So, a guy named Joe Smith writes to me to respond to my intentionally provocative statement that blogging is the triumph of the sophists. He thinks it’s basically true because “much like the sophists of ancient Greece, modern bloging is given the weight of objective analysis without subjection to it.”

Then he tells me the real reason he’s writing is that he’s trying to “get the word out on a music cd/video by an Indy for the peace movement. All the revenue (not profit, revenue!) goes to Unicef.” It’s by Fred Nassiri, whose biography reads like the plot of a Jerzy Kosinksi novel. I don’t know anything about Nassiri, and the song, “Love Sees No Color,” isn’t my cup of herbal tea. But, what the heck, it’s an interesting site if only because of the way it constructs a very public and commercial self.

Joe concludes his msg to me: “If you don?t want to post a link, I would love a few pointers on how to get the word out.” Let’s see. Joe engages me on a topic I raised in my weblog. He gets me thinking about a topic I care about. Only then does he pitch me on a site that is (ostensibly) well-intentioned, multi-cultural and charitable. You know what? I don’t think Joe needs any help figuring out how to get the word out. He’s played me like a trout. In the best sense.

Categories: Uncategorized dw