LaShawn Barber, a Republican blogger is proud to be mentioned for her role on a blog set up to see that Jordon Eason of CNN got his just dessert.
This is very much a US Republican-Democrat fight, and Barber has never hidden her political aspirations. Skilled in religious-speak, she is well trained at labelling anyone who doesn’t agree with her.
I wonder when I read pundits if they could carry on a conversation with someo outside their country without using the political language.
Could we talk about commonality without the oppositional language of politics?
At least Barber and other pundits like Hugh Hewitt confine their political faith to their party and their country, and I see the sincere belief that the end justifies the means.
But it is hard, and takes it’s toll. I think one of the most honest things I’ve seen Barber write, was her own need to be someone. It is without a doubt, one of the saddest posts I’ve ever read on a blog.
Indulge me for a moment while I wax self-centeredly. I want to be more than just a “black conservative blogger/writer” or a “Christian blogger/writer.” If I must be either or both (it’s human nature to attach labels), I want to be huge, the biggest black conservative blogger in the blogosphere or the most popular Christian blogger on the web.
I don’t mean simply well-known but influential and sought-after. I’m talking about visitor stats out of this world, endorsement deals, books, TV, radio…
Or something like that.
I’m not satisfied with my current traffic and linkage. Blogging all the time has its rewards, but let’s face facts. Success sometimes depends on who you know and whether or not they like you. I want to be every blogger’s favorite. Irrational, isn’t it? I don’t care. I want everybody to like me and link to all my posts, even if I write something stupid.
Have you noticed that the big bloggers have favorites and link to them all the time? I want to be a favorite. I read those bloggers’ posts. They aren’t any more interesting or special than mine, in my opinion. But I’m biased.
People like me OK, I guess, but not enough to suit me. That’s selfish and short-sighted, isn’t it? For all I know, some of you might be saying the same things about me. I don’t care. Guilty. Envy is not fun. It can be used for good or evil. I try to use it for good.
The mini-pity party is over now. It felt good. Back to reality. I’d like to thank you for suggesting names for my business. I’ve selected a reader’s recommendation, slightly modified. I will make the announcement perhaps as early as Friday, but definitely before next week.
Update: A blogger emailed me to let me know a comparison sentence I made was inappropriate because it reflected LaShawn’s past. I have deleted it, and I apologize, I was unaware of her personal struggle with that issue.
Published 3 years, 8 months ago
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LaShawn is bright and articulate. I don’t take her puffery too seriously because I think it is rooted in insecurity. One reason for her abrasiveness may be that many people sell her short or insist that she “must” fit some preconceived notion of how Blacks are supposed to think or act. On the negative side, she sort of reminds me of Rush Limbaugh.
It does concern me that she seems quite dismissive of anyone who disagrees with her, but I do credit her with deeply held beliefs. I know that she is genuinely convinced in the rightness of her positions toward America’s future.
I don’t read LaShawn’s blog with any regularity. We don’t even link to it.
But I wouldn’t be too hard on that post. If I’m reading it right, it sounds more like a confession of ego. It sounds self-consciously vulnerable to me, and I think perhaps it ought to be seen as evidence of her honesty and willingness to cop to occasional selfish ambition.
I hope we won’t take her willingness to be honest and throw it back at her like a rock. This revelation of hers might not be my sin or yours, but it’s not like we don’t have any.
If I ever feel safe enough on my site to reveal such intimate emotional failures, I hope nobody links to it to demonstrate what a failure I am.
I don’t think her post should ever be thrown back at her like a rock.
I said it is honest. My sadness in reading it is my own.
I wrestle with pride, envy, anger, greed ambition, and certainly my own sins and drives for ’success’ have been downfalls.
I believe she is extremely sincere in her political beliefs for America.
I think this post is vulnerable confession, and I respect that. It is something I wound up doing myself earlier this week with a friend when I was wrestling with my ambition and envy. It is difficult - and sins that devour and blinds.
If you feel, believe or think I linked to her post as a demonstration of failure, what would you suggest I change?
As for US pre-conceived notions of what a black conservative should be, I’m not sure how to address that.
I don’t like how she treats those she sees as opponents. You can’t have it both ways. If you confess a faith, then why mock and label others with derision?
I read her blog regularly because her politics/faith blend is so utterly foreign to me, as I must be to her.
