Monday, August 06, 2007
A Blogger's Union?
Just when something gets to be pretty cool some idiot decides it needs to be unionized. The beauty of this form of expression is precisely that I DON'T HAVE TO FOLLOW ANY GUIDELINES AND CAN THEREFORE SAY WHATEVER I WANT (and so can you). Guess which side of the aisle wants a union?
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I can see it now:
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but you can't blog about that subject because it's not in your union contract. And remember, it takes three union bloggers to write a post. And don't forget, you can't cross virtual picket lines.
I'd like to know how they plan to collect their virtual union dues. Good grief!
Um, did you bother to read the article? It sounds more akin to what a professional organization like ACEP does than what a traditional union does. Unions traditionally engage in collective bargaining with employers -- who would they bargain with for independent blogggers? It sounds more like an advocacy organization -- get press credentials, set technical standards, get health insurance.
ReplyDeleteNowhere does it say anything about mandatory membership, editorial control or anything like that.
But throw in the word 'union' and it's sure to bring out a reflexive screed from the right...
um, yes, i read the article dear shadowfax, but obviously i didn't understand it. some of the words were really big. since we are obviously polar opposites politically why not stay over there in the mossy northwest woods and play with the other kids that you like and that like you? seriously, did you not smoke enough pot today? i hear they have really good stuff out there and i know you drive an expensive car (from your post about your car crash) so i'm sure you can afford some good humbolt kind.
ReplyDelete"reflexive screed" you say? how would you characterize your post exactly? you see for us conservatives the modus operandi of the left is incrementalism. social security, medicare/medicaid... all really small programs not likely to impinge on the market at all. sure, what could be the harm of a little blogger's union? just like-minded folks banding together to secure their rights as bloggers which are.... uhhhh, well, rights of some sort i'm sure.
seems to me that, as i mention in my post (did you bother to read it?) that the wonderful thing about blogs is their freaky, wonderful freedom. the fact that bloggers of all political persuasions have been out-reporting and out-hustling the MSM wait for it... WITHOUT PRESS CREDENTIALS! seems a bit weird that a bunch of folks voicing their opinion in a public forum accessible from all corners of the globe wouldn't be happy with the situation as it stands. seems like it's thriving! that is right where a left-minded person gets upset though. after all, what do a bunch of bloggers know anyway? we need some structure here and some committees and some rules and some dues which are completely voluntary unless you want your union card and which will not be used for any political purpose unless you count filtering out the undesirable blogs political. i can see it all now... looks like a super idea! health insurance? howzat? who's paying? can i get some?
most importantly we need to secure our rights though and the best way to do that is by forming a union. after all, unions have been such a blessing in so many ways. just watch the movie "matewan" for goodness' sake! if it weren't for the unions and the new deal and really smart people to run the whole show (like you shadowfax) then, well, i'm sure we would all still be laboring under the delusion that it was up to us to take care of ourselves.
And don't forget, you can't cross virtual picket lines.
ReplyDeleteI want to see bloggers strike. Yawny yawny. What will I do?? I guess I'll have to read one of the 15 million OTHER weblogs out there.
What bargaining power do hobbyists (sure, some people make dough off their hobby, enough to call their hobby a "job", but most don't) offering materials to read for free have? Who do they bargain with? The readers? We don't care, we'll read something else.
First step in a union: Have someone with whom to bargain.
I've made enough in my 3rd-tier blogging "career" (read:hobby) to pay 2 full private family policy insurance premiums! And this is probably more than 99% of bloggers have made.
911- you slay me! I could give a great big poo poo about politics (I hate 'em all!) but between you and shadowfax ......what a hoot!
ReplyDeleteIs "Bendy Girl" for real?? She thinks someone should help pay her medical bills because she sits tethered and ever widening at her computer, suffering from the physical intensity of pushing around that mouse???
911,
ReplyDeleteYou should know that we don't smoke pot in the Pac NW. We do meth. It helps the productivity and sure makes the night shifts go faster!
Cheers,
SF
"Madrak hopes that regardless the form, the labor movement ultimately will help bloggers pay for medical bills. It's important, she said, because some bloggers can spend hours a day tethered to computers as they update their Web sites.
ReplyDelete"Blogging is very intense -- physically, mentally," she said. "You're constantly scanning for news. You're constantly trying to come up with information that you think will mobilize your readers. In the meantime, you're sitting at a computer and your ass is getting wider and your arm and neck and shoulder are wearing out because you're constantly using a mouse."
Sitting at a computer for 8 or 12 hours a day with a minimal lunch break which is probably eaten at the computer and 2 - 15 minute breaks which are either deleted or used to empty an already full bladder is just plain absurd. What happened to life? What happened to real interactions with real people? I told Daughter #2 that I feel very behind in the advancement of all this technology stuff. Maybe I should be greatful.
I write what I want, when I want, and about what I want. I write for ME and if it interests you, great, if it doesn't...then I still get things off my chest. The last thing I want is someone to tell me what thoughts I am permitted to express.
The real question though is this.... is that a right thought or a left.
crystal meth is also a great diet aid. at first you don't want to eat. later you can't because of your meth mouth.
ReplyDeletestrike, screedless lefties, strike! You have nothing to lose but your links!!
ReplyDelete????
ReplyDeleteAs a lefty and having read both sides, gotta admit I still don't get a. why a union, and b. why the stress about it.
But what do I know? I blog for fun and some illusion of access to what's going on inside other people's heads.