Hello all. Have you missed me?
I took something of a vacation in April, mostly because I was a bit unwell. At first, I only intended to steer clear for a couple of weeks while I recovered from a bad Lupus flare. However, as my mini-vacation continued, I discovered that my break from the constant noise was refreshing.
At one point, my brother asked me if I planned to write about some headline outrage of the moment, I don’t remember which since there were so many, and I told him that from now on, I would only weigh in on the latest outrage of the moment if I could contribute something unique or original to it.
After over a decade of writing political commentary, I suddenly realized that I was sick of the constant cacophony of the right-leaning internet echo chamber.
To borrow from the Grinch: If there’s one thing I hate, it’s all the noise, noise, noise, noise.
When I first started following conservative blogs in 2008, I loved how creative, innovative, and irreverent they were. The People’s Cube, I Own the World, Vodka Pundit — every conservative blogger provided unique, clever, and often humorous commentary that was engaging and entertaining.
But today? Not so much.
Now, every single right-leaning blog is focused exclusively on monetization, so they flood the zone by posting every viral story or video clip that comes over the transom. As a result, they’re all posting the same crap.
Today, the right-leaning blogosphere is an incestuous circle jerk of URLs, each cribbing content from the others, hoping to boost engagement and revenue.
Biden stumbles on his way to board Marine One, and every right-leaning or pro-Trump blog writes about it.
Kamala serves up a word salad and websites from Fox News to every penny ante WordPress blog post the video.
A celebrity posts something stupid on Twitter that prompts endless mockery, and every one of these blogs lands on it like it’s the biggest story since the Lindbergh kidnapping.
Why should I add to the noise?
If you have nothing original to add, why bellow the same talking points as everybody else? Aside from loading up your website with posts to boost engagement and monetization, there is no point in it.
I have a Substack newsletter, not a blog, so fortunately, I’m not under pressure to boost my internet ad revenue by flooding my Substack with filler posts I cribbed from blogs like Twitchy.
I stopped visiting blogs over a year ago, mostly because I use the internet for news, and blogs are dreadful new sources.
By “blogs,” I would also include Fox News and the New York Post. It’s clear that the Murdoch outlets are hurting from that massive settlement with Dominion because both Fox and the Post are cramming their websites with just as much click-bait filler to boost monetization as every other blogger.
At this point, the only news on Fox’s website are AP wire service reports. There is no point going to Fox Digital and weeding through the click-bait crap to find news stories when you can go to the Associated Press directly.
That goes for Newsmax as well. Most of the “news reports” on Newsmax’s site are cribbed from Reuters and the Associated Press. The funny thing is that many of the people who go to Newsmax’s website do so because they think Newsmax will provide them with unbiased news, unlike those stinky Fake News sites like the Associated Press and Reuters. That always makes me chuckle.
Any road.
I should clarify that I plan to continue writing commentary at Sweet Merciful Zeus. This isn’t my way of saying, “I quit.” I’m not quitting. Instead, I just plan to be more discriminating about what I choose to write.
Part of that decision is motivated by my ongoing health problems. My Lupus problems present enough of a challenge for my paying job, so the idea of joining the cacophony of voices all commenting on Trump’s latest gag order violation while I’m aching all over isn’t especially appealing.
Some suggest that I don’t post as much because my heart is no longer in it. I suppose I could take their word for it. After all, who is more likely to know my heart? Me? Or the people who’ve never met me?
Then again, it’s more likely that I don’t post as much because I have health complications and work obligations that prevent me from giving my undivided attention to writing about what everybody else is writing about.
It certainly hasn’t helped that I’ve spent the past nine months dealing with another noise pollution problem: the inconsiderate college students renting the house next door.
I’ve been struggling for months to adjust my routine to accommodate assholes who have been keeping me up half the night blasting rap music loud enough to rattle the windows.
I had to mount soundproofing foam to the exterior walls of my bedroom, including over the windows, to try to block out the noise. While that helped, it hasn’t completely stifled the booming rap music that usually starts between 11:00 p.m. and midnight every night.
I started going to bed at 4:30 in the afternoon in the hope that I could get at least six or seven hours of sleep before those assholes kicked off. By midnight, the *Boom-Boom-Boom* vibrating through the floors shakes me awake even with the soundproofing in place. For months now, I’ve been starting my paying job at 1:00 a.m. since, hey, I’m up, so why not?
As I type this, it is 5:46 a.m. this fine Monday morning, and I’ve been dressed and downstairs since 12:04 a.m. I usually eat lunch when almost everyone else is eating breakfast. And because I’m 61 years old, by 9:30 a.m., I’ll be dozing on the couch as I wait for the second wind I need to finish the day’s writing assignments for my paying job.
I’ve learned two things in the last nine months. One, my heart might still be in it, but my Lupus-ridden body is having a tough time keeping vampire hours. Two, I’ve learned the hard way that Nuisance Abatement laws may be on the books in this city, but the police, already busy with shootings and stabbings, don’t enforce them no matter how many times you and your neighbors might call.
Come to think of it, I learned two other things too. College students are self-centered, inconsiderate shits, and I am capable of homicidal thoughts.
My brother keeps reminding me that these renters will probably be gone after SU’s current semester ends, but I have doubts. Something tells me they’ll stick around just to make life miserable for the rest of the neighborhood.
Recently, I thought the inconsiderate shits had finally moved out. For the first time in months, there were nights when I wasn’t woken up before midnight. I felt myself getting hopeful that my nine-month nightmare was over.
The blissful silence lasted about two weeks. Then on Saturday, the shitheads hosted a party in their postage-stamp backyard with a massive sound system on the deck blasting rap and hip-hop for more than nine hours. Needless to say, I didn’t enjoy being once again held hostage by the cast of “Straight Outta Compton.”
All this noise. Can you blame me for staying away for a month?
I use humor in my writing. It’s what I’m known for. But right now, my capacity for humor is in short supply.
For now, I’ll play it by ear, writing when I can and not stressing about it when I can’t.
I hope you’ll understand.
I really hate to hear this. I've followed you for years, and have always loved your insights and humor. You have to do what is best for you. I will keep checking every day in hopes of seeing a post from you.
Just damn.....I so love your commentaries and have followed you for such a time and almost feel as though I know you personally. Please, please, please don't stop with your musing as not only the political but your take on life in general and even specifically about your life.
Please don't stop writing as I so look forward each morning to see if you have posted.