Think for Yourself

“The truth will set you free. But first it will piss you off.” —Gloria Steinem

Think for Yourself

Question everything. Question authority (I don’t care if it is an emergency, you can’t park there), question premises (the policeman is my friend), question advertizing (It’s waaay better than fast food . . ..), question the media (illegal drugs are destroying the country), question corporate influence (we need to destroy the environment so we can increase our profits), question politicians and the lobbyists who buy their favors (we can’t support a public health care option because it would destroy private insurance companies), question religion (Jesus is God), question the motives of all who claim the power to bend you to their will (we know what’s best for you).

Ask yourself if what the powers-that-be are telling you squares with the reality of what you see going on in the world around you. If their rhetoric doesn’t match up with your perceptions and experiences, there’s a high probability that they’re lying to you. Tune out the bullshit, trust your instincts, and don’t concern yourself about being politically correct. It’s not against the law (yet) to have a differing opinion.

Inspired by Hart Williams’ blog post on 22 April, I decided to include, at the end of every article I post to this blog, the following symbol:

Q >>>

It’s my constant reminder to Frieddogleg’s readers to always ask the next question. Of course, the “ask the next question” symbol that Hart used to illustrate his “FISA — Asking The Next Question” article was probably generated in a high-end graphics program, whereas mine was rendered on my computer keyboard using the Trebuchet font in varying sizes so that everything more or less lines up. I took the liberty of adding a couple of embellishments, i.e. extra arrow points, to remind readers that there is never just one next question, and that the next question is often times followed by many more.

But don’t take my word for the importance of asking the next question. Hart’s late friend and mentor, the science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon, originated the “ask the next question” symbol to illustrate an article he wrote for the June, 1967 issue of Cavalier magazine. In that article, Mr. Sturgeon concisely and succinctly tells us why human evolution depends on asking the next question.

You see, it’s not so much about asking questions until you get the answer you want as it is about asking enough of the right questions until you arrive at the truth.

Q >>>

B.A.D.! B.A.D.! B.A.M.!

It all started Sunday afternoon when I landed on Chuck for . . . to play a little catch-up. When I finished reading Chuck’s latest post, I could barely see the top of a graphic posted right below the heading Blogroll Amnesty Day, but it grabbed me, so I scrolled a little further down the page to see what it was all about. And before I realized that I was about to open a can of worms, I opened the can of worms.

Not long after, I arrived at Jon Swift, where I learned even more about Blogroll Amnesty Day and how bloggers use it to promote other blogs while promoting their own blogs in the process. From there I made my way to Skippy the bush kangaroo, where I let the ‘roo apply some polish to my newfound knowledge until I was convinced that that blog, too, should become a full-fledged member of my blogroll. And from there . . . well, that’s where the aforementioned can of worms comes in. But more about the worms in a minute.

As it turns out, promoting one’s blog the Blogroll Amnesty Day way is nothing more complicated than adopting a liberal blogroll policy; simply blogroll lots of B- and C-list blogs, and get them to blogroll yours in return. In other words, it’s all about exchanging links, much like knowledgeable Webmasters have done to promote their Web sites since the second Web site went online.

Although I think that Blogroll Amnesty Day (B.A.D) is a bit of a misnomer and that it should be renamed Blog Appreciation Day (also B.A.D.) to better describe what the event is about, I understand that it’s an event steeped in years (2) of tradition and that the founders may not be willing to let go of that.

From my standpoint, however, a simple name change may not be enough. Because I do everything slower these days (often, a single blink turns into a two-hour nap), an extended duration for the event would be most welcome, too. Perhaps we could call it Blog Appreciation Month (B.A.M.), instead. More time in which to get things done will give me more time in which to get things done. Or more time to procrastinate; I’ll be happy either way.

In the spirit of Blogroll Amnesty Day, I’m resigned to dedicating the entire month of Feb-roo-air-ee (as Hart Williams admonishes) to adding more blogs to Frieddogleg’s blogroll. I’ll be looking for and adding blogs and contacting those bloggers as time permits. And that brings me back to the subject of worms.

Oh, yes, about the worms. They’ve insinuated themselves into my daily routine, subverted most of my plans for the year, wormed their way into my heart, and generally become the most delightful nuisances I could ever imagine (but can’t imagine doing without). I’ve already introduced you to a few of those worms; I’ll introduce you to many more in the days to come.

And if you’re a blogger who has added this worm to your blogroll, let me know so I can return the favor. E-mail me at peteyATperfecttextDOTcom (mention “blogroll” in the subject line), or post the necessary information in a comment to the latest entry at Frieddogleg.

Don’t let your blog get left behind. Today is B.A.D., and a better day to begin an aggressive blog promotion campaign may or may not loom on the horizon. Don’t miss this opportunity for self-aggrandizement; get started now. You know you want to.