Has it all been said before?
A while back, as I was perusing the bloggernacle I came across a comment that made a statement, something to the effect of “there was nothing new to be discovered here…it has all been said before…” I thought about different sites I had visited and the posts I had read the comments I had written and for a moment I agreed. To me these issues were in fact old news simply being rehashed in slightly different formats. I had heard it all before at some point in my life and did I really think that what I read or what had to say would make a difference to me or to anyone else?
But then I considered real life and compared it to bloggernation. I asked myself the following: In real life do my husband and I always have new material to discuss at home? Do my friends always have some new and exciting topic to debate? When I’m at church each week do I find groundbreaking and motivating concepts to swallow? The answer is – no, with a rare exception. So why should one expect this phenomenon to happen elsewhere.
As a relatively recent newcomer to planet blog, I ask how the old timers (and the new timers) handle this accusation of “nothing new” and are there those who burn out after discussing the same things over and over again? How much “not again” with a roll of the eyes is really happening out there and does it really even matter since the need is there to simply connect and communicate with one another?
April 8th, 2006 05:52
The human stories and the interaction are what is new, and what is worthwhile.
April 8th, 2006 05:53
This is a great question, Jen. I’ve been around the bloggernacle for about a year now, and there definitely do seem to be periods where the same old arguments are hashed out over and over again - with the same old tired responses and the same people trotting out on their high horses (both liberal and conservative breeds) to judge and condemn.
Most of these same old, same old arguments are over homosexual marriage, polygamy, abortion, gender issues, R-rated movies (although we haven’t seen any of those for awhile), etc. I don’t think anyone has convinced me of anything during these discussions, but I have learned new information - and I appreciate cordial exchanges expressing different opinions (although cordiality is usually the first thing to get thrown by the wayside, followed by reasonability).
That said, there is plenty of new material out there - I think. A quick perusal around the blogs today shows commentary on the newly-discovered St. Judas manuscripts, an interpretation of the “eye of the needle” scripture, a debate on current U.S. immigration policies, and many more posts on contemporary events, or the sharing of personal experiences (i.e., Nate Oman’s post at Times and Seasons about his mission).
I appreciate you asking this question today, because it’s important for me to remind myself that although it may be enticing to get riled up and argue furiously for my own hobby horse (feeling the equine analogies this morning), it’s not very constructive in the end. And there are so many interesting things to talk about with my fellow bloggers.
April 8th, 2006 12:38
I think that might have been me — I said something very similar to that at the end of a discussion of same sex marriage and membership in the Church (I think that was a post number >150). At that point in the conversation, we’d run out of stuff to talk about that hadn’t already been said and addressed, so I suggested we walk away on the principle of “when the horse is dead, dismount.”
This doesn’t mean that the discussion wasn’t worthwhile, even though very little of what was said was stuff I hadn’t seen before. Sometimes the value is not in having people say new and different things, but in letting new people say them so that you can respond to them (not just the words) and let them consider that different position in response to their own words, rather than the words of another. No, it just meant that the conversation had run out of gas, and it was time to move on until next time.
The fact that old-timers have had these conversations many (many, many) times doesn’t mean that they aren’t worthwhile either — we wouldn’t have had them this many times if they weren’t worthwhile. We wouldn’t have bothered.
It just might be good for a newcomer to take a minute to think twice before submitting an unpolished Sunday School (or Standard Anti) answer to one of these conversations, because those have long since been considered and addressed to death. If you really want to say one, polish it up a bit — think about the other points that have been said, and adjust your comment to take those into account a little bit.
Then you’ve got a conversation — a person speaks, another person listens, the other person thinks, the person replies, lather, rinse, repeat. Without that, you’ve just got a couple egos beating each other up with words. That’s a lot less interesting.
April 9th, 2006 05:43
“When I’m at church each week do I find groundbreaking and motivating concepts to swallow?”
I often think the items discussed in church is boring…and then I decide to contribute. My comments aren’t anything new, but I make them anyway, because otherwise I’d sit around and complain, or not go at all. My old man always said that we go to church for two reasons: to take the sacrament and to grow spiritually and socially by interacting with others of our same faith. I agree with him. Everything else in church I could do at home or over the phone. Church wasn’t meant to be fun and entertaining
I once read a book call “Amusing Ourselves to Death”. The premise was that nowadays we cannot be happy doing anything unless it comes to us via movie or entertainment. The author naturally decried the idea of amusement as the sole impetus for learning, and although I don’t agree with him across the board, church is the exception. Kids need to be amused just to keep parents and teachers from killing them, but adults should be mentally strong enough to tolerate the occasionally boring three hour segment of life.
April 9th, 2006 19:38
HI, Jen! I can’t believe you’re pregnant! I’m so happy for you and who really cares if everyone only has blah blah amount of kids…you obviously are supposed to have another one! As for the whole blog boring factor, I don’t understand the possibility of being bored or eye-rolling at all when you’re being authentic. There is only one of every person on the earth and no two of us are the same, so if we are really discussing things that interest us and from our own unique perspectives, it is quite impossible to be THAT bored or bor-ing. I find it amazing that, after 3 years, I still can’t quite get a handle on all the opinions my husband seems to have on things that are not congruent with my own.
I treat blogging like journaling, so every entry is really personal and unique. I’m not sure if it’s necessary to always be trying to discuss the world and why it turns and the cosmos and other esoteric persuits just to feel like there’s something to say. Life seems to provide so much fodder for discussion all by itself. The life of an LDS woman and wife and mother seems to be this endless ride of self-examination and discovery even when you’re just reading Goodnight Moon for the thousandth time and making easy Mac and cheese and giving baths in the kitchen sink because you’re way to tired to fill up the tub.
It really is how you look at it I guess and if people would start being their authentic selves and stop thinking about who will read and what they will think and how interesting am I, I think the problem will go away of ever feeling less than inspired in bloggerdom and in Church and life. That was a really long sentence for a creative writing major who should know better but it is what it is.
I love you, Jen.
April 10th, 2006 11:33
As long as I’m still commenting, then there are things that still need to be said.
April 14th, 2006 11:00
I’m a little late to the discussion, but here’s my two cents. Sometimes I have thought its just the same stuff over and over on the bloggernacle. But sometimes it is something different and meaningful. And sometimes even the old stuff can be relevant.
As a mother, am I really experiencing anything that no one has felt before? As a faithful person trying to live the gospel, am I really learning and growing in such a unique way that no one’s been there before? No! But it is new and meaningful to me.
So, maybe certain subjects have been hashed and rehashed for me on the bloggernacle, but for someone else they are interesting. I sometimes feel like joining in and sharing my perspective with those who haven’t lived my life. But sometimes I pass it by because I’ve typed enough on the subject only a few months ago.
I think it is good for those with experience and wisdom to share with others. But sometimes I know there are things people need to figure out themselves or discuss with their peers to validate their experiences.