What are we doing?
This blog is fundamentally about subjects that are fun for me. It’s about the city and the suburbs. The good and the bad. About domestic and international affairs. About nice cars, sweet cars, and ugly cars.
I’ve taken a lot of shots at people like Mary Kunz Goldman and Joe Illuzzi and others over the years, and I’ve decided to stop doing that for a while. It’s not fun anymore.
So, if you like Illuzzi, go there. If not, don’t.
If you like the Buzz, read it. If not, write a LTE or email Mary directly.
This doesn’t mean I’m packing it in, or that I’m going all lightweight on anybody. I’ll still call stuff as I see it. But I’m not going to simply rip stuff down anymore for ripping’s sake.
Yes, I think what Buffalo Rising did was lame, and now it’s out there, and people who oppose and defend it had their say. And now it’s done.
But to build WNY and Buffalo and to build up these sites as being interesting, there’s much more to do than just rip on other people’s websites.
Mike Miller’s comments in Geek’s BRO thread are what got me thinking about it, and some other people’s comments got me thinking some more. Kelly’s thread here also made me think – what the hell am I doing?
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What happened? I didn’t think angels visited law offices. DOes anybody else in WNY hear the Hallelujah chorus?
This wouldn’t have anything to do with your cuurent run for office, would it?
A little bit, it does for sure. But ultimately what convinced me was that this isn’t what I got into blogging or even politics for. I’m sure you guys’ll mock the hell out of me, and that’s fine. Go for it. But reading through the BRO thing, and thinking about what people I respect were saying about it, it didn’t make me feel gleeful or clever. It made me kind of sad.
Because I’ve been doing this for about 4 years, and getting into wars wasn’t the reason behind it. And now there’s a war, and I don’t like it. So, I want to step back from it a bit and reassess what’s important and what’s not.
Funny that you should post this thread but at the same time post a false statement in kelly’s thread about Torke and the others being attacked and needing your defense.
Nobody attacked those bloggers so now that you are turning over a new leaf pleas add to it honesty as well.
Whatever, Steel. I posted that thing to Kelly’s site much earlier today. EDIT: Specifically, I posted it at 1:29 pm. This post went up at 3:23 pm. Not “at the same time”. And your words were:
That’s what you wrote. Are you retracting it? “No one” means “no one”.
I’m done arguing with you, as entertaining as it might be. It reminds me of usenet. Good times.
There you go with the insults again in the very same thread you have sworn off such things.
In true political fashion you still have not told me who is paying for the sprawl either
Friends?
I don’t think you should be feeling sad about anything. I think what BR did was wrong, plan and simple. WNYM exposed that – big deal. It’s not the end of the world.
Maybe BR will see this as a chance to change focus & include the entire region in their focus. As a daily reader I would welcome that. And then maybe their daily hits and page views will increase organically.
Word.
Sounds like flip flopping.
LOL
Reading through the comments on the same post made me post this to my blog the other night.
http://allthingsjennifer.wnymedia.net/blogs/2007/08/02/know-what-i-like-best-about-being-me/
What the hell are you doing? You’re speaking your mind. Isn’t that what fundmentally being a blogger is all about?
Taking a step back remember, Geek wrote a post. And 150(ish) people posted comments that started a discussion. And to me? Discussion is always a good thing. Makes people think…
Congrats buffalopundit, for dialing down the nonsense. I was stunned by the insanity that seemed to grip so many (or is it so few, really, given how many people watch this stuff) for the past two days.
Im sure it wasnt easy to write this post, so i commend you for doing it.
Hey BP, I’m with ya. I bet it took a lot to write that post. I respect you more than ever.
Great post! That’s the Buffalo Pundit we all know and love!
When I began contributing to southbuffaloblogger (yet not speaking for him), I wanted to show a side of Buffalo that is hardly seen by others. Hardly is there a blame game, I just take pictures of the things that (as you said…) are the good and the bad of South Buffalo. We all living in this city (and areas around it) and I think many of us all have a common drive to make all of WNY a better place… I didn’t like that the conversation god so far out of control and I saw so many good commenters get caught up in it all. It (to me) looked like there were people who love Buffalo… but hate Buffalonians. 
