Well, it’s official
now. I just purchased hosting for the new The Todd Blog website, to be
found conveniently enough at TheToddBlog.com–if you go there right now,
you won’t find much. I’m thinking it will take a couple weeks to get
things set up the way I want them. I would like to thank Google for
getting my ass in gear to actually do what I have wanted to do from the
beginning–so thoughtful of you Google.
The new site–as I envision it–will not only
have daily articles/blog posts, but hopefully expand into some other
areas of multimedia as well. Not only can I put my artistic abilities to
use now as far as site design and layout goes, I am also looking
forward to making some videos as well. Given my dry and twisted humor,
it could be quite interesting. More than anything, my new site will be
an expression of me. My thoughts, ideas, experiences and my
creative sensibilities as a whole.
The general tone of the site will be that of
spreading rational and pragmatic ideas–coming from a so-called
"far-left" perspective–that will hopefully inspire discussion and
understanding of the social world around us. I will avoid being just
another Marxist sounding board. While dialectical materialism is my
historical foundation for observing social, political and economic
systems, it is not the be all and end all of rational critique. I simply
do not take myself seriously enough to believe that I am right on all
issues I discuss in my writings. In fact, many readers have pointed out
important omissions and errors in my writing–or not including more
perspective. I always take these to heart and correct/edit anything that
I have omitted or did not explain properly.
The new site will be no
different. All opinions and dissent are welcome–as long as it is civil.
If we can actually take the time to listen to one another, realize we
don't have all the answers and not turn everything into a shouting
match, we might accomplish something truly great as a society; or at
least accomplish a truly great website. These are Lofty expectations
nonetheless, civil discourse has been at best marginalized and at worst
negated by a media that promotes and profits on mindless back and forth
insults. That will not be tolerated on my site. It is easy for us on the
left to point out the hypocrisy of the right, yet we ignore our own
shortcomings in the belief that we are right and they are wrong.
This black and white
conceptualization of the world divides us; splits us into sides of
“right” and “wrong.” It leads us to support the killing of other human
beings because they are "wrong" and we are "right". I’m sorry, but the
right-wing does not have the patent on inflammatory hyperbole. The left,
including “liberals” and “radicals” does much the same thing that the
right does. Screaming matches seem to be the norm today, rather than
rational and reasoned discourse. I hope I can do my part to exacerbate
some semblance of reasonable dialog rather than perpetuating an "us vs.
them" mentality.
As a child, I remember watching William F. Buckley on TV. I
probably didn’t understand the politics at that time, and would later
come to resent his ideas as I understood what they were. But Buckley
always had the left on his show–the real left, not these watered-down
“liberals” that make customary appearances on the political screaming
shows. Rather than yelling and belittling his guests that were in direct
ideological conflict with him, he actually allowed them to speak. He
spoke back. They had actual intelligent discussions giving there side of
the particular issue without resorting to insults and personal attacks.
I know this seems like a foreign concept now–especially for those
around my age or younger– but it was civil and it provided sound
intellectual debate while being pragmatic and courteous.
If anything, I would like
to be a voice of reason on the left. As long as we can find ways to
mutually respect one another, accept the fact that we don’t have all the
answers and know that a black and white world is a world of conflict,
war and destruction, then perhaps we can grow. Of course there is no
place for hate and ignorance; that includes the hate and ignorance that
arises from the left as well. Civil political, cultural and
racial discussion can be achieved as long as we do not accept that one
who screams loudest is right. We can do better than that. I can do
better than that.
–Sorry for the rambling. I hope my point is taken the way in which
it was intended. Again, I look forward to building a new site that
welcome all ideas yet is firmly grounded in the reality that education
and information are the tools for real change–personally and socially.
Imperialism thrives when we are in conflict. I do believe there is hope.
There are more radicals out there than the corporate media would lead
one to believe. It is simply a matter of building on core principles and
resisting the urge to insult and denigrate any idea that we believe to
be wrong. Changing perspective isn’t accomplished through name-calling
and yelling, it is accomplished by presenting facts in a reasoned and
rational manner. On that note, I’m falling asleep and need rest soon!
Much work is needed for my coming site. Thank you to everyone again and
again for your support.
Please visit my temporary Todd Blog Part Deux
