BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
The internet has given the world many things: social media, access to pornography, illegal downloading, email, YouTube, and everything we all love and take for granted. Apparently we had to exchange all of this for our opinion.
At least that’s what people thing when it comes to blogging. It seems that being a blogger is evil and wrong. If you have an opinion and put it on the internet you’re a bad and horrible person! You’re an evil blogger! You’re a hater! You’re just a nobody who is jealous of more successful people! It’s all be said over and over again. Bitching about bloggers is as redundant as people bitching that MTV doesn’t show music videos anymore. Okay! We got it! You’re unhappy with the way things are! We should all limit ourselves based on what YOU feel is right.
It’s mostly from artists. That’s the shitty part.
The same people who are taking it upon themselves to present an artistic product to the world are the same ones who seem to get the most “butt hurt” by a blogger. The problem isn’t the blogger, it’s the artist. I’m someone who puts out my own creative products into the world AND I blog about things I see, love, hate, enjoy, and dislike. I have an opinion and I like sharing it and rambling about it.
There is nothing new about this. Before the internet friends would get together and let loose about what bands, movies, wrestlers, sports stars, whatever. We all have our favorites that we love to talk about. We have things we casually appreciate. We have things we casually dislike. We have things we’re indifferent to. And yeah, we ALL have things we don’t like. Get the fuck over it.
The sad part is that it’s the fans and supporters of the specific art themselves who are being ridiculed. If you have a blog you’re automatically lumped in with the haters. God forbid you have a negative feeling about something YOU invested time in experiencing! Professional wrestlers will constantly hate on the “internet fans” despite those people being the ones giving them the most attention of anyone. Musicians love to hear great reviews from the top notch publications all the way down to simple blogs, but the second you criticize something you don’t know what you’re talking about and you’re just a “hater”.
The worst is the comedians who seek out the opportunity to bitch about a blog. That is where this whole rant stems from. I’ve heard soooo many podcasts, interviews, and posts from comedians who get mad about bloggers. As if the blogger doesn’t have the right to voice their opinion on something. But wait… isn’t that EXACTLY what a comedian does? A comedian, or at least most, will take things from normal life, pop culture, and the world and put their own slant on it. It’s ALL an opinion!
I’ve written over three hundred “Savage Animal” music columns over the years. I’ve objectively covered many topics, many albums, and many bands. Some stuff was things I was a fan of, some I didn’t care for, and some columns were about things I didn’t like. You know what I always get response from? Negativity! I write something that a band or performer doesn’t like and they or “their people” contact me to correct me or even give a death threat in one case. You know what I NEVER get a response from? Positivity! I can rant and rave about bands that people love and no one says shit. I can discover a new band for the first time, listen to every single song they’ve EVER released and then go on to tell as many people as I can to go buy their album and support them. But no, no responses.
I don’t even do it for the response. I do it to spark conversation and to investigate on a more existential level on why I like what I like. I enjoy writing. I do it in blog form, column form, screenplays, web shows, and etc. etc. I don’t expect to write a column, or ten, about how much I love Nine Inch Nails and have Trent Reznor show up at the house and give me a high five. I’m just a dude, a dude with an opinion and above average typing speed.
Controversy sells. If someone makes a fuss about you then more people are going to curiously look you up or at least know your name. There was a whole blog/twitter war about sexism in comedy. Some people feel one way, some people feel the other way… so what?! The people who think a comedian is too vulgar or sexist have the right to not sit through their set. If they do and tell people they didn’t like it… so what?! Do you think everyone likes ECW, Van Gogh, or even George Carlin? No, but they should!
That’s just MY opinion. But I’m an evil blogger who’s downing ‘haterade’ by the gallon!
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