Why I Blog

I strongly agree with the points Andrew Sullivan makes in his essay “Why I Blog.”  I really love the quote on page 283 that reads, “Not all of it is mere information. Much of it is also opinion and scholarship, a knowledge base that exceeds the research department of any newspaper. A good blog is your own private Wikipedia. Indeed, the most pleasant surprise of blogging has been the number of people working in law or government or academia or rearing kids at home who have real literary talent and real knowledge, and who had no outlet—until now. There is a distinction here, of course, between the edited use of e-mailed sources by a careful blogger and the often mercurial cacophony on an unmediated comments section. But the truth is out there—and the miracle of e-mail allows it to come to you. “ I completely agree with just about everything he is saying here. He says that blogs are like Wikipedia. I thought this juxtaposition was well suited because blogs often define the subject matter and go deeper into its meaning just as Wikipedia does. Interestingly enough, Wikipedia itself it kind of like a blog because anyone can post edits to it. I also really like when he refers to brilliant kids whom enlighten the internet with their profound interpretations. It gives young adults a chance to interact with people older than them about a subject matter that perhaps relates to both age groups in either the same or a different manner. The one part of this paragraph that doesn’t quite work for me is where he says that the “truth” is out there. I think that the truth is different for every person. Some authors may have a particular message they are trying to convey with his or her writings but I think other options do definitely exist and sometimes may even prevail for certain readers. Truth is a broad term and I do not like the way Sullivan uses it here.