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Showing posts from July, 2024

Defending the blogger, reserving the journalist

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Copied from a Facebook post by the page Stratmanjazho Montage showing journalists enduring a storm or typhoon I saw a post defending journalists while denouncing bloggers. And the photo in that post shows journalists enduring stormy weather and its effects. There is a quote attributed to the Rappler journalist Lian Buan that reads— "I've said this over and over again—you prefer vloggers and influencers now for your so-called unbiased content, but on our worst days as a nation, it's the journalists who will show up. Remember that." While the quote may say "vloggers," it means "bloggers" in general. A vlogger is a blogger who publishes his or her blog in video format, as the "v" in the word vlogger means "video blogger." Returning to the quote, it sounds like the journalist fails to recognize the benefits of bloggers. Such an action risks inflaming

Achievements, contributions, and purpose are Western constructs

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Quote by lanie (@melatoninlau) By default, everything simply exists. Achievements, contributions, and purpose are arbitrary constructs imposed on us generally to satisfy profit-based institutions and systems. We are human beings, not human doings. Our existence as humans is independent of any perceived recognition of value, especially by those who respect profit and status. Recognition of value is itself arbitrary, like clothing styles or paint colors. We should challenge the dominant system that believes in the social construct that is purpose and instead introduce values that respect the being of existence. Purpose-believers are nihilists in the way that they ignore or neglect people who are unable to entertain their criteria of "purpose." Many people are unable to entertain the constructs of "achievements" and "contributions" because some factor or force beyond their control is severely