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Last updated on August 9th, 2017 at 03:54 pm
“Now that I am well into my seventh decade of life,” writes psychologist and peacenik Doug Soderstrom, “I have come to the conclusion that the world basically sucks.” Now that I have read Doug’s poetry, I’ve come to the same conclusion. Must seek mood elevation at Webdiary, where a revolution is underway; after years of railing against globalisation during the Margo Kingston era, the site she founded and inspired is now sourcing content from a cheap foreign supplier!
Recently Webdiary has run blindingly dull columns by Jifií Dienstbier, Arne Jernelöv, Peter Singer, Ralf Dahrendorf, and Joseph E. Stiglitz—all picked up from something called Project Syndicate. How much is Webdiary paying for these words-by-the-yard? By the sounds of things, not much:
In each country, Project Syndicate seeks the most appropriate venues for its commentaries and tailors the way it works with member publications to meet their needs. In general, Project Syndicate expects a monthly financial contribution from its member papers, but this contribution is based upon the paper’s ability to pay.
Arne? Ralf? Jifií? Here’s your cheque for $2. Share it. Once published by Webdiary, these individuals are claimed by the site, leading to the assertion that Peter Singer’s appearance at the Sydney Writers’ Festival is in fact the appearance of Webdiarist Peter Singer.
Another Webdiarist: Iranian president and Webdiary “guest contributor” Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
UPDATE. Geoff comments on Doug “tow the line” Soderstrom:
In 1945, George Orwell railed against worn-out and useless metaphors that litter the language and the lazy mindless writers, especially on the “Left” who use them.
He gave a few examples:
“In some cases these overworked expressions have actually been severed from their original meaning by means of a mis-spelling … the expression ‘toe the line’ is now coming to be spelled quite frequently as ‘tow the line’. People who are capable of this kind of thing evidently don’t attach any definite meaning to the words they use.”
Over sixty years later and the fraudulent hand-wringers are still doing it.
It’s “toe the line” you lightweight lazy ignorant illiterate piece of moth-eaten fairyfloss.
