« How it should work | Main | Shut The Fuck Up part MCMXXXXXLVIII »

Dave Winer's whiny bitchery

So, of course, because it's part of the great stupid circle of New Media Douchebaggery, and being he's the silverback New Media Douchebag, Winer's all about commenting again.

Did you know that Dave Winer invented blog comments? Why yes he did! Did you know his inventing comments created the first wave of blogs? Why yes they did!

I'm almost 100 percent sure that scripting.com was the first blog to have comments. And I'm equally sure that it was the first to have its comments flame out. The flameout was a good thing, although it didn't feel like it at the time, because it created the first wave of blogs. And when their comments flamed out, there were subsequent waves of new blogs.

What's my source for this? Why, Dave Winer of course! The most unimpeachable source IN TEH WORRRRRRLD!!!

Of course, he has to propose a "new" kind of commenting system, that ensures no one can see anyone else's comments, until Dave wants them too, at which point, you can't comment any more. Of course, the only comments he releases is the ones he likes. Let's be clear, Dave doesn't want discussion or reasoned disagreement. He's very clear about that:

But rebuttal, esp principled rebuttal, really doesn't add anything to a comment thread. Obviously there's room for disagreement. And of course it helps people feel heard. But that's for them, not for me, and not for future or current readers. Being very blunt and direct, it just doesn't interest me. I don't post here to get into debates. If someone wants to start a debating site, one that really works and doesn't just rehash childish points of view, I might show up there from time to time, when I feel like debating. But then it's going to be as an equal. Here, on my blog, I'm a host, which in some ways makes me more than equal and less. It's not a good context for debate. Maybe other people's blogs work that way, more power to them and vive la difference.

Why does he even bother to allow comments?

Why I have comments: I hope I might learn something new from the people who read the blog. It's mostly selfish. I like that there's a side-benefit that it creates a record for other people to learn from in the future. I get a lot out of that on other forums on the net. Esp when it comes to technical problems, these discussion threads can be invaluable.

Translation: "You all exist to make my life easier."

Of course, in Dave's world, the only way to learn is via vapid agreement with him. There's no chance he can ever learn anything from anyone disagreeing with him, because if you disagree with him, you're "uninteresting".

Even better is this bit:

And by the way, my post was a proposal. My hope was that it would spawn other proposals, other new ideas for systems of discourse. Where is the creativity? Where are the people who would like to try new ideas, no matter where they came from? I'm sure they're out there. But there's no place for them to comment because the debaters crowd them out. I wonder if some of the people who vehemently defend the current form of commenting realize that there are lots of people who won't participate in a system dominated by mostly mindless and repetetive prattle?

He can't even see the problem. He wants his idea to spawn other proposals and ideas. Yet, how can they, when he has no interest in you if you disagree with him. He mindlessly dismisses those who don't have a problem with the current systems, (contrary to what crazy unca dave thinks, there's no one "system"), yet if you disagree with him, you're just a "debater" supporting a system dominated by the mindless.

So, what he only wants are mindless sycophants, because if you agree with Dave, you're not mindless. How can you tell you're not Mindless? Why, you agree with Dave.

If you fucked Dave Winer in the ass with a 22" tire that had "circular logic" spray-panted on it, he STILL wouldn't get it.

But this is why Dave Winer's a fucking hypocritical idiot. He talks a bunch of shit about problem solving, but never mentions that he wants you to solve his problems for him using his solution, and he gets all the credit.

Oh, and if you want a really great site to follow, here's one created by my brother from another mother, The Angry Drunk: Dave Winer's Crazy Train

Categories: Other

Posted by John C. Welch at 18:57 | Permalink

Comments

Warning for Notes users: The commenting system uses HTML.
I know this will be scary for some of you, especially Notes fans. However, open standards, rah-rah.
If you want to use less-than or greater-than signs, or other similar characters that HTML reserves,
you'll simply have to learn to do it the HTML way. Luckily, HTML is kind of popular, no matter what
your re-educators have told you, and you can easily find help on the intertubes.

So, of course, because it's part of the great stupid circle of New Media Douchebaggery, and being he's the silverback New Media Douchebag, Winer's all about commenting again.\n\nDid you know that Dave Winer invented blog comments? Why yes he did! Did you know his inventing comments created the first wave of blogs? Why yes they did!\n\n

I'm almost 100 percent sure that scripting.com was the first blog to have comments. And I'm equally sure that it was the first to have its comments flame out. The flameout was a good thing, although it didn't feel like it at the time, because it created the first wave of blogs. And when their comments flamed out, there were subsequent waves of new blogs.

\n\nWhat's my source for this? Why, Dave Winer of course! The most unimpeachable source IN TEH WORRRRRRLD!!!\n\nOf course, he has to propose a \"new\" kind of commenting system, that ensures no one can see anyone else's comments, until Dave wants them too, at which point, you can't comment any more. Of course, the only comments he releases is the ones he likes. Let's be clear, Dave doesn't want discussion or reasoned disagreement. He's very clear about that:\n\n

But rebuttal, esp principled rebuttal, really doesn't add anything to a comment thread. Obviously there's room for disagreement. And of course it helps people feel heard. But that's for them, not for me, and not for future or current readers. Being very blunt and direct, it just doesn't interest me. I don't post here to get into debates. If someone wants to start a debating site, one that really works and doesn't just rehash childish points of view, I might show up there from time to time, when I feel like debating. But then it's going to be as an equal. Here, on my blog, I'm a host, which in some ways makes me more than equal and less. It's not a good context for debate. Maybe other people's blogs work that way, more power to them and vive la difference.

\n\nWhy does he even bother to allow comments?\n\n

Why I have comments: I hope I might learn something new from the people who read the blog. It's mostly selfish. I like that there's a side-benefit that it creates a record for other people to learn from in the future. I get a lot out of that on other forums on the net. Esp when it comes to technical problems, these discussion threads can be invaluable.

\n\nTranslation: \"You all exist to make my life easier.\"\n\nOf course, in Dave's world, the only way to learn is via vapid agreement with him. There's no chance he can ever learn anything from anyone disagreeing with him, because if you disagree with him, you're \"uninteresting\". \n\nEven better is this bit:\n\n

And by the way, my post was a proposal. My hope was that it would spawn other proposals, other new ideas for systems of discourse. Where is the creativity? Where are the people who would like to try new ideas, no matter where they came from? I'm sure they're out there. But there's no place for them to comment because the debaters crowd them out. I wonder if some of the people who vehemently defend the current form of commenting realize that there are lots of people who won't participate in a system dominated by mostly mindless and repetetive prattle?

\n\nHe can't even see the problem. He wants his idea to spawn other proposals and ideas. Yet, how can they, when he has no interest in you if you disagree with him. He mindlessly dismisses those who don't have a problem with the current systems, (contrary to what crazy unca dave thinks, there's no one \"system\"), yet if you disagree with him, you're just a \"debater\" supporting a system dominated by the mindless. \n\nSo, what he only wants are mindless sycophants, because if you agree with Dave, you're not mindless. How can you tell you're not Mindless? Why, you agree with Dave.\n\nIf you fucked Dave Winer in the ass with a 22\" tire that had \"circular logic\" spray-panted on it, he STILL wouldn't get it. \n\nBut this is why Dave Winer's a fucking hypocritical idiot. He talks a bunch of shit about problem solving, but never mentions that he wants you to solve his problems for him using his solution, and he gets all the credit.\n\nOh, and if you want a really great site to follow, here's one created by my brother from another mother, The Angry Drunk: Dave Winer's Crazy Train