Thursday, September 30, 2004
Polish barbarians at the gates of blogosphere
There you go - apparently it's in my blood: as Nina Camic, professor of Law at the University of Wisconsin writes:
(hat tip: Libercontrarian)
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"[I]n terms of the number of blogs per Internet users, Poles are right at the top, surpassing American blogger rates two to one, and that's not even counting those Polish blogs that are hosted on American domains, nor is it controlling for the disproportionately large number of Internet users in Poland as compared to elsewhere."There you go, Chrenkoff is only a vanguard of barbarian invasion from the East (or actually, as we prefer to situate ourselves geographically, Center). Professor Camic explains the reasons:
"* We [Poles] think we will all die tomorrow and so we feel compelled to hurry and put down every last word before the reaper comes knocking.I didn't know that Stephen Green was Polish. Anyway, I can also add another reason: while over the last two and a half centuries Poles had their fair share of failed uprisings and insurrections, there's only so many you can go through without totally destroying your own nation, hence writing becomes a convenient, and safer, substitute for direct action, an opposition activity that just about everyone can engage in. And believe me - everyone does.
"* We think we are a nation of poets; unfortunately, when we try our hand at poetry it doesn't come out right and so we blog instead.
"* We are a literate nation. We read a lot of news papers and magazines. We consume the stuff like our souls depended on it. Obviously all that reading makes us want to sound off about what we have just read.
"* Our bloodline got mixed up with an Italian strain many centuries ago during years of conquest and royal travels. We are thus an expressive lot. Just like Italians. There, two stereotypes in one point.
"* We have adventurous palates and we have ravenous appetites for trendy things. We'll try anything that's new and popular elsewhere.
"* Vodka and blogging go hand in hand nicely. Have you ever tried writing a post with a chilled bottle of Wyborowa feeding a martini glass? No? Me neither, but it sounds enticing for a cold winter's night. Or, to a Pole it does. With some pickles and maybe a piece of herring on dark rye. And cold stubby fingers sticking out wooly gloves."
(hat tip: Libercontrarian)
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