"If you're going to have a personal style blog, have some f***ing personal style"
Mitchell J. Goldstein nails it with his piece "An Unstructured Rant on the Current State of #menswear" A good laugh, worth a read, but I warn you, no pictures.
I guess I'm old-fashioned, but the profanity and vulgar language in "The Trouble with Menswear Blogs" made it just too tiresome to read. Don't people realize that that sort of thing weakens your argument? It certainly doesn't gain you any credibility. And it's not just shocking anymore--it's just juvenile.
While I agree about the overuse of profanity these days, I'd venture to say that because of that very overuse real swearing has all but ceased to exist.
Oh, swearing still exists, but the words are different, as are the protected subjects. The old cuss words had mostly to do with sex, religion, and excrement, the new ones with race and sexual preferences.
The only time swearing has shocked me was when it came from the mouth of a friend who never, ever cursed. The one time he did, it had impact.
Other than that, everyone else, in print or in person, just sounds vulgar, inarticulate, uncouth, and uneducated when they swear. I don't waste my time with those who can't express themselves more appropriately.
I'm all for people dressing better, being more educated, fostering intelligent conversation, and the exchange of ideas, but I also understand that sometimes you have to look past a person's means of communication to see the real point. I mean, is a painting the expressions of the artist made concrete or is it just some colorful oil on a piece of parchment?
Ultimately, it's the great divide between the aforementioned and the young bloggers mentioned in the article that makes "real world" blogging try to straddle this divide. Of course, it almost always fails, since it is perceived as disingenuous by both sides. I grant that you, of anyone, has done a wonderful job of finding readers in both worlds, but there isn't a national (and certainly not international) level voice for the person who has had enough life experience to identify with and see the perspectives of both sides. It's just this sort of thing that makes me really a lot more prone to going about my day, dressing well, speaking well, and never photographing it for, or discussing it on, the internet. I do hope you keep up the good work though.
An Affordable Wardrobe strives for an open discussion of all the topics presented here. All opinions, whether in agreement with the author or not, will be considered for publication. Please present your points in a clear and adult fashion. Negative comments of an overtly crass nature will not be published. Besides dressing like grown ups, let's behave like them as well.
Mitchell needs to use a bigger font before I'll read his rant.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm old-fashioned, but the profanity and vulgar language in "The Trouble with Menswear Blogs" made it just too tiresome to read. Don't people realize that that sort of thing weakens your argument? It certainly doesn't gain you any credibility. And it's not just shocking anymore--it's just juvenile.
ReplyDeleteDonald,
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree about the overuse of profanity these days, I'd venture to say that because of that very overuse real swearing has all but ceased to exist.
Oh, swearing still exists, but the words are different, as are the protected subjects. The old cuss words had mostly to do with sex, religion, and excrement, the new ones with race and sexual preferences.
ReplyDelete-Nathanael
Right on the mark, G.
ReplyDeleteThe only time swearing has shocked me was when it came from the mouth of a friend who never, ever cursed. The one time he did, it had impact.
Other than that, everyone else, in print or in person, just sounds vulgar, inarticulate, uncouth, and uneducated when they swear. I don't waste my time with those who can't express themselves more appropriately.
Giuseppe, I love your blog. I have for years, it partially inspired me to blog, and I check it every so often to read your interesting takes on style and your just this side of rebellious proper dress. However, what I find simultaneously hilarious and off-putting is how easily the "old guard", the bastions and vanguards of "tradition" and "heritage" (even if you would never catch them using those words) so quickly denigrate those that are unlike them in even just one way. Case in point, instead of discussing a rather poignant and thankfully blunt essay, we get pompous asses (ooh, I'm one of them now! How déclassé!) acting like a 19th century English aristocrat scoffing at the great unwashed for not understanding the difference between earl grey and oolong. If, in the history of man, we all followed these kinds of rules we'd be the most boring lot of creatures in existence.
ReplyDeleteI'm all for people dressing better, being more educated, fostering intelligent conversation, and the exchange of ideas, but I also understand that sometimes you have to look past a person's means of communication to see the real point. I mean, is a painting the expressions of the artist made concrete or is it just some colorful oil on a piece of parchment?
Ultimately, it's the great divide between the aforementioned and the young bloggers mentioned in the article that makes "real world" blogging try to straddle this divide. Of course, it almost always fails, since it is perceived as disingenuous by both sides. I grant that you, of anyone, has done a wonderful job of finding readers in both worlds, but there isn't a national (and certainly not international) level voice for the person who has had enough life experience to identify with and see the perspectives of both sides. It's just this sort of thing that makes me really a lot more prone to going about my day, dressing well, speaking well, and never photographing it for, or discussing it on, the internet. I do hope you keep up the good work though.
In re: swearing.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Twain.
We'd all be better off to ignore the indulgent and inconsequential rantings of an "artist", or anyone really, who twitpics pictures of food.
ReplyDelete