This is going to be the first in a series of posts about blogs that I keep track of. There are way too many good writers without an audience out there, or who are just misunderstood. Let me know in the comments if you think I missed somebody important.
To start off I'd like to tell you a bit about Second Thoughts, the blog of fellow Herald writer Prokofy Neva. This is not for the faint of heart. Prokofy argues his points with complete abandon, "stating the case strongly" as he puts it. People get angry reading Prokofy when he does that. Controversy abounds.
The thing about Prokofy Neva is that he's both brilliant and completely unafraid to criticize. Criticism is one thing, but eloquent criticism is quite another. Not only that, but he's stated on more than one occasion that he feels it's important to make public denouncements of that which he considers wrong or unjust. This places him in the crosshairs of insular social groups, public figures, and the blogosphere at large.
Prokofy and I fight a lot. I really respect him, but we disagree about all sorts of things all the time. That's not usually a big deal, but you don't just disagree with Prokofy. You get into it, debating the point and exploring the possibilities. The challenges come through fast and furious, and may the gods help you if you're not clear on your point. Every time I begin debating with Prok I know I had better bring my A-game. To be honest, I've ducked out of a few of these conversations when I didn't feel up to it.
There are those who have delighted in goading Prokofy to get him banned from various places (I'm looking in your direction Csven and Christiano 'n co.). Typically these people get personal, or play dirty tricks, or just repeat the same thing ad nauseum... rarely have I ever seen anybody bring their A-game. There have been exceptions, but so often people just get emotionally exhausted and end up calling Prok names and attacking him on an emotional level to try to bring him down to how they're feeling. Many want to see Prok just go away.
What these people don't realize is how important it is for somebody, even if it's just one person, to stand up and say "that's not right". A metaverse without Prokofy would be a pale and inadequate one, not nearly as vibrant or as important. With Prok around, people think before they act. How rare is that?
Prokofy and I agree on one thing: if you care about something, that means it's worth fighting for. He and I have completely different ideas on how to fight that fight, but hell, only fools seldom differ.
Hats off to you Prokofy Neva. You are the ultimate crusader of the metaverse.
