Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Blog-osophy: Exhibitionism and the Word


Exhibitionist, originally uploaded by Mr Jaded.

I'm still struggling with developing my own philosophy of the blog or blog-osophy for short. I've read many, many blogs since I started writing this one and I'm titillated by the exhibitionistic quality of blogging and my voyeuristic consumption.

People routinely cut open their most innermost secrets and splay them out in exhibitionistic fervor. Reality TV? No, the blog reality is a land of voyeurs and exhibitionists. We are in search of some blog with a common cause, a common experience, an ounce of titilation to jolt a mundane existence, or simply the catharsis of realizing that there are people in a hell of a lot worse shape than you.

Diaries used to be kept under lock and key, but with a blog you can parade your exhibitionistic side, letting people read your diary, because they are locked out, not from the words, but your identity. The diary had to be locked up because the proximity of the journal exposed the identity of the writer. Blogs are exhibitionism without consequence.

Writing is one of the most primitive forms of exhibitionism -- a snapshot of thoughts captured in symbolic form. The gaze of the voyeur is the verification and justification of existence.

I used to pray to God, hoping he would hear me. Now I pray to you. Look at me. See inside me. See my brain. God is gone, but I still want something or someone to verify that my existence is real, that I exist.

Mormonism -- the bastards -- pounded three questions into my soul:

Who am I?

Why am I here?

Where am I going?

I haven't been able to shake the constant nagging of those three fucking questions. I think the questions bug me now more than ever, because I really wanted to know the answer, still do want to know the answers and I'm so far away from anything even remotely close.

But what does the meaning of life have to do with blogs? Everything. One of those pesky needs that we humans seem to be faced with is the need for connection. Sex is a great way to connect -- Tab P goes into Slot V or any other number of connections. Sex as a connective force is what propelled me to start this blog. I wanted to connect with other people by talking about the ultimate physical connection. In the meantime, I want to word-fuck your brains, too. I want to get inside you, make you feel my hard cocked words, until you come and come again, because you want more of me inside you. Voyeur fucking is the blog drug of the exhibitionist writer.

I used to think I needed to be a published writer with books on shelves, but I'm beginning to think that has changed. Technology has changed everything. You don't have to fuck anymore. You can do it all in the laboratory with words -- a little in-vitro word-ilization. I want my spermazota of ideas to impregnate your mind until you give birth to our bastard child of thought. If you are thinking, fuck this guy at this point, then put down a comment and maybe you can.

Is this a solid blog-osophy? I don't know. It is a start. I still don't know who I am. I still don't know why I'm here and I sure as hell don't know where I am going. All I know is that it is going to be one hell of a ride.

So now I have exposed myself to all of you and I know it isn't pretty. But hey thanks for looking.

6 comments:

Sister Mary Lisa said...

Connecting is very good, in all its forms. For sure. Great post once again, TW.

Just one of many said...

At least you only have to worry about computer viruses!! :D

Anonymous said...

The interesting thing about my own blog is I'm perfectly fine with strangers reading it. But if someone I know reads it, I'd probably stop writing immediately.

And it's not really about anything "dangerous" or "revealing" that might be found on there. It's partly because I want to write honestly, and in doing so, I might hurt the feelings of someone close to me. Being able to go on an online rant where you can let it out, but remain anonymous, along with those you rant about, can be very cathartic.

How would you feel if your friends and relatives read your blog? I'd die! I've spent 25 years creating distance from my family, and sharing ANY information with them is simply too intimate at this point.

Nice post.

Sideon said...

Your words hit home - the internal struggle/need/desire to be published versus the instant online gratification of blogging and self-publishing.

There is something quite tantalizing about exposing oneself via blogging. Chanson once dared me to post a nude pic, to which I've so far declined... but I ask myself why the hesitation? Baring soul versus baring flesh? Simplistically, it seems one and the same at times.

Loving your blog and comments. :)

C. L. Hanson said...

I know how you feel -- I'm constantly wondering how much to reveal and how much is not okay.

It's a little different for me, though, since I'm not really anonymous online. (Chanson is not my real name, but my real identity is pretty easy to figure out if you follow my blog...)

So I always remember that people I know may be reading my blog (including perhaps my mom) and post accordingly.

My biggest point of self-censorship is avoiding too many stories about my relatives. It's tricky because I've got some real doozies!!!! ;-) But I hold back out of respect for their privacy.

I'll tell all in my memoirs to be published posthumously though. Anything goes after you're dead!!! :D

p.s. to Sideon -- You know you want to!!! ;-)

JulieAnn said...

So what does it mean that I use my real name? I must really have a trench-coat sporting psyche, eh? "Accept me or fuck off and don't read my blog!"

About your questions...Dear Elder; our religious up-bringing conditioned us into expecting, nay, demanding ANSWERS. We had an answer for everything, even if there were no answers: "Well if the Lawrd wanted us to know that, HE would reveal it unto the Prophet; yea, verily, verily I say unto you..."
Oh, God! Sorry....got carried away there.
The thing is that sometimes we need to re-program ourselves to EMBRACE the MYSTERY.


"Who are you?"
You are God.
"Why are you here?"
Does it matter? You're here, and you are doing what you are doing. It IS what it is, no more, no less.
"Where are you going?"
Somewhere else, all the time, and since you are God, it doesn't matter what happens after this incarnation. You'll know what you're doing once you get there.

So be at peace MFOGTR...

xoja

MORMON EROTICA

The blog is devoted to exploring sexual issues arising out of American and Mormon culture. While the prurient may occasionally surface and while the tone may be sarcastic or sacreligious, the discussion is serious. I want to get deep.