Submitted by Stephen Kennamer, Feb 18, 2008 13:38

Ms. Rosen tells us that Siegel makes three points: the Internet, under the guise of promoting democracy, actually leads to "blogofascism"; it erodes standards and expertise; it commodifies private life. To take the last point first, no one has to commodify his or her private life who does not want to. I am old enough to remember the famous speech dubbing television a "vast wasteland." The speaker was certainly correct, but anyone can avoid the brain rot by turning the thing off: it is inane to blame the television if I watch it all day.

Same with Internet ranters: they are no stupider than wingnut talk radio hosts. The discerning consumer turns off Rush Limbaugh, listens to NPR, and visits intelligent blogs on the Internet. Easy peasy. Again, if "virulent hatred comes so easily" to bloggers, is that the fault of the MEDIUM? Were these bloggers formerly enlightened and knowledgeable, and because of the Internet have become know-nothings? Or, prior to getting connected, were they hanging out in bars shouting and gesticulating? Offended by them, Mr. Siegel? Just say no. Remove them from your Favorites.

"Not surprisingly, Mr. Siegel is especially exorcised [sic] by the loss of authority of the cultural critic." Not surprisingly indeed: can Rosen please underline here the relevant fact that Siegel IS such a cultural critic?--at least in his own mind and the minds of those who publish him. He's like Plato recommending that philosophers be the kings: we need full disclosure about Plato's profession. In fact, Siegel and company do make up an elite, largely self-appointed and self-perpetuating. B. R. Myers used old-fashioned print to hold up Siegel as an example of a bad critic touting bad writers.

Finally, Wikipedia. All I can say is that I consult it constantly and even in my own areas of detailed expertise have found it to be accurate. In the bad old days, I used to fulminate against the Encyclopedia Britannica because it never achieved Wikipedia's level of objectivity. Its earliest articles about psychoanalysis were written by Freud himself, and later by Freudian disciple Ernest Jones. All experts of any kind, Siegel most certainly included, have an ax to grind. I'd say Wikipedia's record for minimizing the bias in its articles is far better than the Britannica's. Everyone questions the reliability of Wikipedia, but rarely with any convincing demonstration of malfeasance, and never with any similar investigation of the reliability of other reference works.

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