Anyways, I’m reminded of the scene in Dead’s Poets Society where standing on your desk gives you a bigger perspective of the room. (Not saying Buffalo Pundit is “Oh Captain… My captain” though…lol) But with this post I do think he has taken his first step towards being a leader. 
I have been concerned about the apparent ratcheting-up of the emotional content of not only some prominent Buffalo blog writers but also the comments to those blogs, and wondered how long it would last.
The lines between witty and hurtful commentary, truth and interpretation of the truth, opinion and vitriol, are blurry at best. We all cycle across those lines and end up producing as much lame material as we do noteworthy efforts.
Big deal.
You are now crossing back over the line to something a bit more tame, and you’ll stay there for a while. Slowly you’ll ratchet back up as issues near and dear to your heart grab the headlines. Acerbic responses will naturally follow, and the circle will be complete.
Regardless: Keep your honesty intact and your emotions in check, and you’ll do just fine.
BBD
I’m surprised that Alan felt the need to apologize for anything. The tone of the comments in my thread got a bit out of hand, but that’s really not his fault, nor mine.
People can write what they like and my thread obviously gave people a reason to vent about BR. I’m not sorry for writing my post, I won’t apologize for it, and I don’t feel as if anything “got out of hand between the two sites”. This is not the Hatfields v. the McCoys, it’s me writing a post about something that I thought was personally disappointing elsewhere on the web.
Just as I have criticized The Buffalo News, I will criticize Buffalo Rising. If that offends the tender sensibilities of “New Buffalo”, so be it. I’d suggest that the BR staff and their fans grow thicker skin if they want to make it in the world.
Criticize me or WNYM, please. We’re always looking for feedback and if we fucked up, tell us. If we do something worth praising, let us know.
In the end it will make it a better site.
AB my hats off to you. I have followed your posts for some time and always find them insightful and entertaining. Stay strong.
DJC
“The hypocrites are slandering
The sacred halls of truth”
Well … I guess there’s no point in keeping this site bookmarked anymore.
Good for you Alan, but … Well… I’m not apologizing for anything.
People are too wishy washy soft these days…
People screw us constantly and always let this community down. Yet WNY’ers always feel the need to apologize to those people who betray and mislead us? Screw that!
We are too quick to forgive, too quick to forget. No other city in the world gives its con artists, politicians and crooks another chance to rob them blind. We do…
Politicians, corporations, presidents, political publishers, web sites, whoever it is, continue to take advantage of WNY’ers and we have this community mindset that we need to apologize to them for hurting their feelings? Screw dat!!
All it does is allow them to stick around longer and continue to do business, run for office, promote the negatives of a already battered city and lead WNY deeper into the shitter.
So No…
Even though I technically did not do anything I need to apologize for… I just wont do it…
This “cant we all just get along” attitude is stale even by WNY standards. No we can’t! Deal with it!!
Better yet, lets all sit back on our city of good neighbors intentions and continue to be part of the problem…
I’m gonna go vomit now…
YIKES….always thought yours was a pretty civilized place, alan. but i think your response to a growing audience and greater degree of tendentiousness here was a reasonable one, given that you’re a civilian, have a real job etc. doing journalism, criticism etc. isn’t really a very nice business, and you seem like a genuinely nice guy. in the meantime there are journalists who don’t put the word “citizen” in front of that appellation for whom a good day’s work is one that involves getting some executive fired from his job, a two-bit politician thrown out of office or some criminal indicted and then gleefully bashing the competition because they didn’t get there first.
Pundit,
Welcome to the ownership society.
In an ownership society, individuals behave because they have a stake in something. They have invested themselves into something worthwhile that they now have to guard.
