"I’d bet they’re asleep in New York. I’d bet they’re asleep all over America…"
-- Rick Blaine, Casablanca
Links:
- Homeland is the story of Cassandra
- Books mentioned in Science Fiction University: Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake and The Handmaid's Tale, Frederick Pohl, The Space Merchants, and Henrik Ibsen, An Enemy of the People.
Da' money goes here:
10 comments:
What if a great writer came to the same conclusions as you without ever reading you or even knowing who you are? Same goes with Krugman! The possibility exists that Krugman has analyzed the world around him and reached some conclusions that are similar to your own w/o actually copying you. Are these people not intelligent and brave enough to reach their own conclusions and then write about them in major publications without your help?
I don't think he was implying that Pierce was ripping him off. He was mainly pointing out that the media, politicians, Wall Street, and all other institutions really only care what you say if you're from the North East Corridor or the Coastal West. Hence why Pierce has a column and DG does not, and the "East of Philly" comment.
He is 100% correct. For the institutional players America is a few major population centers on either coast. There is a vast hellscape full of rednecks, hicks, and cockroaches between our glorious utopias. That area is for dumping toxic waste, drilling, energy production, along with an endless supply of strippers, military recruits, and idiots to put on reality TV so we can laugh at them. But nobody in the NYC, DC, and LA media world gives a shit about it outside of that, nor do they pay any attention to what's being said out there.
So two people can say the exact same thing. However if one of them is saying it in the mid west they are a stupid fucking yokel and nobody gives a shit. If one of them says it from one of the major east coast centers they are an important person who should be listened to and paid a lot of money to say it.
My major strategic failures were:
1) Thinking that Chicago was a major American city. When it comes to media, Chicago is just Decatur with a big airport.
2) Thinking that consistently excellent quality + original artwork + consistent, steady supply + the ability to self-publish would be enough. It was not.
3) Thinking that somehow the internet really would defeat geography. I mean, if it's just 1s and 0s who cares if I don't live in NYC? Who cares if I'm not at Arianna's parties? Bwahahaha! I am an idiot.
4) Thinking that it was discourteous to relentlessly self-promote 24/7.
Chicago is a major city, it's just not a 1st tier city.
LA- Hollywood 2nd tier media
DC- Politics/Defense 2nd tier media
NYC- Media/Finance 2nd tier politics
SanFran- Tech giants
The problem with Chicago is that it's not "the best" or "the most important" in anything. As a population center it's fucking huge, but since it's not "the best" in any specific area people from 1st tier cities simply assume if you're in Chicago it's because you couldn't be in a top organization from a 1st tier city, or weren't good enough to be in the branch of a major firm in a 1st tier city.
Seattle also suffers from this, despite hosting giant tech companies there are more in "the Valley" so it's not as important as San Fran.
Even among first tier cities there is endless regional classism. Nobody from NYC or LA would take Washington opinion on fashion seriously, because Washington DC is for ugly people. Also even when we get top end places to eat here, can't compare to NYC or LA, so you learn early on that your opinions on food or fashion are utterly worthless and should never be said in the presence of a New Yorker. You're stepping out of place and will just be called an idiot.
Our exports are gridlock, David Brooks, and reading peoples emails.
1. Tell Clarence Page that Chicago is not a major American city or that living in Chicago prevents him from making a living as a writer.
2. Tell the Ghost of Frank Zappa that excellent quality, originality, a consistent steady supply, and the ability to self publish are not enough. (I guarantee that if you get an answer, you wont like what you hear.)
3. Your self anointed nemesis can do it and he doesn't even live in the contiguous United States.
4. If your podcasts aren't shameless acts of self promotion, then what is?
Maybe, just maybe, there is something else at work that is preventimg you from getting the recognition and fortune that you are so certain you richly deserve.
Seriously? We're pretending that geography, not willingness to worship the rich, is what wins the favor of media elites? What a useless set of glasses to view the world out of.
There are hundreds of thousands of talented fiery liberals that live in the "right" region. I'm not seeing any of them on my TV.
As for anyone saying the right thing at this very very late date:
If they were invisible ten years ago, they get a pass.
If they were wrong ten years ago, they need to get the hell to the back of the line.
If we're really hung up on priority, bartcop.com started this in 1996. How strange, he's not on driftglass's blog roll.
Like they say, there are a hundred thousand ways to succeed but a million ways to fail.
And funny that you should mention tireless self-promotion: Jesselyn Radack is over at dailykos.com stirring up the hysterical ninnies with tales of Edward Snowden and his selfless heroism in defence of American Liberty, featuring Alice Miller with her hitherto unremarked expertise in national security and legal affairs.
@steeve
Like it or not geography defines access to power, money, education, and so much more. The US is ruled by a select few city states that use the rest of the population and land as resources.
This is why promoting people to flyover is such a famous way to kill a career of a rival too stupid to realize it.
What a useless set of glasses to view the world out of.
But since they support a certain self-important bias, they will never be removed.
Like it or not
A construction used by people who are unable to muster a cogent argument, preferring to talk down and condescend.
I'll preface this comment by saying I listen to the podcast every single friggin' week, and have since the Ayn Rand Episode (not), and contributed quite a chunk of change at one point.
So.
Shorter Driftglass in the past: Jesus christ, why isn't anybody agreeing with me? I am the voice in the dark and I wish more people were saying this stuff.
Recent Driftlgass: Jesus christ, why are people agreeing with me NOW? If you weren't on this train at the exact time I was, you are less valid.
Also Driftglass: People who are just malcontent and downers and despairing forever and who just look for a reason to hate and be sad sure suck a lot.
Professional Left in the past: el oh el who is Keith Olbermann to have that whole 'don't you know who I am' attitude we Liberals don't take kindly to such a view of the world
Professional Left: How can you fail to acknowledge The Driftglass?
You knock Glenn Greenwald for ruining a sometimes legit point by including random potshots and grinding axes, (rightly so) but I honestly think you do that with things like 'liberals have been right forever (yes they have)', or 'the mainstream media appropriates liberal arguments without accrediting them to the people who were right (they do)'. But it's combined with, well. Some of the stuff above!
Your own personal axes, and bitterness, and all those other things that are perfectly fine to feel, but, uh. Some of them honestly end up bothering me, for whatever that's worth, so eventually I ended up speaking up.
Also this probably doesn't make a ton of sense but the 'that's cute that you're, you know, on my side now, but that's not good enough' gets to me after a while. Especially when you basically slam others for doing, uh. That exact thing. And it's a rather persistent theme.
I had a big email I was trying to send at the beginning of the month but I think it failed or went to an old address so I'll probably try again.
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