Kathleen Parker: part of the problem

This article is nothing more than a plea of “Please don’t abandon me, I matter.” Note the elitism that masks her fear:

Bloggers persist no matter their contributions or quality, though most would have little to occupy their time were the mainstream media to disappear tomorrow. Some bloggers do their own reporting, but most rely on mainstream reporters to do the heavy lifting. Some bloggers also offer superb commentary, but most babble, buzz and blurt like caffeinated adolescents competing for the Ritalin generation’s inevitable senior superlative: Most Obsessive-Compulsive.

Even so, they hold the same megaphone as the adults and enjoy perceived credibility owing to membership in the larger world of blog grown-ups.

I mean no disrespect to the many brilliant people out there - professors, lawyers, doctors, philosophers, scientists and other journalists who also happen to blog. Again, they know who they are. But we should beware and resist the rest of the ego-gratifying rabble who contribute only snark, sass and destruction.

We can’t silence them, but for civilization’s sake - and the integrity of information by which we all live or die - we can and should ignore them.

My response below, pasted from the comments on her article:

Don’t take her bait, people - by JimK, Dec 29 2005 01:23 AM

This article was written out of fear. Fear that one day it will be her neck on the chopping block when she blows a story that amateurs in their living rooms, in pajamas, got right.

Bloggers...see it for what it is. Another attempt to smear blogs, blogging and anyone not part of the mainstream elitist crowd that has too-long dominated our information stream. Look at her own words… why professionals, they’re A-OK. Doctors and lawyers can blog, but you? Joe Sixpack? You’re too stupid, too crass, to low-brow. Get out of her sandbox...you simply DON’T BELONG.

You can almost see her nose turn up when she says it.

Don’t defend what we do. We’re not at fault here. She and her kind broke the system. For lack of a better analogy...we’re the victims and she’s the one on trial. Don’t let her turn it around. Don’t take the bait.

*UPDATE*

John Hawkins has more, and he’s right on.  Also, see Pam at Blogmeister USA and through a commenter there, DJ Drummond at Polipundit who had this gem:

You know what I find “creepy”? That someone like you would be teaching future journalists.

Definitely.  Parker is a disease.  Blogging is the cure.  Boy, she stepped in it, no doubt about it.

Posted by JimK at 09:46 AM on December 29, 2005
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Categories: The Blogosphere,  The Fourth Estate
Tags: Kathleen Parker blogging blogosphere