McQ over at Q & O [1] discusses Steven Levy’s concerns about a lack of diversity in blogdom, today.
Because the old media was a closed system, they controlled who entered it and who was allowed to participate. IOW, there was indeed control over who could or couldn’t write and be published. If the old media chose to reflect a white male perspective only, it was pretty easy to accomplish that
Well, yes, but the reverse was pretty much the norm over the last 60 years or so; It has gotten to the point where the majority can’t speak it’s mind, on any point, for fear of being labeled racist, or not respecting divesity.
Along comes Blogging in answer to this, and suddenly Levy’s nervous.
Seriously, though, it seems to me that the real argument going on here is the artificaially injected controls on information, and that it simply doesn’t exist in Blogdom.
I add comments to his post, thus;
First, Blogdom IS diversity, personified.
Secondly, therefore, comes the idea that all this concern of a lack of diversity, is really a thinly veiled concern that the left cannot stand on it’s own merits; it’s diversity needs be ‘protected’ for some reason.
Jenkins, in his comments makes it clear that he still does not understand that a freedom of speech for a particular POV, does not mean an enforced audience. What he seeks is exactly that… an audience who cannot chose whom they will listen to.
Need I make the obvious comment that choice is the single biggest reason Blogs have taken off, of late?