Student Publications
University of Houston
151C Communications Bldg
Houston, TX 77204-4015
713.743.5350

©1991-2007
Student Publications,
All rights reserved.

Last modified:

Contact:
ktruitt@uh.edu

Opinion

Political blog universe a mixed bag

David Salinas
Opinion columnist 

Around 50,000 B.C., give or take a few thousand years, Neanderthals roamed the earth and taught each other how to hunt through mimicry and some sort of primitive language that might sound like grunts to people today. In 4,000 B.C., Ancient Egyptians developed a very complex form of writing called hieroglyphics that consisted of approximately 700 characters of various symbols and pictures.

Widespread communication took off in the 1450s, when Johann Gutenberg perfected the printing press, which mostly helped disseminate religious writings at a much quicker pace than before. In 1849, Antonio Meucci created a device that sent electrical connections from one person to another. In June of 1875, Alexander Graham Bell transmitted voice, and the telephone was born.

Sixty-two years later, John Vincent Atanasoff invented the first electronic digital computing system, which he called the computer. By 1962, J. C. R. Licklider started to develop his notion of computer communication that would allow people to communicate through a "Galactic Network." Ivan Sutherland, Bob Taylor and Larry Roberts, working for the Advanced Research Project Agency in the United States Department of Defense, developed the "ARPANET," which would later become what we now know as the Internet.

It is safe to say the e-mail has become the dominant form of mass communication for many people. More recently however, people who have needed some sort of outlet to express their daily thoughts, worries, frustrations, etc. in a semi-public fashion have turned to Web logs.

The Boston Globe recently published an article discussing how vital blogs have become in creating and sustaining a successful career. 

Apparently, some employers search www.google.com for prospective employees to learn more about them, and the belief is with your own blog, you can control what they will see. 

Ben Day, the focus of the Boston Globe article and a man who "blogged his way into a career as a high-earning software consultant," said blogs must be focused. "I used to have liberal politics on my Web site as well, but my mentor said, ‘Dude, you gotta trim that off.'" 

While political blogs may not have been conducive for Ben's career, some people have made a career out of them, and one even catapulted an unknown governor into the hierarchy of Democratic candidates in the 2004 election.

While some people have chosen to use their personal blogs to discuss their own tragedies of unrequited love, inebriated nocturnal adventures at various clubs or how lame Coldplay has become on sites like Myspace, Friendster, Livejournal, Facebook, etc., some have used the blogosphere as an outlet to express their political beliefs. Websites like Mydd, Dailykos, and Wonkette offer opinions from the left, while the right has blogs like Free Constitution, Poliblog, and Blogs for Bush.

In 2003, Vermont Gov. Howard Dean went from relative obscurity to primary frontrunner in a couple of months thanks to Internet wizard Joe Trippi, who revolutionized campaign fund raising by asking people to donate online through his own campaign blogs and mass e-mails. Trippi still has his own blog at www.joetrippi.com. 

Like Trippi, most people use political blogs as a way to interact with others who are like-minded and wish to express outrage at a group they don't have access to. Liberals convey their disgust at the Bush White House and conservatives display their outrage at liberals like Sen. Ted Kennedy on their blogs because they have no way of directly interacting with these people, whether in person or through e-mails, which aren't likely to be replied to. 

However, there are some people who have used their pseudo-political blogs to personally attack people as well. A few weeks ago I came upon a blog run by a couple of "UH conservatives." The mission of the blog is "to expose the tripe in University of Houston liberalism." The guy who runs the Web site, and who considers himself the "Jack Bauer" of the University and absolutely loves the group INXS, goes by the name "UH Liberal Hater." While there's no accounting for musical taste, he could have been a little more creative with his pseudonym, considering he's a "teacher." 

Now I have no problem with the guy expressing his opinions. But making generalized, condescending statements like "Hispanics houses may not be the finest, their cars may not be the latest"; "I don't personally approve of interracial marriage because of the hardships brought upon the offspring,"; constantly referring to the University student body as "weak-minded students"; or calling the school itself a "low-class college" is a bit ignorant. My real problem comes with his highly personal and disturbing attacks made against those with whom he disagrees. 

He's had the blog -- www.uh-conservative-underground.blogspot.com -- running since January 2005, though there have been no updates since March 28, and has ruined every argument he's ever made by engaging in one-sided, dimwitted insult frenzies. He takes joy in discussing the sexual orientation of columnists or editors with whom he has problems. He has an obsession with pretending he actually knows the people he is writing about. 

Last summer, in response to a column I wrote, the blogger wrote, "Columnist David Salinas, who recently turned 21 and is now drinking legitimately … " How the guy knew my age, I'm sure, is easily explained, but the fact he would go to the trouble of finding out is disturbing. In response to something I wrote supporting gay marriage last year, our enlightened friend pretended to have a direct discussion with me, said I'm not "bringing any pride" to my family and made the following remarks : "I challenge you David Salinas. Ask God to spare your life if he in fact does support gay marriage. Ask God to spare your life if he supports abortion. But you know Salinas won't do it. He's a wimp that writes to please those around him." 

But on more than one occasion the guy has questioned my masculinity and refers to me as a "wimp." So to settle this, I would like to make a challenge to my INXS loving, anonymous friend. I would be willing to find a gym in Houston, set up a time and have a 12-round boxing match with Queensbury rules. The Liberal Hater never had the facts to back up his statements, and if he doesn't respond, he will lose any might that was once his only substitute. 

It's funny that though technology and communication has improved dramatically from the days of grunts and mimicry, sometimes it is necessary to resort to Neanderthal means of the past to prove a point to someone whose mind, remarkably, never progressed from that era. So be it. 

Send comments to dccampus@mail.uh.edu