Taking the path of least resistence

Blogs are like CliffsNotes. You know those easy-to-read little yellow books summarizing major works of literature. When I was 15, I relied almost solely on these miraculous little guides to get me through many a test on Shakespeare and Chaucer.

It’s human nature to take the path of least resistance. Many people base their understanding of current and historical events on easy-to-digest popular mediums. I know my understanding of America during the 60s and 70s is primarily based on Oliver Stone’s JKF or Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas.

In this age of information overload, it seems impossible to absorb full academic versions of current events and history. This is one of the main reasons the Blogosphere exists. We need synopses, and this is exactly what many blogs provide.

But there is a danger in basing our understanding of the world solely on boiled-down subjective analysis. So my advice is that if you are going to read the CliffsNotes, make sure you also borrow the original book from the library and acquaint yourself with the facts.





/David