You have a stake in the ownership society because you built an award winning blog and because you entered politics. In a sense, I suppose we are less free within the ownership society because we have to constantly be concerned about exposing our stuff to risk, but on the other hand, we are forced to act more responsibly as member of it. I’ll bet that graffiti artists don’t own buildings, or anything else for that matter. I hope that more people will join us in the ownership society.
But darn! …Now I’ll have one less thing to not tell the Wife about each week!
Buffalo Bloviator
Clarification: I never apologized for anything. I’m instead taking a step back and reassessing what I’m trying to do here.
In no way, shape, or form do I disagree with Geek’s BRO post or wish he hadn’t posted it or anything like that. It was factual and the right thing to do, and I agree with its sentiments 100%.
But I don’t want my site to become a place to bitch about other people’s websites, which is what the Illuzzi post was. It was piling on. I’m taking a break from that for a while. That’s all.
John Burke Said
Well … I guess there’s no point in keeping this site bookmarked anymore.
I hope that was tongue in cheek. If it wasn’t, well let’s just say I wouldnt’ be surprised.
Alan in case you’re not sure, I read what you wrote in this post, and my comprehension of what you wrote was what you expected people to get from it.
You nor the Geek did anything wrong, and you post certainly wasn’t an apology. Considering you’re entering the political arena, win or lose you can’t be hurt by not tolchoking the Snooze, Joe I, MKG or any of the most obvious nut-jobs of WNY.
Originally I thought that the Snooze would see that MKG, though a nice person, does not write anything in her column that makes any sense in today’s WNY. And the space could be better used. But they didn’t—and by now I can see where it became boring.
If I was a NY registered voter, I still think I could keep what the Buffalo Pundit writes about separate from what Alan Bedenko the County Legislator would to to make WNY a better place.
At this point you could screw up royally and nobody would even notice anyway, as screwed up has things have been nobody in the last 2-3 generations in WNY would find it normal.
oops, that’s ABNORMAL.
I eagerly await the day in November when you will start piling back on Illuzzi again.
Alan, if I, in any small way, got you to think, well then I am glad.
From my experience, pissing contests, however righteous, end up with both parties getting wet and ending up not smelling too pleasant. It’s wise to take a step back and rethink your tactics and your motives every once in awhile.
Save your energies for the fights that are most worth your time and will end up helping, instead of hurting someone. I know you to be a man of integrity and that’s the man you should show always to the world, whether it be in blogging or politics.
Mike, while I like you very much and respect your opinion, I think recasting anything that happened here in the last few days from an editorial level as a “pissing contest” is unfair and patently untrue.
Sorry Chris, the feeling’s mutual, but I still disagree. Read some of the comments on your post again. A pissing contest, to me, is an argument that doesn’t accomplish anything except a desire to be proven right.
I’m not condemning your article at all. On the contrary, it was newsworthy. What I objected to was the incredible waste of time and talent that thread used up. And it didn’t prove or accomplish a thing.
Fair enough … but come on, Tweety Bird crashing into a motorcycle cop and a beer-opening injury! Gold!
If the amount of pointless sniping decreased, though, the loss of Buzz writeups would be more than worth it.
I believe it was me who first called it a pissing match (contest) somewhere around comment #68… I replied to Geek last night with my notes of respect for him taking a stand. As well, I have the same respect for Pundit for taking a step back. For me, I’m just looking out for a better Buffalo and WNY.
Mike, your original reference to a pissing contest alluded to “both parties” which I took to mean WNYM and BR. If people in comments take a thread in a particular direction, so be it. However, there is no pissing match between this site or any other.
No, that wasn’t my intention, at all. You and I have discussed, both in person and on our blogs, about the so-called rivalry between WNYM and BRO. I would never want to add fuel to that fire because I believe that there is enough room for everyone in the pro-Buffalo camp, regardless of their differing agendas.
I was speaking in total generality about anyone, no one person in particular, who was caught up in the “I know you are, but what am I?” debate on that thread. It just reminded me of my own issues with my own groups and how utterly unproductive these debates are.
I mean, we’re all basically on the same side, right? Focusing on the differences between us is not as productive as focusing on our very similar goals. That’s what frustrates me. It’s what has always kept us back as a city, and the overwhelming feeling of deja vu inspired me to jump in.
