What is it all about? Well, let me tell you. It’s about politics. Of course you knew I’d say that, being a political blogger, it isn’t that big of a stretch really. I know what you’re thinking. “Oh, I don’t really like politics, I don’t like talking about it, not really. Politics are boring.” Oh how wrong you are! Every person lives amongst political atmospheres. Whether you dwell in the tumultuous battle fields of political blogs, littered with intellectual land mines and and a smattering of incoherent rants or raves, or you prefer the oh-so-subtle political atmosphere at work, otherwise known as the water-cooler, no matter how you slice and dice it, you are immersed in politics, all day, every day.

Why does this matter? Because it does. Because it affects you, and me, and your nosy neighbor down the street. It also affects online communications and social forums such as BlogCatalog. Here it is…wait for it….yes! The gratuitous plug! Online blogging platforms and social forums such as BlogCatalog are rife, rife I say with politics! Of course, there is more to the story here. There always is.

BlogCatalog saved my faith, in people that is. Well, the forums here at BlogCatalog, in tandem with a few wonderful fellow bloggers and BlogCatalog junkies are what did the trick.

See now, prior to my addiction to BlogCatalog, I was totally and completely consumed by such social forums as MySpace, and online debate forums. During my escapades on other sites I realized one thing, or so I thought. They have all lost their minds! Of course, my world is one of political debate and discourse. I argue, I entice, I sometimes even bait! My patience however, had finally run out.

Once one got beyond the utter illiteracy of many of the participants, and found something in their posts to comprehend, one immediately regretted having read it at all. The amount of sheer ignorance, willful ignorance, and hatred and bile wasn’t just astounding, oh no! It made me want to put my head through my monitor! Towards the end of it, I had decided that I would have more fun if I stopped reading the threads, and simply poked myself in the eye with a sharp stick.

I was beginning to think that MySpace was really a typo, what they meant to call it was migraine.

Enter in BlogCatalog and all of it’s whiz-bang members. I of course stumbled into the general forums, cracking my knuckles with a maniacal laugh thinking “What kind of mischief can I cause here?” To my surprise I found something rare. Something unheard of. Something so utterly incomprehensible to my political debate centered mind I had no idea what to make of it.

It’s called…reason.

Humanity is saved! The lack of of patience that I had built up alongside with a certain amount of overall disgust that had me on the brink of grabbing my pitchfork and rifle and starting a revolution on my own melted away. Not that revolution is a bad thing, in my opinion, But there is something to be said for timing, and lack of a militia to wage one. members like Kdawg, AmmoBob, KevinGoodman, and ChelleB - all politically inclined in their own way, and quite stubborn, and opinionated stepped up, debated, and it was just magic. We didn’t all agree, certainly not. We did however, manage logical, rational conversations that actually went somewhere! I have even forged friendships and blog exchanges with folks such as AmmoBob, my complete opposite politically speaking.

It was about that time, I’m sure, that Satan had to go shopping for an overcoat.

That not withstanding, friendships such as with “Horseboy” otherwise known as Kdawg, the Aspiring horseplayer helped me to understand that all was not lost. People were there, and they were listening, and compromises could be made. Bridges could be gapped. Unfortunately politics exist on BlogCatalog too. That old “water-cooler” political style that inevitably does someone in. Some bloggers have walked away from BlogCatalog, and we want them back!

However, as I said before it’s all about politics, anyway.

The moral of the story? There is none, aside from the fact that coming into BlogCatalog is like walking into the script of some sappy movie, “When logic met reason” or some such thing. It’s true - you too can restore your faith that people are, in fact, intelligent. Wow.

You can boost your blog hits to boot. Is that a deal or what?

Anok is a self proclaimed political junkie and dork. She can be found regularly in the blogcatalog discussions. Her blog Identity Check is a political place for opinions, research, and musings from the Anarchist / Activist point of view.