The last year has seen a marked decrease in the amount of entries to my blog. Several reasons come to mind. First this blog is really for me and not so much for other to learn about me. Admittedly some entries like the Lost Chennault’s have received a fair number of views most of the entries remain viewed mostly by me.
One entry in particular was a conversation I had with a colleague about the software developer. I was comparing the exorbitant cost of software development to that of health care industry. The two share a certification process that equates its members to modern day clerics of an arcane religion. I liked that entry but I doubt anyone else found it illuminating unless they are fans of Ivan Illich and his book Tools for Conviviality.
But I digress. The point of this entry is to inform my ardent readers (that would be me) that my posting is down because I’ve been distracted. Distracted by family, work and procrastination. Several post in 2007 and 2008 concentrated on communication theory. These post had a deleterious side effect of creating a negative personal world view. You would have had to read the post to understand but in a nutshell I’ve come to believe that we as a people are not the self-enlighten rational critical thinkers living in a free and egalitarian democratic society.
Thus for most of 2008 I inoculated myself from thinking by living a external thought life. I turned away from introspection to observation and engagement of the superficial. I watched movies and television. Spent hours upon hours performing needless technical task (setting up Mythbuntu and a NAS server).
Of course not all of it was an Adorno and Horkhiemr escapist life. Audrey entered our lives and the boys continue to mold me into a better father with each day. However with each passing day it becomes easier not think of those things that I believe are eroding our democracy, our freedoms and our intellectual capabilities. It is easy to become caught up in the national positivism surrounding the 2008 presidential elections. Why not?
Perhaps because after all is said and done we in America are still ruled by a two party system. Our national agenda is set not by our citizen ideals but our investment goals. We are more concerned about lowering prices than raising wages.