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Discussion Membership
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Why do you eat your young?It started, innocuously enough, with an Instapundit pointer to the throwaway blog observation of an experienced Knoxville online editor that newspapers must really be in decline if they can't afford the $99 entry fee for a spelling bee. Ha, ha. Our newspaper had once supported our local spelling bee, and gone so far as to moderate the contest, albeit with unspoken concern about what it was the contest encouraged. Spelling is a subsidiary skill, behind critical thinking, composition, and exposition. Would it be more worthwhile for the newspaper to throw its weight behind the valuable skills that, even today, seem secondary in our schools? On the Knoxville blog, we commented on our reasoning, to tease out something useful from the initial casual blog remark. For our efforts we were attacked in the comments, probably not by the editor, who sat by in silence. We pointed out the rhetorical gimmickry of the attack that showed the importance of quality thinking over spelling. Further replies, peppered with personal attacks, dwelt on the spelling of a Latin rhetorical fallacy and ignored the substance. We thanked them for pointing out the spelling error, but emphasized that the true currency of the Internet rests in the clear expression of ideas. A few others rose to our defense, but no defense should have been necessary. Certain other blog communities welcome outsiders because they bring thoughtful insight to the table. They welcome different ideas and consider them in all humor and seriousness. They respect those who defend their positions with substance, but do not suffer fools gladly. Rough and tumble is allowed, but attempting to win an argument by any means is no honor because the shared goal is coming to understanding. Underneath humorous and snide remarks it is understood we are all in this together. Rhetorical game-playing is an irrelevant luxury that should have been laughed out of the Knoxville blog. It is not that the blog is tolerant. Tolerance implies being able to distinguish what is important and why, and consciously choosing to live with it. One is not tolerant who is oblivious to that which subverts the ability to think. The clutter was subversive distraction designed to chase the opposition away -- to win by overwhelming. It represented everything that critical thinking, composition, and exposition is not. Game players are coddled because the luxury of their time and place has not made them pay the price for it. That luxury is the curse of the current generation in many economically advanced countries. It allows, without consequence, the pedantic to suck the life of those who associate with them. It was a mistake to intrude on the blog revelry. The warning signs were there. The initial blog entry was shallow, and the credentials behind the screed contained all the usual suspects: managing editor of multimedia, Society of Professional Journalists, fan of American Journalism Review. This was a journalist of style, as evidenced by his "I Love Me" wall. All one can do with unthinking game-players, is leave them with a question their intellect can tumble over, if at all, in their own good time. "Why do you eat your young and your old?" Mother Nature doesn't mind if you eat your young, but it prunes your genes from the gene pool. Nor does she mind if you eat your old, although it cheats you of experience. In this case, the young and old are insight, and self-absorption mortgages the future of those who practice it. And it's okay. Mother Nature uses rust to remove detritus over time. [Macro error: Can't find a sub-table named "commentIt".]
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