This is random but I want to do a minor vent.
I hate Bad Takes® journalism and authors. That is authors and writing styles that bank on generating division and heated emotions in the comments to drive traffic to them and their writing.
Some are mild, where they sprinkle in bad information or silly ideas intentionally in order to get people in the comments to engage with them. A-la Doug DeMuro
Some are terrible, where the entire point is to pick a side so hard that you’re only choice is to galvanize one side or the other. Hard core talk radio “personalities”
The ones that bother me the most though are the ones in the middle. The ones that market themselves as bad take authors, as if saying it legitimizes it. These ones basically will pick the writing style that agitates the most people for the greatest effect. “engagement”.
These ones aren’t playing the algorithm in a mostly harmless way to increase their views and engagement, they aren’t playing to a core belief or ideology. These ones are just writing for maximum impact, and only that.
Not only is it painful to read owing to the natural saltiness of the writing, but the comment section is exactly what they are playing for - heated arguments, galvanized positions, battle lines.
You can call them out, but “hey man its my opinion.” sure.
The mild and extreme examples you can see for what it is any easily cope with it in one way or the other. We roll our eyes at Doug and poke fun while he uses a shovel to stack his income. We shake our heads and wonder what has happened to us as a people while the hardcores are likewise raking it in.
This middle ground is an every shifting dance. just controversial enough that you don’t cross over the line but disagreeable enough to “generate engagement” for their employers.
I honestly never thought I would need to use the kinja author blocker plugin again, but I guess I was wrong.
Rant out.