I feel compelled to preface my remarks with the following: Wnymedia’s comrades are blissfully ignorant of its bloody-minded, prodigal insinuations. I will start this discussion by arguing that as a dynamic, historical current, imperialism has taken many different forms and has evolved dramatically in a variety of ways. Then, I will present evidence that certain facts are clear. For instance, it has been brought to my attention that it is amazing to me that wnymedia’s blog would dare to criticize someone or something without carefully reading what was written. While this is true, wnymedia’s dissertations were designed from day one to toss sops to the egos of the squalid. Of course, this sounds simple, but in reality, the real issue is simple: Refractory brigands differ from each other only in the degree to which they contravene decency. Those of us who are still sane, those of us who still have a firm grip on reality, those of us who still assert that wnymedia’s intimates are brainwashed automatons programmed to spout line after line of pro-wnymedia propaganda, have an obligation to do more than just observe what wnymedia is doing from a safe distance. We have an obligation to demonstrate conclusively that wnymedia’s expositions epitomize all that is reductionist-prone in the world. We have an obligation to maximize our individual potential for effectiveness and success in combatting it. And we have an obligation to make it pay for its crimes against urbanity. Who could have guessed that wnymedia would cover up its ineptitude? To put it another way, is it really its impression that it is its moral imperative to usher in the rule of the politicos and the apocalyptic end times? This isn’t such an easy question to answer, but let me take a stab at it: I believe I have found my calling. My calling is to provide a positive, confident, and assertive vision of humanity’s future and our role in it. And just let it try and stop me. Okay, this letter has become much too long so I’ll just jump right to the punchline: Dichotomous thinking has stymied wnymedia’s ability to reach solutions.
Likes: Subarus, wine, patio dining, Elmwood strip
Dislikes: black tshirts, backpacks, roundtable discussions, Niagara Falls Blvd
I am at an utter loss, there.
c.r. ibby,
You are a God among bloviators. If only I could be as obtuse, even for just a moment, I could die a happy man. I bow to you sir or madam.
This is not an editorial comment. Likely, I may not ever be equal to the task of comprehending the meaning of your masterpiece. But I know art when I see it!
Humbly yours,
Buffalo Bloviator
what’d he say?
My response to the parts I did understand:
1. there are no Insinuations… The article in question was fact.
2. “wnymedia’s dissertations were designed from day one to toss sops to the egos of the squalid”… You just insulted the entire working class of Buffalo with your inaccurate use of a thesaurus…
3. “Dichotomous thinking” is the basis of WNYmedia. To be able to have differing opinions in a (sometimes) civil manner is why we are here
While you may sound smart, your loquacious comment (see, I can use a thesaurus too bitch…) was about the dumbest thing I have seen on these sites in years…
You would of been better off just telling us to go F**k ourselves… Instead you’ve wasted everyone’s time with your inane stupidity…
This admission says it all:
___________________________________
by Paul Jonson – August 2nd, 2007
This wouldn’t have anything to do with your cuurent run for office, would it?
by Buffalopundit – August 2nd, 2007
A little bit, it does for sure.
__________________________________
This exchange demonstrates everything that is disgusting about contemporary politics.
hey fabio…are you that guy with the big hair? guy wants to run for office, he can run for office. he provides this service for free. nobody’s breaking your arm to read it.
Fabio: If you think _that_ exchange demonstrates “everything that’s wrong with contemporary politics”, then you’re irretrievably naive.
I’m just trying to class up the joint for a while and not hurl stones at people because there are enough stones out there for people to lob at me, so I don’t need to give them more ammo or more reason to start hucking.
If you think that’s *gasp* shocking (in a bad way) that I’m going to ease up on attacking people, then I’d suggest that you’re really into the negativity of contemporary campaigning. I saw a fork in the road and decided to take the higher one. It’s as simple as that.
What BRO did was, in fact, lame. To argue that point would be ridiculous.
