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Writing a blog can be hazardous at times. It seems that there are those out there in 'Internet land' who are simply waiting for someone to express their opinion on a topic so that they can pounce on it and deride, mock, ridicule, and cast scorn in a piously condescending way as if those they oppose are intellectually retarded in some way. (And, let's face it - sometimes they are.) It happens to everyone who blogs and I'm no exception.
Having a blog requires having something to write about. And sometimes it requires needing something to write about when new ideas are thin on the ground. If there's a space, it has to be filled. Believe it or not, this very site gets visited many thousands of times every month by people looking for something to read and I hate to disappoint them. I discuss mainly comics and collectables, though sometimes indulge in personal reminiscences and social comment. Even then, however, I try to include some kind of reference to comics, tenuous as it may be.
Sometimes I revisit a topic because there's something more I want to say on the matter, or I think it might be of interest to someone, or I simply can't think of anything else to comment upon. Due to the intended scope of this blog, I'm somewhat restricted by certain 'parameters' and don't like to stray too far beyond them. That sometimes necessitates a certain amount of repetition of subject matter, but I take the view that not everyone will have read my previous posts and therefore some topics can bear another outing. Just like comics, every post is someone's first.
I must confess, therefore, that I find it irksome when I hear of certain people accusing me of having an 'agenda' or an 'obsession'. As it happens, I do have an agenda - but it's merely to inform and to entertain and, yes - perhaps sometimes even to educate - in some small way on various details. The 'agenda' I'm accused of, however, is ascribed to me by one particular person in a pathetic attempt to cast doubt on my motives for commenting, and to diminish my opinion on matters of which I actually know a fair bit about from many years of personal experience. (Fifteen of which were in a professional capacity.)
His issues with me spring mainly from him having an opposing view to my own in regard to one particular topic. (Regular readers will doubtless know to whom and what I refer.) Others share his perspective of course, but tend to be far less 'enthused' about it than he is. Lest anyone think I'm developing a persecution complex, far from it. I'm well aware that my 'detractors' consist of (at most) a handful of people with a vested interest in shouting me down and undermining my credibility. I find such efforts amusing for the most part, but they can also be irritating on occasion when they resort to distortion and misrepresentation in pursuit of their aims.
It is, in equal measure, both hilarious and annoying to see one particular person consider his dismissive comments, sly innuendo, attribution of false motives, thinly-veiled insults, patronising attitude, condescending manner, and supercilious remarks over the course of many months as being a 'restrained and mature' reaction. This from someone who seems to see me lurking behind every anonymous comment on his blog that disagrees with him on any matter. Now, there's obsession for you.
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Sad thing is, he doesn't seem to realise that, if he didn't indulge in this sort of thing, I wouldn't be boring the pants off everyone by having to address this 'mature and restrained' fantasies.
So, let's be clear. On this blog, any thoughts, theories, or observations I opine on comics (any comic) spring from my lifelong love of, interest in, and devotion to them - not from the figment of someone else's imagination or delusion, who, it seems to me, is guilty of pursuing his own personal agenda when it comes to anyone expressing a point of view at odds with his own.
'Nuff said! (Hopefully.)
6 comments:
Have a SUPER week, Gordie!
Thanks. And you have an even more SUPER week, Harry!
Perhaps there wouldn't be quite so much "cultural snobbery" (quote, unquote) about UK comics if the two main contenders hadn't lost their way quite so spectacularly and were resigned to peddling burp, fart, bogey and poo jokes to six year olds?
Just a thought...
And you can rely on me to think about it.
As the chap who was quote unquoted about "cultural snobbery". I was referring to the kind that has always existed. I'm a snob against burp, fart and bogey jokes too, and while I still encourage people at work etc to try the Dandy on their young kids I'm in no hurry to renew my own subscription.
On the other hand though, you don't see streets named after comic artists and writers in Britain. Or statues of characters put up (at least not without the expected gutter press reactions). Neither do you see our embassies abroad promoting our comics, or jokey political 'awards' named after comic catchphrases. All of Britain's comics, no matter how good, are treated with contempt by the majority of our own people. The sterling work of the writers and artists (well, most of them) is completely ignored. We had Titan deciding not to print the "Roy of the Rovers Archives" books. When really such things should never have gone out of print in the first place. And then there's the state of the shelves in Smith's...but I'll leave the rest for a comic magazine I want to make (which will probably have 12 pages and come out once a year, ahem). There's probably a word count here!
Here's another comment I somehow failed to respond to. I hate it when people don't acknowledge my comments on their blogs, and I also hate it when I inadvertently do the same on mine. So thanks for your comment, M, even if it did take me 11 and a half years to reply to it. Better late than never?
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