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I found this piece on the blog Outside the Beltway

For some years now, bloggers have been portrayed (and have portrayed themselves) as grass-roots outsiders, rebels storming the privileged bastions of the journalistic elite. I’m not sure that image was ever accurate, and the hierarchy of the blogosphere is probably becoming more elitist every day, as more establishment organizations seek to carve out a place in the medium. (source)

McCain notes that even the original Wonkette, Ana Marie Cox, has degrees from Chicago and Berkeley.
Almost all the top bloggers have graduate or professional degrees, mostly from elite schools. As I’ve noted many times over the years (see, for example, “Professionalization of the Blogosphere“), it stands to reason that the blogosphere would be dominated by academics and lawyers, who tend to have both the intellectual training and the time available to spend large chunks of their day processing information and churning out interesting commentary on it. The pure hobbyists like John Amato and Ed Morrissey, who have achieved huge readership simply through passion and hard work, are exceptional, indeed.

Take a look at the rest of the Atlantic’s bloggers, and see if you can’t discern a certain pattern in the educational pedigree:

Ross Douthat — Harvard.

Matthew Yglesias — Harvard.

Marc Armbinder — Harvard.

James Fallows — Harvard, graduate degree from Oxford.

Andrew Sullivan — Oxford, with master’s and Ph.D. from Harvard.

Caution Snoop rant: I’m slightly cranky today so keep in mind as you decipher this rant…

To first be amongst the blogging elite you must be able to;

1 - Type proficiently, that goes without saying.

2 - Avoid vitriolic attacks against those with whom you may disagree.

3 - Be fair and accommodating to your readers.

4 – Don’t say shit, fuck, damm, motherfucker, the N word in your posts.

5 – Be white… yes, be white. No I’m not being racial AGAIN, but it tis a fact.

The blogsphere is quickly turning into an extension of the MSM where you must be part of the good ole white boyz network for your opinions to matter.

This is the same reason why all talking head shows feature the same ole rhetoric spewing bobble head old white dudes on all networks.
The blogsphere has this closed inner circle of self promoting types pimping each other to keep readership up and ads revenues flowing.

I see way too often on blogs “blog polls” with an exclusive circle of approved bloggers to promote like minded thought or these “my favorite blog” rankings of approved blog resources.

I consciously try to make an effort and read some of the smaller blogs with interesting, funny and witty commentary. It not just about how many people are reading a particular blog. Hell if certain blogs are all pimping each other of course readership will inevitable increase and stay strong.

Blogging should be more defined by the raw thought and emotion that comes from your average Jane or Joe and not some cheese eating, wine sipping faux political insiders.

Besides, me, I’m not that deep, when it comes to assessing the colossal stupidity of some folks and politicians sometimes a good ole “You are a fucken idiot” is sufficient, although intellectual types might cringe at my unabashed barbarianism.
It’s clear a PhD is not writing this blog. No degrees of higher education clutter my office walls. Although I do have some cool pictures of political folks, jazz prints and a nice view any PhD type would envy.

People who are paid to blog are not bloggers in my opinion. It is unfortunate that media establishments and political campaigns are hiring these elite types’ to impersonate bloggers and blurring the line between raw passionate political and societal dialogue with canned partisan commentary.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 21st, 2007 at 6:26 am and is filed under Blog Watch, academia, Blog Snobs.
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