John Hawkins at Right Wing News recently had a somewhat tongue-in-cheek look at the health risks of being a blogger. It was based on a New York Times article that recounted the demise of some fairly prominent people in the field because of the stress induced by the attempt to keep up with a 24-hour news cycle.
Of course there are health risks associated with any sedentary job, especially one where you sit in front of a monitor and encourage carpal tunnel syndrome by constantly typing. Being a wordy and verbose sort, it’s probably surprising I don’t have the affliction but since I never learned proper typing technique I suppose that my modified hunt-and-peck method eliminates the repetitive motion required to contract carpal tunnel. I figure I still crank out about 30-40 words a minute, maybe somewhat more. (It’s those rewrites that slow me down.)
And then there’s the other perils involved, particularly in a legal sense. Yeah, I talked about our local situation but there’s much more serious charges being leveled at those across the border in Canada where they don’t have the same First Amendment rights that we do, particularly targeting popular columnist Mark Steyn. Threats of bodily harm aren’t uncommon either, especially when it comes to female bloggers – Michelle Malkin (one of my favorites) was forced to move when the description of her home and neighborhood was used to threaten her safety. Fortunately, nothing came of it but someday someone else may not be so lucky, especially if they manage to offend the wrong person or group.
With all of that and the time involved, readers may wonder why those of us who take the job seriously continue to do so for not a lot of pay. Personally I think of it as using this side of my talents to make a difference in something greater than myself. Others may have different agendas but we all seem to have a love for the craft and sometimes that love is what keeps us going – along with a few flattering comments to stroke the ego a little bit.
So I’ll carry on with this obsession of mine later tonight after I check out another joy in my life – tonight’s Shorebirds doubleheader. I’m not loving the chilly weather though!
