Snarkology

I noticed, today, that I have over 11,000 hits on my site counter. That means each of my 6 readers has been doing some multiple checking-in, I guess!

I don't get a lot of comments on the blog. That's partly because most of my friends either email me, or just mention in person that they read it. It's also because I have a fairly boring blog, I suppose. It's more of an informative blog, about what I've been up to, than an entertainment site, I guess.

I read a few blogs on a regular basis which tend to get quite a few comments. The Comics Curmudgeon (http://joshreads.com/) will get up to 400 or 500 comments, sometimes. Bike Snob NYC (http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/) doesn't get that many, but he gets quite a few on a daily basis, as does Planetary Gears (http://planetarygears.blogspot.com/).

All of these sites have one thing in common; Snark.

Snarking is, to me, probably the lowest form of humor. It is akin to sitting on a bench at the mall, making fun of people as they walk by (without them hearing, of course). While some wit may come through, and the conversation is amusing, it really doesn't take great comedic talent to point out that out-of-shape people need to not wear belly shirts, or that old guys with bald spots shouldn't have pony tails.

I read these sites because I find the snarky comments amusing, and kinda funny at times (particularly BSNYC's take on bad Craigslist Ads). But, what confuses me, is the rabid response that the peanut gallery throws in on the comments page.

This is particularly true at Comics Curmudgeon. I swear, these people assign an altogether unhealthy importance to the comings and goings of comic strip characters, especially those in the comic For Better or For Worse.

Sometimes, it's like you can actually see the spittle flecking their monitor screens as they foam at the mouth in a frenzy of vitriol.

I'll admit that I have posted on that site a couple of times, usually to answer questions people have posited. And, I scan through the comments, but mainly to check out links to parody sites, and such.

Anyway, I find such nonsense a little unpleasant, after a while.

Even more unpleasant is the tendency of BSNYC's commentors to belittle people who don't ride whatever kind of bike the commentor rides. And, there is a lot of "hipster fixie poseur" talk by (supposedly) "real" fixie riders, such as bike messengers and track racers.

Sorry buddy, but just because I like to ride fixed doesn't mean I'm trying to "steal your cool". Believe me, if I was going to pretend to be someone, it wouldn't be some penniless skeezix who delivers boxes for a living, or some anorexic who rides in circles as fast as he possibly can.

Sorry if that sounds kinda nasty, but I'm really getting tired of that particular crap. I'm not pretending to be a courier, or a keirin racer. I'm just riding the kind of bike I most like to ride.

So, what's the point of all this? I don't really know; I was just thinking about it on the ride home from work today, in the rain, and thought I'd just put it out there.

Check out the three sites (they are entertaining), and let me know what you think, if you want.

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