Newsstand: February 9, 2010
Bob Kinnear isn't Greg Kinnear
Duly Quoted: Adam Giambrone
Newsstand: February 8, 2010
Scale Model City, Actual-Size Grime
A Globe and Mail photographer captures Raymi in her element.
For you cave dwellers, 26-year-old Toronto "blogebrity" (who even says that?) Lauren White has been running her widely read personal blog since "before you even knew how to attach a photo in email" (says her Twitter). From the time she was seventeen, she's been amassing a mega intense army of followers—and just as intense army of haters—by chronicling the minutiae of her everyday life like it was her job. For those who follow along, it's easy to feel like her biographer with all the needless details you absorb (didja know she’s related to Jack Kerouac?) and all the scene-y events you notice her at (where you pretend not to recognize her then check her blog the next day to see if you were in any of her photos). For others, it’s impossible to pinpoint the blog's appeal, aside from the voyeurism it provides with little to no censorship. But love or hate her, when was the last time you broke up with your boyfriend only to have it covered by everyone from Eye Weekly (Kate Carraway, natch) to the Globe and Mail (with mandatory quote from subculture profiteer Hal Niedzviecki)? That's the bizarro situation Raymi has found herself in (culminating in the Globe writer writing about it again to fend off threats of flaming dog shit from her loyal kingdom). Rather than us add to the weird discourse about someone so "uninteresting" that everyone keeps fricking writing about her, we thought we'd let her respond.
If my non-news isn't news, why do major outlets continue adding to the coverage?
I very much agree with Kate Carraway's epithet regarding a blogger's high-quotient of (seemingly) undue bragging, though I feel she misses the point slightly, negatively and hypocritically so. Some bloggers (I, for one) are trying to make it. There is more to it than the cascade of here is my new jacket, here is a hamburger I ate, here I am wasted in a bar, here is my blah blah blah photos. That's called filler. The question to know the answer to, or demand rather, is why the fuck should I care about a (scoff) blogger at all? I don't know, why are you writing about me? Writers want to be famous too, no? What part of the picture are you missing?
We all know what blogging is. We all know for every website there is a Twitter account, a Facebook account. We know there are invisible fluorescent red desperation arrows floating around a blogger's monitor, so in the small town what is Toronto we do not acknowledge that we read them. We barely make mention of them, how uncool would that be, and for the same token we never acknowledge when something good happens for the people we follow, or bad. I was never allowed to say, "Guess what, I'M HUUGE!" (whether fact or fiction), you just don't do that in Canadiana, and you don't dare ever whisper of any intent of becoming so either. Then, if and when it happens, you still shut up about it lest you jinx it. When shit is flung, you have to pretend you don't care. You must return from whence you came, no big deal zone. It's so easy in Toronto to just dismiss everything and everyone. People fiercely love or hate something in Toronto. I am one of those somethings.
I have been largely ignored yet secretly followed, pursued, for years. I am constantly second-guessing everything I share (I am even afraid to be typing this post right now because I know the comment suicide Torontoist can bring), but I do it anyway because I believe that it is good and appreciated and unique. Why does this post even exist at all? Who am I? To me the real story here—the big picture—is that ten years ago no one knew what a fucking blog even was, or why someone would share so much online. And now, ten years later, a national newspaper is on my case for not sharing enough.
Here's the story in stunted form (interviewers love timelines, helps them catch up):
I'm twenty-six. Started my blog when I was seventeen. Steadily, deliberately, controversially attempted to show trainwreck lifestyle with world. Exhibitionism inspired by nerve.com, VICE and Toronto's pre-hipster/mod scene (though none of us were mods, Mod Club at Lava lounge was the place to pretend to not want to be every Wednesday). Secretly worked as online model (webcam, live chat) while blogging at 19, living in Little Italy. Nudity from secret job inspires more exhibitionism, upping ante on blog. Show tits on blog, blog explodes. First wave of blogging trend hits the rest of world about the same time (2002/3). I pre-date that (from 2000), therefore am considered a pioneer. Went to head, also did not care, steamrolled through the rest of youth doing crazy things and showing it all on the internet. Eventually would be pigeon-holed into tits-for-hits blog, nipples become a big deal and never not get mentioned since. Always defending with excuses of art and rambly prose. Basically, my blog stood out. It was good shit, and bad. Its readership steadily grows, is consistent. Known for caustic sometimes overly defensive tone and overall penchant for flame warring, posting scathing replies to frequent hate comments/emails which I make use of for material. Am touted with, "fuck me? fuck you," attitude. Villainous demeanor takes on force of its own.
