THEFT #19 - STEALIN' BACK BLOGGING

I think I finally figured out why I have trouble keeping up my posts on this blog, and it's so stupidly simple I can hardly say it.

Ready?  Just this:  I think way too much about each blog. 

That probably sounds like a boast in reverse, but it really isn't.  As I've been viewing and reading "successful" blogs I've come to realize something about these blogs with such an insanely huge readership:  Their content is primarily made up of the author's opinion, and that opinion is usually bolstered by a good deal of ranting.  That's not to say that the opinion is wrong, or that the content of the blogs is not "factual," and I certainly wouldn't say that the authors are poor writers.  In fact, on that last point, there's an argument to be made that many of the opinions are so persuasive because the writing style is actually quite good.  That is to say, the blogs are "rhetorically" very strong.

One more thing I've noticed about these successful ranting blogs is that they attract as many readers (or more) who rabidly disagree with the authors as those who agree with them.  Let's take the wildly successful Matt Walsh, for example, and I'll start by saying that I have strongly agreed with 99% of Matt's blogs that I have read.  He represents pretty well that tricky mix of political and religious conservative views that I hold, generally, and--I must admit--I like the way he "rants" against the anti-conservative and often anti-Christian opinions of the "mainstream" media (in all its forms).

But here's the question that gnaws at me about Matt Walsh:  Why have I gradually stopped reading his blogs over the last year?  And again the answer is stupidly simple:  In the end, regardless of my agreement with his views, Matt's ranting began to wear thin on me, and I realized that I was coming away from his blogs with a very strong emotional and self-righteous satisfaction (actually bordering on a type of "high") that Matt had once again "showed them!", but without much genuine food for rational and/or Biblical thought.  

In a nutshell, "Matt's rants" leave me spiritually empty, and I just don't have time for that anymore.  But even beyond that, I realized that I cannot, in good conscience, justify adopting Matt's style of blogging for myself.  The irony is that it would be so easy. All I have to is pick the latest controversial news item of the day (Currently, in Matt's case, and for a whole bunch of other conservative bloggers, the whole Ashley Madison / Josh Duggar mess), read a couple articles from both liberal and conservative perspectives, and just start ranting till the cows (or pigs?) come home, or--quite possibly--run away.

Now you're saying, "What?!? You Rick?  You think you can blog as good as Matt Walsh?  Are you kidding?  Let's see it!!!"  You know what?  I flippin' hope there are enough of you reading this that some of you will challenge me on that point, and therefore prove my point!!!   I want to show my Facebook friends, and friends of friends, and ultimately the whole population on the World Wide Web that anyone can build a successful blog just by spouting off loudly enough and often enough.  If Matt Walsh and others like him--be they liberal or conservative or rainbow chasers or Confederate flag followers or Christian or Mormon or pagan or atheist or--can attract a huge online audience just by spouting off, then so can I!

And why not me?  I've certainly been accused of "spouting off" or being "too harsh" or "too blunt" or too literal in Biblical interpretation, or too forceful in teaching the Bible, and on and on and on, to the point where I'm ready to say "Enough!!!!!  You think you've seen me harsh and blunt?  You think you've heard me spouting off?  You think my view of the Biblical truth is too literal, or too unwavering, or too challenging, or (Gasp!!!!!) too true?   

People, you ain't seen nuthin' yet!!! (That's right: "nuthin'!!!") It's time that I followed the advice of so many modern-day Christian writers and let myself be "unleashed!"  It's time for to throw off the chains of spiritual restraint and embrace my "inner Matt" and just go for the jugular without reason or mercy!  Who needs reason anyway?  I've got my opinions, I've got my computer, I've the internet, and hey--if you hadn't noticed--I've actually got a blog!!!  So get on your big-girl/big-boy panties, folks, and hear me roar!!!

***Now wasn't that just so easy and so blaze-ready?

......yep, it was too flippin' easy..... "Oh, oh, it's only rant and roll, but I like, like, like it...."   .... I mean seriously:  "inner Matt?";   "unleashed?"  "hear me roar?"  (And is there even such a thing as "big-boy panties?  Yikes!  Oh, and I haven't even mentioned all the subtly deceptive "Christian women's" blogs floating around out there....but then I don't think my gender identity is flexible enough to write as a woman....so, good luck!)

Yep, I've been ranting, just to prove I can. Let's see how many slaves, err, I mean "followers" I can attract with that.   Hah!  Who needs rational thought anyway?

Buy for now,

The Thief.