It starts

Blogging has always seemed to be a bit of a vanity thing to me. Oh, don't get me wrong. There are some blogs that I read with devotion. (http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/ is just one). 

You see, the internet is (in my opinion) one of the greatest blessings to the human race. Yet, at the same time is one of the contributing factors of the downfall of society. No, really. 

Let me explain. 

Art comes in many forms. Boiled down to its essence, art is the capture or portrayal of beauty. Art requires a peculiar and rare kind of person to create. These individuals are rare... occasional... unique and to be cherished.

The problem is... everyone thinks they are this kind of person. They think they are rare, unique and able to create/capture beauty. My grandfather said something on this topic to me once. “We all want to be unique, a one of a kind. I got news for ya kiddo. You ARE unique. Just like everyone else.”

Pre-1982 (the year that the TCP/IP was standardized) we had no internet. Shitty artists, writers, photographers, etc. were limited to inflicting their horribleness (thank you Joss Whedon, for introducing me to this awesome word) only upon those near them. If they were lucky, they could get into a 'Zine and have it spread around a small sliver of the population all over the local geographical area.

Then came the internet. At first, it took a certain amount of technological savvy to surf the web. You have to meet a certain IQ standard and have a certain skill set to get online. It took some study and know-how to build a web page. The internet was a haven to geeks and was viewed (wrongly) as a retreat for some kind of intellectual elite.

Eventually, the internet became plug and play. That means anyone can do it. It's idiot proof.

There's a problem. Every time something is made idiot proof – they make a new and improved idiot.

That brings us to today. The internet allows for the near instantaneous and free exchange of ideas and collaboration. It allows artists and writers to share their work, get immediate feedback. It allows resources to be acquired and shared instantly.

As an independent film maker, we use the internet a great deal. I get sound effects, stock footage, royalty free music as we edit. My partner and I will put our work up and use it for test audiences and feedback. We use it as a tool.

Now, before I continue, I will state that I am proud of my work. My latest short film took an award in the Fear Fete International Horror Film Festival (www.fearfete.com) lending an air of legitimacy to my work. I don't believe that I am an amazing artist. Hell. For all I know, I could be one of the people that I am complaining about.

All of this was just to say the following: The internet has allowed these people... crappy artists, horrible poets, shitty photographers... Idiots, morons, and the people that have ruined politics, the planet, the economy, movies, television and the world... It lets them out into the world with their borderline mentally handicapped scribblings and ramblings. They slap it out there for the entire world to see.

The problem is, at it's root, is that most of it SUCKS. Really... it does. In today's PC (Politically Correct) World, it's considered bad form to critique people if their work sucks. I will take the on the mantle of the offensive guy... Most of it sucks. Your mom should have told you to color inside the lines. Your teacher should have told you that your emo poetry is just horrible. Someone should have told you that taking the same damn photo as everyone else (Camera phone held aloft shooting a pic down your shirt, Camera phone in the mirror in the bath room, of your eye) isn't art... it's just... shit. Remaking the same movies, is bullshit. Your writing... it probably sucks...

This crapulence was once contained in your home or your local coffee shop... The internet has brought it into my home.

Thank you interwebs... you are my hero.