Here We Go, Go, Go

Summary

The author reflects on the importance of constructive engagement and improvement, both personally and within online communities like Medium, despite past criticisms and the challenges of modern technology.

Abstract

The author begins with a call to "build back better," emphasizing the need for healing and constructive action, particularly within the context of online platforms. They acknowledge previous frustrations with Medium's comment system and the broader digital landscape, including a personal anecdote about an iPad app issue that led to a realization about the importance of updating technology. The author shares a positive experience with YouTube TV, which required some setup hassle but ultimately provided access to a wider range of content. They also discuss their enjoyment of the Netflix series "Pretend It's a City," featuring Fran Lebowitz and Martin Scorsese, and how it led to a reflection on the value of communal spaces for creative discourse. The essay concludes with the author's resolve to embrace Medium's comment system and the platform's focus on ideas over attention, contrasting it with the rest of the Internet, which they describe as a "fascist hell-hole."

Opinions

The author initially held a critical view of Medium's comment system and the platform's updates, but later recognized the need to embrace change and update personal technology to improve user experience.
They express a positive change in perspective after engaging with diverse content on YouTube TV and Netflix, particularly the series "Pretend It's a City," which they initially resisted liking.
The author values the history and culture of communal spaces where artists and thinkers can engage in conversation, as highlighted by Fran Lebowitz's perspective on smoking bans and their impact on creative dialogue.
There is a clear appreciation for Medium's focus on ideas and a contrasting disdain for other parts of the Internet that prioritize attention-grabbing content.
The author admits to evolving opinions on Martin Scorsese's work, specifically revising their stance on the film "Mean Streets," acknowledging its personal significance and cultural impact despite not considering it a great movie.

Here We Go, Go, Go

OK, motherfuckers (and by “motherfuckers”, I mean “friends”), let’s start the healing. It is time to “build back better”. Normally, I don’t start the season until the Spring, but this year is…different. We may have to clean up some messes before we can get back to that which we love… which, in case you were wondering, is called “soulblogging.”

Yesterday I left a comment on a post in Medium’s 3 Min Read blog. It was a cranky comment. A perfectly cranky comment from a perfectly cranky crank, and it contained several stupid inaccuracies that I passed off as Medium’s failures. For example, I said;

“Comments still suck and now when someone ‘applauds’ one of my brilliant comments, I can’t find a link back to the original article.”

While it is true that I often leave brilliant comments and reread them obsessively, it turns out that the problem of not seeing the originating article only exists on my iPad. I probably just have to update the Medium App.

Update the app? Why the fuck should I update the app? My stock response when people tell me to “download the app” is to say, “Fuck you!” It turns out, my “fuck you” approach is just making my life harder. I’m making a change. I’m going to build back better. I’m going to download the app, update my apps, refresh the page, set up for 2 factor authentication, use the strong passwords offered to me, verify my emails, etc., etc., etc.

Yesterday I signed up for tv.YouTube’s free week. I went through an insane half hour of downloading crap onto three different devices and having the Boss scream access codes to me from another room. IT WAS ALL WORTH IT. At the end, I watched PBS Newshour, Washington Week in Review, and the Celtics game on my MONSTROUS, incredibly cheep, Samsung TV that I have had for a year but only used as a Netflix terminal.

I’m not going to complain about using my TV as a Netflix box. See, I’m better now. If I wasn’t restricted in what I watched, I wouldn’t have taken in “Pretend It’s a City”.

In case you are unaware, which is really fine (how the fuck should you know about “Pretend It’s a City”) this Netflix offering is a set of 30 minute episodes where Martin Scorsese laughs maniacally at a stream of Fran Lebowitz commentary. It’s not for everyone. I wanted to be annoyed at it. I’m often annoyed by Martin Scorsese¹. Despite my desire to dislike the series along with everything else in the world, I started to really enjoy it. I have always liked Fran Leobowitz. I read one of her books when I was a teen and thought it was brilliant. At the start of the series it seemed that her cranky old persona hadn’t aged well, that her shtick had been subsumed by a culture of complaint. The more I watched, however, the more I was charmed by her. I found myself laughing again. Not Martin Scorsese laughing, but laughing. Once I started laughing, I was thankful that “Marty” was giving me permission. I started to appreciate that nerdy laugh of his.

More importantly, in addition to enjoying the series, I found myself thinking about it. Fran Lebowitz is an attractive personality because she has attractive ideas. While walking the dog I caught myself ruminating on her argument against smoking bans in New York City. She asks what conversations Picasso would have missed if he had to get up and go outside to smoke?

“Hanging around is very important,” she says. “Do you know what artists sitting around talking and smoking and drinking is? It’s called the history of art.” — Fran Lebowitz

There was a time when Medium, and before that LiveJournal, were really fun. Shit was happening. All was exciting and new, and creative, weird, shit seemed to be everywhere. Blogging isn’t new. I don’t know what is new now on the Tubes. I would say TikTok, but I’m certain TikTok is old. I don’t really care what is new. We’re here, man.

And while we are here, we should hang out together. The way you hang out on blogs is through comments. I’m not going to complain about Medium’s comment system, for I have complained, and complained, and complained and all the good it has done me, all the good that it’s ever done anyone, is to fill our “story” lists with dumb complaints. Comments work well enough. We can comment.

Comments make a site more sticky, and it is in the goo of that social stickiness that the interesting ideas reside.

The commodity of our age is attention. I have to give Ev Williams credit. He has tried to make Medium a platform that values ideas more than attention.

I can make peace with that. I can live in an imperfect social platform of ideas. It’s a fuckton better than the fascist hell-hole that is the rest of the Internet.

¹ If I ever said that “Mean Streets” was a great movie I want to rescind that. I rewatched it recently and here is my official opinion: “Mean Streets was an important movie to me personally. It has many great elements and an engrossing depiction of New York. It is not a great movie, but it did popularize the term ‘mook.’”