Saturday, October 25, 2008

Drudge Czar?

In my opinion, there has been a lot of unfair drive-by swiping at Drudge.

It was during a conversation and I do not remember the stupid reason but I had tightly balled my fist and hit my friend on his big, massive and muscular arm. I was not young. Maybe in my forties. He calmly looked at me as if to say “Et tu, BB?” I eagerly looked to him for an answer to my foolish gesture and he gave it to me. He said people always want to hit a big man as himself. He said they always want to test their strength against his. He went on to say had he hit me on my arm as I had his, he would have broken it. I am ashamed to say I do not remember the rest of the conversation as well as I remember the lesson it taught me to which I will not further elaborate.

In my interpretation, lots of people want to test their strengths on Drudge. His site is big, massive and without question, muscular all of which I think is the attraction to the ninety five pound weaklings on the beach.

I first saw Drudge on C-Span with Brian Lamb hosting that day. Drudge told us he was a one man pony show, that he had journalist and reporters feeding into him and he in turn would put on his site. I immediately identified with him as being a loner as myself and a person who would rather work along than with the social dynamics of a group. When you are a single man and also a loaner, certain social dynamics come into play at the work site that can negatively influence the work force and yes, I have read unflattering things written about both Drudge and Jesus.

It was then, during the C-Span interview, Drudge pulled a rabbit out of a hat. While talking to Brian he, Drudge, slide over his desktop computer and right in front of the face of “totally in control” Brian Lamb, change the headline on his web site. I was aghast! Brian kept his cool. I said “That’s power!” And Brian said in effect, “That’s kool!” And I said, “This man is unique!” And Brian went on with the interview. I was left breathlessly waiting to see Drudge pull another rabbit out of his hat. I was beside myself with total identification with this smart, unassuming loaner man.

During the ensuring years, I have begun to look at the Drudge Report as a store in the shopping mall of the internet. I stroll by, look at his window displays and decide if I want to read any of his articles. His stories are on display just as the stories of other merchants on the website mall and he has to purchase them, display them and sell them as do the other merchants.

On the internet, you have your Macy type news web sites, you look in their windows and see if you like anything and you have your Neaman Marcuses' and some less then up-scale sites you can also window shop, peer at the displays and, if you are so inclined, read the articles. The background music in the mall may be a string quartet or “You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog”. You mosey along the various promenades looking at the window displays; shopping for news articles that strike your fancy.

However, when Drudge puts his stories on display in his window area, he sometimes spices up the display a bit and, alas, a whole lot very often due to the fact he has to sell a story and the merchants want to be paid and he has to make a profit and besides that, he has a talent for window displays. I would guess new merchants approach him daily and they just keep’a commin’. There maybe times you are pondering the display when Drudge reaches in from behind the display to alter or change it. There‘s money in the Drudge reports and we all know about how people are when they smell money and what people will do who can not get it. It becomes a “have's and have's not” situation.

Drudge may take his cue from the jeweler who would never advertise his diamonds on a white or yellow background. The jeweler uses the background color that flatters the diamonds to their best advantages. I liken the Drudge report to both a jeweler and to a grocery store owner who has different farmers bringing in their produce for him to sell. One must remember, the grocer also has bills to pay and the last thing he wants to sing to his customers is, “Yes, we have no bananas today!”
As always,
BB
P.S. In my opinion, The Drudge Report has become the Carnage Hall or Sydney Australia Opera House of news web sites; One of a kind, idiomatically speaking. (Smile)

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