Breakdown, leave city at age of twenty, return to 'burbs for one year. Get caught up in more scandalous life pissing awayness. Eventually cut the shit, meet guy who is to be next boyfriend of five years. Some say falling in love kills a blog. Document, chart, show new life. Move back to city to condo. Have been with guy for three years at this point. Blog wins awards. Known around Toronto, but kind of have a geek-sheen cast plus a bit of a snub here and there from the "cool" kids. Blogs received little to no bearing in real world then, though online readership, fans, whatever, continue to prosper. Total headfuck being so "well-known" online, and silently around town. They know you but they don't let you know they know you.
Perks begin to roll in as bloggers begin to receive more recognition and clout as viable sources for product placement (tastemaking). Stature increases. Blog benefits. More events, more blog posts showcasing them. Two years go by spent entirely drunk (and hung). Tire of events, tire of the entire scene. Begin to feel shallow and empty. Become unhappy. Attempt to cover that up via frivolous means. Outfits, things, booze. Disconnect from everything. Relationship ends. Leave. Multiple reasons why. It was tough, it really was and I'm presently still a mess but ultimately feel it was the right choice. We both benefit(ed) from this relationship, as shitty it is to even mention that. I don't know if we will be friends, but I do know that you have no idea what it feels like to have a massive pack of people watching all of it unfold, pushing for more dirt, pretending to give a shit, or giving one.
There has been a lot of support and I am entirely grateful for it. This is another blogging perk when you connect with people, they connect back. They reveal to you the most personal of things, it's awing.
As for now I'm overwhelmed. And taking advantage of the media attention, but it makes me feel mental and sort of a different person dealing with someone else's life.
So why after all this should you be made to care? I dunno. All I did was start a blog, guy. Seems all the uninteresting and banal shit I upload to the intershits is interesting after all. Oh, and because I wanted you to care. I made you care. Thanks for stopping by.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
she's right, you know.
Damn. Girl has a point.
The thing is though, Raymi is desperate for fame and yet lacks any discernible talent (apart from a staggering lack of self-awareness, megalomania, and sociopathic self-obsession), so claiming that she is being ignored is probably true - but not for the reasons she thinks.
determined, you dick.
Well, good. I suppose you have determination and delusion in your corner so that's good.
JK what's your job just curious, are you a talent scout?
Because she seems to be a pretty damn talented blogger, considering her following BEFORE the amount of interest this whole break up debacle created.
Glad you asked, Steph (duly noted you are one of Raymi's minions of the month) - I work in TV so yes, you could say Talent scouting.
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Lauren will get her 15 minutes and then fade back into obscurity, becoming one of the masses who shrieks and screams, "I USED TO BE FAMOUS" on street corners, joining the parade of the delusional.
Also, Steph, I think you should honestly consider why Raymi seems to amass and then quickly shed "friends" - especially other women. Think about it.
steph is a close personal FEMALE friend of mine. i am friends with copious amounts of women. and?
hahahaha ya cause TV is the ultimate talent gauge.
i also think its hilarious you seem to think you know me or raymi well enough to have an opinion about our relationship. you're the only one who's delusional here buddy.
you're just being bitchy cause everyone's proving your initial comment both irrelevant and stupid. HAHAHA
also i'd like to hahahaha at this genius quote from another commenter- I wouldn't call a tiny writeup in the g&m "media attention."
what pray tell would you call it then?
i think its sad AND hilarious how jealous people can be of other people's success. YA I SAID IT.
To be honest, I'm kind of impartial to Raymi, but I feel that pegging her as untalented is unfair. Define talent, JKToronto. What makes her any less talented than other writers?
If she's able to garner the massive following she has, she's doing something right. Whether that's more of a comment on her readers is another thing, but until that debate...
The ‘talent’ bite is dumb, JK, because it’s totally missing the point. Raymi documents her life, telling a huge, all-encompassing story, and wanting that presented as one tangible soundbite for the sake of validating her success or justifying her method is not only impossible but boring. Do you not like stories? Have you never read a book or watched a movie? Raymi, as she said, connects with and has affected hundreds of people. Because she doesn’t contribute to the world in a way that has suited your need, does not mean she has not contributed, and that she doesn’t continue to make a big mark.