However, a strong argument could be made that the WNYMedia crew’s bashing was, perhaps, more lame.
After the long countdown to a WNYMedia Version 2.0 that was, ultimately, overwhelmingly disappointing – I didn’t see the folks at BRO bash you folks.
Then again, there’s no law that says you HAVE to take the high road.
actually This is only WNYmedia Version 1.1.5 …
The only thing that saddens me about your new position, Buffalo Pundit, is that you no longer will be critical of Illuzi’s site. Someone needs to hold him accountable. I used to look at his site on a daily basis. But I decided I needed to do the right thing and scaled back my visits to once or twice a month. It’s like a car wreck. Sometimes you can’t look away. But I think it’s unconscionable that most of the area’s politicians cow-tow to this political reporter wanna-be by buying ads on his space. If they would just ignore him, maybe he would go away. I did stop by his sorry excuse for a site today and saw one of his badly written posts that apparently he’s being sued for libel. Perhaps if he’s required to pay a sizeable judgement for one of his irresponsible posts, we’ll be rid of him. I’d like to tell the politicians who support his site that I will withhold my vote for them. But I would then have no one to vote for. I’d like to know why intelligent politicians are willing to support that sorry site. I commend you, Buffalo Pundit, for taking the high road here. But I just hope in some way or the other that there is someone out there who is willing to take on Illuzi for his blatantly offensive postings.
To be honest, Newsguy, I hadn’t been posting much about Illuzzi at all for quite a long time. Maybe a link here or there about something strange or noteworthy, but I think that most pols already know what Illuzzi is, and that has slowly eroded his business to a position where he’s got multiple suits, no magazine, and the whole thing is for sale. I could pile on, but there’s no sense. I have to say that reading the whole bizarre Illuzzi-Marinelli trainwreck is quite fascinating, as is his current vitriol against Lenihan, Eaton, and others who back Keane.
buffalowatchdog…I was joking, but thanks for the analysis!!
Buffalowatchdog has lost what little credibility he once had. This applies first and foremost to a group under whose unconscionable brand of factionalism the whole of honest humanity is suffering: blathering blog-pushers. I find his disquisitions rather brutish, don’t you? When he says that all posts which oppose his post-structuralism were forged by truculent Neanderthals, in his mind, that’s supposed to end the argument. It’s like he believes he has said something very profound. I don’t mean to throw fuel on an already considerable fire, but watchdog’s lackeys all look like watchdog, think like watchdog, act like watchdog, and purge the land of every non-ghastly person, gene, idea, and influence, just like watchdog does. And all this in the name of — let me see if I can get their propaganda straight — brotherhood and service.
Ha!
(See? It’s just nonsense…get the point?)
Yeh, Watchdog. c.r. ibby’s paranoid street-corner-wino rant says it all very clearly. We, indeed, shall purge the land of every non-ghastly person, and so forth, such as it may be.
Respecfully Submitted,
Your Disgruntled Lackey
nobody calling himself newsguy should be in the position of supporting a libel suit against anyone for anything. i don’t know if you’re in the news or commentary business yourself but, if you are, you ought to be ashamed. also, for such a high minded individual, you seem to know quite a lot about the content of the site in question.
Who are you, Mike Hudson, to judge me, telling me I should be ashamed of myself? I am a working journalist who adheres to the highest journalistic standards. When someone like Illuzi ignores those standards by passing along unsubstantiated rumor in a horrtibly written blog, I am going to support anyone who holds him accountable. You should be ashamed of yourself for what seems to be your support for such a sorry web site. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press. But that right comes with responsibility. And Illuzi is irresponsible, and now he’s being held accountable. Regarding your other point, I freely admitted that I had just visited Illuzi’s site. I used to read it every day. Now, I might go to it once a month. So, what’s your point? Yes, I am aware of the content because I used to be a daily reader. That’s no longer the case.
Illuzzi’s site gets worse by the day. The guy is an absolute chooch. I’d almost rather read that free weekly form the falls. Nah … what am I thinking.