Jessica Cutler, of Washingtonienne fame, thinks blogs are “the most democratic thing ever,” and she’s right. You don’t have to have a journalism degree to publish your own blog, and you don’t have to buy a newspaper or magazine to read them. You don’t even have to have your own computer and Internet connection. Just waltz in to your local library and read the blogs that interest you. Blogging gives everyone a chance to be an author, no matter who you are or where you live.
You don’t have to be a particularly gifted author, either. The very nature of blogging allows writers to suspend the rules of composition, and to attract attention, bloggers often put good manners aside, hurl insults, make accusations, and stir up controversy. If they happen to be wrong in what they say, it’s okay. It’s tough to get a libel charge leveled against a blogger, and besides, the offended party can simply set up his or her own blog and return the insults.
Is this a model of democracy that Americans should celebrate and export around the world? Or is this merely the yammerings of an unruly mob who have exploited the freedoms that democracy should protect?
J.
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I think that it is a model of democracy, because it shows how people have absolute freedom. Exporting this idea to the world could be a great idea, because that way you can have people knowing about whats happening in the world. Not everybody realizes what goes on, especially in countries that dont have such high technologies.
Blogging, first of all, isn't as formal as any other form of writing and it is the easiest form of writing that exists. It's a general sense of internet talk that many bloggers abuse to their extent of power.
The blog does show a sense of freedom of speech, however there is always a limit to how much a person can say/write. In a negative sense, a bunch of words can always be charged as libel.
Some bloggers know how to blog and write blogs really well, while other bloggers blog about stupid topics like Brittany Spear's life.
Any sense of communication about politics and the government can be seen as a model of democracy that Americans can share around the world.
I agree that blogging is usually yammering produced by people with extra time on their hands.
I know that information is easily found online, but if the information is not in a widely known blogging site- the chances of the blog being find is going to be very slim.
Life should not have huge constraints on peoples freedom of speech. It is true that democracy should be practiced in very civil way, but the liberty of typing the thoughts and the feeling that you have about others should be expressed in an anonymous way, if you want them to be(which most people do what it to be that way).
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