Oh and, if you read her blog, you'd know she can cook. TALENTTTTTTTT.
Hi Raymi!
i have never said all-encompassing before ever
try to find that once on my blog
you are proving every single point of this farticle
also if there is more to life than the internet these days, tell me what it is then?
Actually, I am pretty sure that Nicole Villeneuve is a real and distinct person, given that she is a contributing editor on Torontoist (further proof!), and given that I have met both her and Lauren White in person and I can personally vouch that both exist, and that neither is the same as the other. Call me crazy!
Actually, I think YOU'RE missing the point - the whole "talent doesn't matter, STORIES do" argument just doesn't cut it with me, I'm afraid, but to each their own.
Raymi and her blog may connect with entire audience, I'll give her that, but probably because this is the most self-obsessed, net savvy and narcisstic generation I've seen in a long time. What's existence if it isn't online!?
As for cooking?! Now THAT is just unbearable. Are you FOR REAL? COOKING? I dare say overcooking a steak and tossing it amongst some spinach leaves cooking.
I didn't say that talent doesn't matter. My point was that she IS talented, and that she's been able to create what she has is evidence of that. Sorry if her talents aren't itemizable for, say, a television resume.
JK, you've got a real fistful of cute details about raymi for someone who doesn't give a fuck about her or her blog. guessing you troll there too?
I clicked on her blog through a link on shedoesthecity once.
Was annoyed at how delusional she is...you have so many readers? Why do you have like, 4 comments?
Edit much?
Boring.
Trust me, ask anybody on the streets of TO if they've ever heard of her.
Where would she be without that blog, jeez. Get out and live a little.
Who?
"on the streets of TO" bahahaha aka relevancy meter? pfft.
What I meant to say (you love being challenged you little devil you) is you are not a "Toronto celebrity."
I wouldn't call a tiny writeup in the g&m "media attention."
sorry to bust your cloud but there's a lot more out there, and more on the horizon. who said Toronto celebrity? oh, YOU did!
Sorry to bust your cloud, but there is more to life than the internet. You will find yourself soon.
Peace.
Anyone who can't see the unique quality in her work as a diarist is occluded. She ranks close to first in what may come to be seen as a new school of pop artists where online performance is the key medium.
I think the term you're looking for is bricolage. It roughly translates from french as art made from things lying around.
I don't know if Raymi's work is so much unique in its format as it is consistent, ever-changing, and as a result interesting for her audience. It's puzzling to me why anyone would begrudge her the attention that so many choose to give her of their own free will.
Perhaps I'm a philistine, but phrases like "pop artist" and "online performance" make me think of my 1st year Undergrad in 2000 (Media Studies), Lady GaGa and puke. Not that those are necessarily bad things, but I prefer not to view Raymi through that lens.
Sorry I meant to reply further up the chain.
Regardless of Lauren's talent as a writer, I'm glad she's able to acknowledge that a huge element of her readership and success were initially attracted by her exhibitionism—not that there's anything wrong with that. Come for the boobs, stay for the words! Why not?
I read this post when it was first up with only the first two comments. I'm not really into the whole 'blogosphere' or 'blogebrity' stuff, neither am I into Vice (or similar sites) and I never read the Globe's piece on her. I read this post, and thought, 'huh...sure.'
Now that all these comments are here, I'm interested. There's something 'missing' in these criticisms of her; something that's at the core that they're all skirting around. I'm not totally sure what this 'kernel' is, but I'm tempted to suggest it has to do with everyone here being an 'exhibitionist' to varying degrees (I put scare quotes cuz I'm not sure it's the right word). Myself included for posting this comment to the voyeur's gaze (that's you). And I'm guessing we're still not that comfortable with this 'exhibitionism' that the internet provides us. I say that because of the tactics people are using to attack her and the blog. Honestly, why would someone do this? I'm thinking especially of 'cloudbuster' and 'JKtoronto' here. What motivates you to write your criticisms here? Aren't you performing a type of 'exhibitionism' yourself?
I just don't like her or her blog. Not at all jealous because I wouldn't want her "blogebrity" or what have you: it's obvious she isn't happy. I've met her and quite frankly, I didn't like her for many reasons. Harsh? maybe but not close to what Raymi/ Lauren is capable of.
