses, and a rich history of civilization which rivals that of Europe many times over. Are they using their G-d given resources to benefit the world, or at least themselves? Not a chance. "Vchol zeh aino shovah lee" as long as Israel exists. Haman's wealth and power were nothing to him as long as there were Jews in the world.
How do you deal with an enemy of such vast proportions and power? An enemy whose hatred of us is so intense that our deaths are much more important to them than their children's lives. You don't, because you can't.
As far as I know there were no direct negotiations over coffee and cake (or waffles and ice cream) between Yaakov and Aisav or Mordechai and Haman. And don't delude yourself that Beirut is different from Jakarta, or Sudan, or Ramallah, or Ramle, or Umm-Al-Fachem. As a kid I used to play RISK on Shabbat afternoon. When the odds were as bad as they currently are for Israel we used to forfeit and go outside to play some ball.
I recall a nominally Jewish aquaintance in college in the midwest(late 70's) who kept reminding me that my campus activism was a waste of time. He always said that eventually the Arabs will acquire nuclear weapons and that will be the end of it. I was horrified at his simplistic, moronic outlook but at present he appears to be a lot wiser than I was.
Israel has effectively given up Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. Nearly 25% of Israel voting population is Arab. If you were an objective bookie in Vegas, what long term odds would you give Israel?
My response was to turn inward and try to become a better husband and father, get more learning in, and try and ride my bike as much as possible. I may have become a simpleton, but I'm a lot happier than I used to be. I'll let all you others in the "Blogosphere" fight the battles. When my kids screw up, I as a loving parent step in and bail them out. As far as I'm concerned it's G-d who chose the land that Jews are losing their lives for on a daily basis, do I'll look to Him to bail us out.
At 6:47 PM,
Ezzie said…
Sorry, MoC. Didn't expect to evoke such a reaction.
I'll email them separately rather than respond here.
I didn't think you meant it as all-encompassing (and it's almost impossible to do such a thing anyway). What I meant was that there's been more of a middle ground - those that are blogging a bit about the war, but trying to keep on an even keel. Most of the people listed on JBlogosphere, for example, have done so - slowing down the war blogging and putting "normal" stuff in. Sure, it's mundane, irrelevant, etc. - but we need that balance.
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