How does any believer use envy for good? In seeking political and media power and influence how should a Christian conduct themself?
How would you suggest I change what I wrote to better reflect LaShawn Barber and her blog.?
Bene, by characterizing it as “sad,” in conjunction with your introductory criticism of her site and approach, it seemed to me that you were offering this confession of hers as a criticism, as evidence of the sin of her ambition and the fruit of her confrontational approach. It could be more accurately presented as evidence of her honesty in regards to her emotional failings, a commendation of her, if you will, for willing to be vulnerable in public.
I appreciate what you do on this site, Bene, and I love, love, LOVE the way you’re one of the few bloggers quick to say I’m sorry and to walk humbly with God and others. If I’ve mis-read your intentions in posting this, please accept my apologies.
I have to confess myself to sometimes reading your site too sensitively, because I often find generalizations about Americans and American Christians here that I think unfair. But that’s my issue, not yours, and I fully admit it probably influenced the way I read how you were reading LaShawn’s post.
Point well taken Jared, and if I criticise US Christians too much, that is something we can talk about.
I think I address other issues, including other believers around the world, and I certainly don’t hesitate to comment on Canadian politics.
Let’s take Joel Osteen. I commented on him charging and scalp prices for tickets. Was I as vocal as US Christians?
I commented about MP Monty Solberg’s blog. In fairness, would that be something you’d read or skim over? Or Bill C-38? Or joking about the PM getting the moniker Mr. Dithers by a US publication?
Does Destiny Church get more than a skim?
As for the blogosphere, that’s fair game. In looking at the Blogdom, headed by a guy in the UK, made up of mostly US blogs, I’ve been openly critical about inflating numbers and seeking power and influence.
I’ve been openly critical about the GodBlog Con. On purpose.:^)
I meant sad as in grieved. So perhaps you did pick up how I placed emotive words because I don’t think confrontational approaches that mix politics and religion help others or bloggers.
I don’t know that you did ‘misread’ Jared.
Over at connexions recently I’ve written about a British christian group very critically. In Australia or New Zealand, I pop into blogs and freely enter a debate. On Asian blogs, I temper my westerness.
Thing is Jared, I have offended bloggers south of the border. And I don’t always know what to do about that. And when I have been offended, I haven’t always handled it well.
Other than Dr. Mark Byron or Rev. Mike, and occasionally Evangelical Outpost, are there US blogs that ‘post back’ so to speak?
I’d far rather have you come over and say what you need to say, or post back about misunderstandings, assumptions, world views or identity issues or whatever needs to be said.
Thanks, I don’t know that sensitivities will ever go away, but I think they are quite worth talking about.
I’m not sure what you mean by post back.
As on most blogs, US ones included, I typically skim the site and read the posts that appear to interest me. I did read the post about the mounties who were killed. I did read the one about Destiny Church. I read the Peterson thing.
I don’t usually read the political posts, but I don’t usually read American political sites/posts either. Just not my interest, despite the Thinklings’ political focus during our election season. If you look at our site for the last couple of months, you’ll see almost no posts on politics. It’s mostly inspirational/devotional theology and general, reflective goofiness.
I don’t think I read your or any other non-US site any different than I do other US sites. Skim the main page; read what appeals to my interest. If it’s about church or religion, it will usually catch me. If it’s relatively short, I’m more inclined to give it a try.
Again, that’s true of most of the sites I visit, regardless of what type of site they are.
I’m sorry if I’ve offended you. One thing that keeps me from getting too interested in sites like yours is that I always feel like people like me — American, evangelical, conservative, Republican — are referred to constantly as “them.” I know that’s just a natural thing to do, and I’m positive people not like me feel the same way when they read sites like mine. So I hope this doesn’t come off as from a position of my own innocence.
It’s just hard to read sometimes when I feel like entering a site is like entering a box. And it can be a little frustrating to perceive — notice I said “perceive” — intolerance from folks who are most often calling for tolerance from others. I often feel like the two kinds of approaches in the god-blogosphere are “self-righteous polemics” and “passive-aggressive condescension.” Both approaches, despite my own tendency to engage in both, frustrate me.
But it’s at least a good step that we’re talking about this, right?
Blessings.
It is.
Odd. I don’t see Americans as ‘them.’ Australians aren’t ‘them’ either. I’d have to sit and think about who ‘them’ are to me.
