"Any Jackass Can Burn Down A Barn"

Or so said Billy Bob Thornton's character in the movie "Primary Colors." I think it's true.

Recently, I happened across a blogger whose entry lamented a lack of feedback and attention they had received and it made me realize the great similarities between blogging communities such as writingUp and the music industry - why some things are popular and other offerings (as equally or more so deserving) fail to find an audience. It's not all that confounding really.

Jessica Simpson flashes her cleavage, struggling to master the use of her opposable thumbs but offering pizza, and is a household name while John Prine makes music universally profound enough to make one of the toughest guys I've ever known - a biker who lives up to the stereotypes - break into tears and, yet, Prine remains unknown to most people. The person who appeals to the most simple-minded monkey is likely going to garner the most attention.

It's no different here. Some of the bloggers generate a lot of heat through their ability to push buttons with their (often) half-baked, poorly written, intractable takes on God, homosexuality, George Bush, and other subject matter which easily produces Pavlovian, knee-jerk reactions while other bloggers strive for a bit more and are left in the dust. Believer easily proved this theory.

Perhaps it comes down to what you want out of the experience and what you are willing (or unwilling to do). Some people will be content to have a "cult" following and others will seek the spotlight through any means neccessary. In the end, I suppose it's up to each individual to make peace with the path they choose. Having been fortunate enough to have been around John Prine on a handful of occasions, I don't think he loses any sleep over Jessica Simpson and I doubt she even crosses his mind unless he's ordering pizza.

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