I think it's remarkable that she's been documenting her life so long and in a very public way. There's a lot of comments here, more than you'd get with an interview with Margaret Atwood. That's not saying she's more talented than her, just that she shouldn't be dismissed.
i also starting blogging as a teenager (1997) so, uh, yeah... i win?
You win if you generate as much traffic, or have nicer tits than Raymi.
Raymi is popular on the internet. She's good at the internet. She works hard at it, she blogs every single day, she networks like a mutha, she probably does a LOT behind the scenes that we never see, and she deserves every single bit of attention she gets.
I've been a long time fan and supporter of hers. (Ok, so maybe I was raised by Tony Pierce to be a loyal -Ist family member, and therefore I've got a genetic predisposition towards sexxxy Canadian bloggers, but....) But also? She gives as good as she gets. She reads my blog, she responds to EVERY single one of my fan-girl emails, and she never fails to entertain me/intrigue me/turn me on. (Also my boyfriend likes her boobs.)
I don't get the haters -- if you're not into it, you're not into it, but there's no reason to be critical of somebody who's experimenting with new media. NEW MEDIA, guys. Remember that? Sigh. Back to LA with me.
If I may be permitted to post my comment? Thank you for your forbearance. I am Johnny Maudlin, a non member of your cohort. In my time (Paleolithic?) I would have said, "I can really dig Raymi, man!" I am reading The Peep Diaries, and had a I never read Raymi's blog, I would have never read the Grope and Flail piece, and I would never have heard of Hal Lastnametohardtospell. His snide remark about Lauren (of the JKToronto flavour) inspired me to pick up his book. See how that all works? One click leads to another and soon we are all calloused. I think we should encourage our young artists. Later, when they are dead, we can discuss their arterial merits. But while they are young and alive, how about a, "Good on ya,blook!", and then back to our so-called offline lives.
ftw!
ok....can somebody have an opinion without being attacked by raymi and her minions? GOOD GRIEF!
and pardon me but how is fervently reading and jumping on any side stepping comment acting like you don't care? CALM DOWN! what do you expect?
is it so hard to accept that someone unfamiliar with raymi's blog would assume her to be self absorbed when viewing it for the first time? i've been reading for a while and i do think she is fame seeking, self centered, a little delusional, vain etc etc but it's entertaining. and there are some gems there. but seriously, if i had a blog, it would be exactly the same!! what's the big fucking deal?
can't you all just agree to disagree?
raymi's little snappy retort comments always seemed to be made by an angry goth teenager. that, to me, is comedy (talent!)
Raymi is the best diarist in Canada, which is different and perhaps harder than just being a regular blogger. The repetitive action of creating and posting fresh content about herself every day has given her blog a distinct style. Yes she has talent, and is a pioneer.
Maybe she'll have own TV show someday but I would advise against this - it would be huge step backwards artistically (and she'd have to work with douche bags).
I've read Raymi's blog off and on, over the years. Whether it's overcooked steak tossed among spinach greens or sushi dinner at a restaurant, Raymi's food diary is not hard to like, especially if you're a student living on ramen and oatmeal. I, for one, wish I could afford steak and sushi. I wish I could say, like ClaireBot, that I'm impartial to Raymi, because, honestly, I have nothing bad to say about her blog. But truth be told, I don't like her. She says she works as a full time blogger, but I don't see any advertising on her site. To my knowledge, she doesn't have a paying job, she doesn't appear to be looking for one, she's not a working artist nor is she independently wealthy. So how does she afford to (over)cook steak and eat at restaurants so often? Why, by finding boyfriends who will pay her way! Not that there's anything wrong with that - or is there? Raymi strikes me as a talented and creative person, but also a freeloader and I can't respect that. She should change her blog name to Raymi the Mooch.
"but I don't see any advertising on her site." LOOK CLOSER EXPERT.
and we undercook, RED, bloody red on in the inside. seared on the outside. good grief people bump into a life or something.
So I was on Pinetree's Blog and he had listed Raymi's Blog; linked to it; said she was a "Girlie Girl". So, yup, I clinked on that and there she was, caught, mid air leap like an enthusiastic 12 year old punk kid determined to carve her own path through this particularly sad chapter of life's journey. I actually, truly laughed out loud at this display of stark, stick it in your face, attitude fun. So I fell in love with "Raymi" and have enjoyed her escapades and fun-trekking, and worried and fretted at this break-up. I love the "food photos' and loved Phils work. (esp the Architecture! )
Being old, it took me time to understand the "Blog". The generation of Raymi has invented this new mixed media thing, and boy, some future new anthropologists will be gleaning important information on art, fashion, culture etc. while they kick aside the old Toronto Globe and Mail and BostonGlobes and the empty cracked cores of long dead tv's. Don't you see that JK?
