A perfect example is when we gave out free T-shirts for leaving comments at the end of our smack down against Omarosa Manigsworth Stallwell, whoever the freak that non-celebrity is. I'm not even going to bother looking up the correct spelling or pronunciation of that 15-minute hog's last name. She should shimmy back to wherever she came from because there isn't an iota of talent in her body or a shred of anything entertaining in her persona.
The point is, plenty of people tuned in to that Celebrity Apprentice article, a link from a Moan Quivers Twitter live blog, but none were willing to comment in the fifteen or twenty minute window of time to win a free T-shirt. A very nice T-shirt too, I might add, with a great logo on thick 50-50 comfy white. No, I take that back. Five people finally did comment, but only three left an email address. Of that three, only one responded with an address to send the T-shirt.
For the record, "purplefrogcat" was the only comment published (who didn't win because five other people had commented by then) just in case contestants linked their names to actual email addresses. Didn't want them risking getting spammed for a lousy T-shirt and always keep my promises.
From that experience, I concluded people are somewhat strange when it comes to having a dialogue with this blog. Tiptoe in, tiptoe out. Like if readers leave no trace of themselves, no one will know they've been lurking about.
That kind of behavior reminds me of the time I spoke to Rush Limbaugh on his Open Line Friday program,. Say what you will about the man - plenty of my friends do - but his is a voice to be reckoned with in our times. You can't have an informed opinion unless you're hearing news from all different sources. Sorry, but that's the sad state of journalism today. Rush tells it the way he sees it, making his opinion and the opinions of his listeners valuable commodities. I hardly ever agree with him, especially these days regarding oil, the election, etc., but that's neither here nor there.
It was my birthday, about two years ago, on a Friday afternoon. Don't ask why I was cooking in the kitchen listening to Rush Limbaugh on my birthday. Something told me to call in when a certain caller hung up, so when the phone actually rang, my heart started to pound and my head began to race. I wanted to discuss an issue that had come up in an earlier program, but his screener (Snerdly?) said plenty of other people had already called about that topic and didn't sound very enthusiastic about putting me through.
Quickly, I had to think of something else or risk being dropped me for the next call. This goes against the premise of Open Line Friday's format, but I wasn't about to argue with the guy or take no for an answer.
For lack of a better subject -- and being unable to think fast on my feet -- I asked for a better understanding of Rush's position on abortion. After all, Republicans are always spewing about less government, less government interference, less control over what we do as individuals. Isn't the Conservative stance on abortion antithetical to that line of thinking?
Bingo! He put me through. What happened during the course of that phone call is fodder for a different discussion. I'm getting way off track here and want to get back to the topic at hand, comments on this blog, but there is an analogy if you give me time to develop it.
I was a little star struck speaking to Rush, I'll admit that. Here was someone whose opinion I had listened to, whose take on the news entertained and amused me, whose Paul Shanklin parodies sometimes had me LMAO day in and day out for years, finally having a one on one conversation with me. Not being a Conservative myself, I didn't want to antagonize him, but I didn't want to compromise my own political integrity either.
One of the first things I said was that I was a registered Democrat who listened to his program all the time, but that I wasn't a ditto head. I was trying to convey being a fan - a big one - but being at odds with his ideology. Not exactly an endearing opening which in retrospect I would not repeat given a do over. I'll never forget his response, nor the way he said it, like a retort, lording and condescending ... understandable if you know anything about Limbaugh.
To paraphrase, "Well, Cheryl, if you listen to the program as much as you say you do, you already are a ditto head." Ooooo. Snap.
And so, dear readers, if you subscribe to this blog through our feed or just drop by from time to time, whether or not you leave comments is irrelevant. Your electronic footprints may not be showing to the blogosphere, but they're showing to me. I've been very pleased with our growth over the course of the past year.
You may not comment because you're not ready to wave that freak flag, the one labeling you as a fan of The Spewker, but that's okay. Just because you don't consider yourself a spewklet doesn't mean you're not one already.
Kind of like being a closet ditto head, whatever that means. I'd like to think it means I'm a fan of Rush Limbaugh, rather than its common understanding.
You, on the other hand, can craft a meaning for "spewklet" however you like.
