Wednesday, May 5, 2021

So, what is a blog for?

And so it transpired former president (or current president depending on whom you ask!) Donald J. Trump has a new blog. The blog in question, like mine, has no reply option. But items can be reshared on Facebook and Twitter. Oh also unlike mine "donate" and "contribute" figure widely on the page. 

At least, Trump did not play the Instagram card. Because you know, too many people say they have blogs when the blogs in question are silly pages on Instagram. Sure, they may be getting freebies left and right (or used to as this no longer applies in Lebanon!) but an Instagram page is not a blog.

Well, truth be told, there used to be a flurry of bloggers in Lebanon but most migrated (as in literally changed countries!), others have phantom pages (for paid press releases, or press releases for free as they concentrate on their Instagram - again - and youtube pages). To be honest, technically, I remain the only blogger in Lebanon.

But what for?

I once had a bank as a client and at one point I suggested that they might have a blog where all employees can pitch things to and the head of the bank (also the owner) said "el blog houwe yalli ma 3indo chi y3oulo" (a blog is for someone who has nothing to say) which reminded me of my post "c'est pas parce qu'on n'a rien a dire (qu'il faut fermer sa gueule)". Which of course, does not reply to the question, "so, what is a blog for Tarek?".

In a age where anyone does not want to read, where concentrating on two paragraphs becomes too much, where information is distorted (despite being written and communicated clearly), where narratives are misshapen - blogs are actually superfluous entities barely needed and certainly disregarded (OK, but I have to thank the large number of people who still read this one - or at least make it a point to click massively monthly on its content!). 

Well, "45" speaks of a "beacon of freedom" - good for him. Trust me on this one, I was sued twice for speaking "freely" about facts. Which is a totally annoying experience if you ask me. But still, more than anyone, I ask myself, what is a blog for? 

But as William Carlos Williams wrote in "the red wheelbarrow":

"so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow"

And so much depends on the lone blogger still standing. What depends exactly is a different matter.