And never pick on Steph - she's another one - like she stepped out of a time machine, intact with with a '60's heart and sensibility. She was born with a smile on and an attitude that precludes deliberate hurt and an ability to "get" the good, pure parts of the '60's. She's so cool, that when I go, i'm shipping my vinyl up to Rye and Steph.
This is a generation that has good intentions in their hearts, clean bright thoughts, (when not hung!) and actually tries to live true to their ideals.
The kids are all right.
Robert R. Schaefer
Like all expert bloggers, Raymi knows the value of a good flame war. She's very good at concocting them, too.
Raymi the Mooch -LOL. She should rename her blog "The Art of the Meal Ticket". Of course she earns nothing and pays for nothing. And with her lifestyle she already looks 10 years older than she claims to be. What do women like her do when men are no longer interested?
you are reading an edited account of someone's life, don't be a retard. am i to blog about how i made 100 dollars here, 300 there, and so on every fucking time it happens? fuck you from the bottom of my heart.
ps JK reveal who you are and i'll let you know in two seconds exactly how i felt about allegedly meeting you.
Would you read someone else's diary, if you found it lying around? Would you break the little brass-metal clasp and delve in? What if the person who wrote it really wanted you to read it? What if the whole idea was to turn that idea on its head? There's nakedness in what's written on raymitheminx.com. there's also concealment. offense, defense. insight, filler. autopilot, inspiration.
I'm wholly uninterested in discussions of whether Lauren has talent or not. I have my opinion, and can support it. I don't feel the need to bludgeon anyone with it. I also don't think that I could look at myself in the mirror after telling someone they didn't have any. There's critique, there's criticism, and then there's monkey sh*t-flinging. Can't sense a respectable ethos there, in the last.
Criticisms crop up everytime someone writes a memoir--even the classic pulp paper and fabric-style. Memoirs are self-serving, by definition--so, to my mind, criticism of a memoir as self-serving, or narcissistic, or navel-gazing, or one-sided, is sort of irrelevant.
There was criticism in spades when Nan Goldin was first, obsessively and with a similar fearful fearlessness, photographically documenting her life in New York and Cape Cod in the 1970s. Self-obsessed? Yes, and who isn't. Compulsive? Hard to tell; I wasn't there and I'm no doctor. Exhibitionist? er. Some people hide and some people don't. Some people put everything out there because it helps make sense out of things. Exhibitionism is a loaded term, and I'm no doctor. Beautiful? Yes, very. And influential, and conversation-starting, and friendship-ending, and discomfiting, and compelling.
I'm not trying to draw an explicit parallel between Lauren's work and Goldin's. But I do think that they are part of the same artistic/creative tradition. You can throw around lots of adjectives about it, but I'll choose "brave" and leave it at that.
Like any other creative pursuit, the blog isn't not for everyone, which is absolutely fine. Don't appreciate it? Don't look at it. If you don't appreciate it and still can't look away, don't take that turmoil out on its creator. Scratch your head, walk away, walk back, doesn't matter.
Lauren responds to criticism in comments. Maybe more than is necessary--she has her say on her blog, and thousands of people read it every day. But it's hard for me to say how I would react if people decided to anonymously sling hate in my direction. Maybe I'd just roll my eyes and walk away. Maybe I'd come back at 'em, hurt and blazing mad.
Maybe, though, I'd be flattered that something I did was provoking real emotion, and real division of opinion. If nobody liked it, it probably wouldn't be a very good blog. If everybody liked it, it definitely wouldn't be.
Article is tl;dr, but what I see from the comments she's posting here, I wouldn't care to.
ummm is it supposed to be attractive that she resembles fergie (more specifically, a former meth addict)?
Who are u my fucking accountant? You're sick.
Listen! If you kids cannot play nicely I'm going to turn off the internets. You've been warned.
