Huzzah to the New York Times for jumping on the latest trend from the Fourth Estate; Blogs aren’t just annoying; they’re actually bad for society. Just a few, brief years ago, flash mobs were the source of all those riots at G8 and Seattle. Now, the French riots are the fault of evil 14-year old bloggers. And these evil bloggers are getting off after being arrested because for “procedural reasons”. It almost begs for a suspension of those ridiculous laws so we can round up all those bloggers and hold them.
Why do reporters always have to reach for an angle to blame the technology? If this was 1517, the New York Times would be questioning the need for nails as they aid disruptive elements such as Martin Luther in the nailing of theses to the doors of church doors. They would then have to draw a line from the 1440s and blame not just Luther, but Gutenberg as well for enabling “anyone who can afford one” the ability to print virtually unlimited amounts of material.
Here’s a very brief rundown for all the Fourth Estaters who don’t get it: It you’re focusing on the technology, you’re missing the story. People don’t riot so they can post about it on the French version of LiveJournal. People riot because of societal problems. People riot because no one is listening to them. People riot because reporters who try to blame the delivery system aren’t doing their job and telling the real story.