I don’t care if you are a white Republican male.
If you’ve mentioned your party affiliation in a post, it has blurred by.
My question is this.
Does it matter more on US blogs as an introductory way to ‘get to know you?’
I need to appreciate more that is very much part of your identity, from where I sit, it doesn’t make you a ‘them.’ There are few white Republican males in this district, because of US military stationed here.
When we talk we find lots to talk about other than US-Canadian politics. If I see a black male, I don’t think ‘oh, US military - probably Democrat.’ I think Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, immigrant, I’d like to say hi.
Asian, Hispanic; oh, they are a bit out of their normal environment. I stand in a line here and hear three languages spoken.
Others aren’t ‘them.’
That’s real life, maybe that doesn’t translate well online.
I think recognizing nationality is fair, if for no other reason it’s an understanding we don’t come from the same place.
When I go to a blog I’m very conscious of what country I’m in. If I don’t know, I go out of my way to look.
I’m still thrilled by the internet, and see it as a gift. In seconds I can be in ‘Australia’ or ‘Wales’ or the ‘US’ or ‘British Columbia.’
When I first came online and found out I was talking in game rooms with people from all over the world, it blew me away.
And it’s fun because if I’ve been to Lincoln Nebraska or Fredricton New Brunswick, I see that place in my head.
Are there places I’ve travelled where I’ve been put off by people? Yeah. It may unconsiously colour the pictures I see in my mind and therefore some interactions.
My own family doesn’t know what I vote. I’ve never said, never will. I don’t think it’s any of their business.
Travelling in my job, if I couldn’t make a Sunday morning protestant servic and popped into an Catholic late service, cool.
If you define yourself by your denominational and political affiliation that makes you part of a group - I may have to reach out to a bit more to appreciate and understand.
I tend to read things that don’t interest me.
Probably because I am aware that they don’t, and maybe I’ll learn something. Sometimes all I get is a headache.
I think I really need to work on being more patient with political labels that people need or use to define themselves. I want to get past them, but in the world we live in that isn’t always possible.
On the world stage the USA is a ‘them.’
Canada is a ‘them.’
Christians are a ‘them.’
Muslims are a ‘them.’
There isn’t a lot I can do about that.
I think your extremes of two types of god-blogs are reasonable and a way to start to understand polarizations. I probably see the self-righteous polimics more, based on personal experience and am blinder to the passive-aggressive approach.
Mostly I see us individuals in the middle of extremes. I write more about extremes because I’ve got too much journalist in me.
I do use my Canadianess very much on this blog.
It’s right in your face, the red maple leaf might give it away. Or the loon and pristine lake.:^)
This country and it’s people are perceived as a soft power by most of the world, not much of anything to others.
I don’t want it to be ‘not American.’
Oddly it’s US visitors that see it that way.
Why is that?
I also chose Bene Diction carefully.
It is a universal word, well known in French, English, Catholic, Protestant, none-churched groups for what it is. Encouragement, blessing, admonition, looking up and out as much as possible, instead of in. A safe place for the quiet to speak an amen, I hope. None threatening as much as possible, because I’m not blogging to win or prove, I’m here to learn and listen.
And I asked Cre8d-design to give this space a peaceful and clean look. Designers say it helps in interactions, maybe it does.
When I said post back, I meant post on your blog.
I’ve rarely felt unwelcome on any blog in the world (english speaking). Unsure many, many times, but rarely unwelcome.
Please speak up when you want to.
I’d be apt to be wounded if you believed you weren’t free to.
I’m not even remotely offended Jared.
I think this is great.
In conversation we start with commonalities and hopefully get to the place where we can explore differences with respect, open curiousity and genuine interest.
I think we are doing that. You made my day.
Thanks.
Hi Bene,
You know I once had a doozy debate with la Shawn on her blog. And she deleted a comment she made - and she apologised to me. Now we get on fine - which doesn’t mean we will always agree. But from that instance, and from emails we have exchanged, I know she takes her faith seriously and she puts it into practice with integrity. The debate does get robust on her site, but that’s her blog. I remember reading the post you have referred to here - I think it was very much in a self-confessional sort of vein - and also she expressed what many pundits might think but not have the gumption to say. I may not agree with this lady all the time - and we are in totally different countries and contexts - but I respect her. She’s my sister in Christ and she has shown a graciousness to me which I appreciate. God bless you.