JKToronto is clearly either one of the annoying stalkers/jealous haters of Raymi's blog, or Phil's jealous ex. JK doesn't have an educated opinion and clearly just wants to mud sling. JK is clearly full of rage and has chosen this forum to spew forth some anger. Not cool. Raymi has to deal with so many cuckoos, it isn't funny. In my opinion Raymi is very talented and her blog is enjoyed by many. She was protecting herself and others by keeping private what she felt she needed to for a short time. Why has this been so contentious? I don't get it! But then I am not jealous of her, nor feel the need to critisize for the sake of it.
Glancing at her blog, it appears that Raymi, after all her hoopla about wanting Phil to put a ring on her finger, dumped him for their mutual friend Dave (d. summerfield). Again, I have no criticism of her blog or anything she's ever written. I just can't stand people who don't work for a living mooching off others. That's what Raymi does. Read her blog, look at her photos of expensive restaurant meals or home cooking, ingredients paid for by Phil. Sure, she documents it, but she has plenty of time to do so, because she doesn't work! For all her talent and drive, the fact remains that she's a grifter. I can't respect that. Maybe that's why she gets "cut-eye" or sideways glances from people in Toronto. If she worked while publishing her blog, I might be one of her cheerleaders. But all things considered, she's Raymi the Mooch to me.
Again, you know a lot of detail about her blog, so you must be using various user names and posting under multiple personas. I am quite sure that Phil is a big enough man, to not allow himself to be 'mooched off' as you put it. It doesn't exactly give him much credit, to suggest so. Relationships are complex and I am sure theirs was a mutual one. You can't really judge other peoles relationships and motives. Big boys and girls can and have to take responsibility for themsleves, don't you think? Relationship break ups are always two sided and you would be foolish not to know that. Two sides to every story and all. people have very different needs from relationships and you can't impose your values/relationship needs on to others.
Mrs. nezbit, let go of Raymi's coattails for a moment and consider this: the person you are defending is very good at what she does. She is productive and creative. Her blog is widely read. Your lecture about relationships is a misspelled waste of time, 30 seconds lost forever. Anyone can be manipulated, including Phil. I wasn't imposing "my own values/relationship needs onto others" and for you to suggest that is delusional.
OK, that's enough. You were warned. The internets are off! No texting for the next two minutes!! I know. It's harsh, but you'll thank me later...
What is delusional is how heavily you are investing yourself in this discussion/issue. The swipe at my lack of edting the spelling of 'peoples' is low brow. You'll clearly go for any angry angle. Put some time in to your own life, maybe meditate and send the anger to the universe. I am not defending Raymi the individual, but more so commenting on the hatred and vexatious accusations that are unwarranted. Sorry you lost your thirty seconds....congrats on your superior spelling achievements. I am not heavily emotionally invested in this unlike you. Just looking at it from an outside perspective and find the need for some like you to make such personal, negative, social commentary quite bizarre! Best wishes for the upcoming spelling bee!
Raymi is obviously commenting as Mrs. Nezbit to defend herself, and that is one of the saddest aspects of Raymi's paper thin personality.
negative. definitely two different people.
summarizing five years of my life spent in a long term committed, monogamous relationship as "grifting" is a piece of shit despicable thing. how dare you. i am tired of your relentless harassment and abuse, you have hounded me for years. you are a disgusting pathetic loser who devoted their entire weekend to focusing on me. COOL LIFE.
Raymi
If I may be permitted? Thank you. You must not take this kind of nonsense (the lousy unnecessary attacks on your character) personally. These are cyber projections. And the most powerful tool in your toolkit is the power to refuse to take the bait. In behavioral terms it's called putting someone on "extinction". As in they do not exist. When you tell someone that they are pathetic and a loser, they will rise to the occasion. You know that.
I tried turning off the internets to avoid this but apparently I am NOT that powerful. That's very disappointing. So now I will return to reading The Last Days of John Lennon, which is both disappointing and depressing. Added to which we are expecting 200 mm of rain out here which will be very...wet. That is all.
Thank you for your thoughtful contributions, Johnny M.
If I may agree with you and perhaps extend your pontifications — I believe your strategy of "extinction" can be formidably applied by the general populace (or perhaps exclusively by highly-educated individuals like ourselves) to all celebrity in all forms.
Or, at the very least, all pseudo-celebrity.
-D.Cooper
Pontifications!? I resemble that remark!!
Pope Johnny Maudlin XXII
I think the comment board was more intersting than the article. Your blog is really cool, Raymi, but this violent comment board was just top notch internet smut.