the latest victim of tbd: the erudite michael berube.
also, it looks as if kevin hayden of american street is coming down with a bad case of tbd. and digby informs us that billmon and jeanne d’arc have called it quits (we already knew about kevin of catch.com).
more after the jump:
all of this saddens us, but it certainly does not surprise us. we’ve been following the spread of ted barlow disease, or tbd, since it was first spotted in 2002, when it took down (who else?) ted barlow.
of course, ted fought back and went on to blog again back at crooked timber. and, truth be told, remember that billmon and jeanne and michael have all had previous bouts with this dreaded affliction.
let’s face it, blogging is only slightly more productive than masturbation, and a whole lot less fun. unless you are one of the lucky more talented ones, like kevin drum, who gets paid for blogging, or lucky smart ones, like atrios or kos who have big enough audiences to command mucho dinero for their blogads, chances are you won’t get paid enough for blogging to buy a 15 inch monitor.
so that means one of two things, if you’re a blogger. you are either really stupid and like to waste your time writing inconsequential things probably nobody ever reads, or you are incredibly dedicated to your political ideals and believe you are making a difference, as well as being really stupid and like to waste your time writing inconsequential things probably nobody ever reads.
either way, sooner or later reality is going to sneak up and bite you on the ass. and the reality is, life away from the keyboard is not only more tangible and fulfilling than blogging, it’s ultimately better on your lower back and eye strain.
so, we are absolutely not surprised that some of the best bloggers have succumbed to the dreaded ted barlow disease. aside from those listed above, let’s not forget south knox bubba, zizka, jess of pandagon, who went on to real world work, kyn of shock and awe, counterspin, ben and alex, the originators of bluegrassroots, both of whom also went on to real world jobs. and annatopia has promised to come back. and of course, we lament the loudest over the grand-daddy of all lefty bloggers, the horse.
and let’s remember to keep hope alive. not only is ted barlow disease not fatal, it has often been known to go into remission, allowing the blogger to feel good about sharing his/her/its feelings and thoughts with the audience again. dcmedia girl, blogtopus, the watchful babbler of doxagora, and of course, ted barlow himself, have come back to blog once more (tho the babbler has apparently had a relapse, and ted, alas, is nowhere to be found in blogtopia,and yes! we coined that phrase).
[ed. note: ironically, it was kevin hayden who points out that also experiencing remission is john emerson of zizka at seeing the forest and r. neal, aka south knox bubba, works at knoxviews.]
you ask, what is our point? we ask, after 4 1/2 years of blogging, suddenly we’re expected to have a point? but seriously, a wiser man than us once said, all good things come to an end. nothing lasts forever. it’s all over except the shouting. to everything turn turn turn.
what we are trying to say is, mourn not these cyber-entities, for their authors have done nothing but go on to live their lives in three dimensions, something most of us could probably afford to do more of. they are happy and healthy and living productive lives in the real world. it’s us who should be mourned, leading our lives in front of computer screens, as if the pixels in front of our eyes were the important things.
we say unto you, ted barlow disease is but an opportunity to interact on a physical plane with the world, and not in the safety of moderated comments.
be not sad, friends. they who contract tbd are all in a better place.
the real world.
ask not for whom the blog tolls. it tolls for thee.