by Ben Howard
This week on the show Ben talks with blogger and friend Micah J. Murray
about writing, the importance of aesthetics, and the lessons he learned
growing up in a fundamentalist tradition. We'll discuss journaling on
Xanga, why websites should be pretty, and Micah will drop a Nacho Libre
quote about his scripture memorization skills. Join in as we talk about
the process of growing and developing an adult faith when that process
is on display for the whole world to see.
Also, remember to follow Micah on Twitter and find more of his thoughts at Redemption Pictures.
You can download the podcast by clicking here.
Or you can subscribe to the podcast by searching "On Pop Theology" in
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be so kind as to rate and review us. We want your feedback and it helps
the show to grow.
Also, remember to "Like" On Pop Theology on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @OnPopTheology for all the updates, posts, and links throughout the week.
Finally, if you'd like to stream the podcast, you can do that here:
Peace,
Ben
If you have any questions, comments, or if you just want to say hi, you can contact us at onpoptheology [at] gmail.com.
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by Ben Howard
A year ago today I posted a rambling 300 word post about why it was important to talk about theology and pop culture. Later that day I posted a longer, even more rambling post about the importance of the show Community. I've never read either post in the last calendar year and, to be honest, neither should you. I'm sure they're quite terrible.
Nevertheless, those two posts launched On Pop Theology and today we're celebrating the one year anniversary with our 291st post. Obviously, a lot has happened between then and now. So in celebration of a year of writing I want to share 10 lessons I've learned from my first year of blogging.
10) Writing is therapy.
I've heard this a lot and it's kind of cliche, but it's also entirely true. Over the past year, I've used this space numerous times to process complex and competing emotions. Yesterday's post, where I literally talked to myself, is probably the most obvious example, but I've also worked through issues of identity, tragedy, frustration and anger in posts here. Thank you for indulging me, I hope they helped you too.
9) Famous people are people too.
It's easy to forget that the people on TV and the people in movies and the people who write books and sing songs are actually real people. It's easy to project a lot of emotional baggage onto them and make them "mean" something. I've written about a lot of celebrities, I even had one write back, and it's made me more conscious of the fact that just because someone has a high profile, it doesn't mean they stop being a person.
8) I have no idea what people like.
If you've blogged yourself, you know that it's a rush when one of your posts becomes popular. As a result, the chase for page views can become intoxicating and addictive. I've had periods where I chased popularity and the lesson is I learned is that I have no idea what's actually popular. I've worked hard on posts for days that fall flat, and I've written posts in 20 minutes that explode. I really have no idea why some things are popular and others aren't so I've started to listen to the following advice...
7) Embrace your weird.
My friend John sent me a link to a lecture a few months back. The speaker was talking to a group of video game designers and his advice to them was that instead of searching for popularity or trying to "be creative" they simply needed to embrace their weirdness. This is the advice I've started giving to contributors and it's advice I've tried to heed myself. If you want to write about obscure Austrian poets, do that to the best of your ability. I mean, we spent three days talking about an obscure basketball player and atonement theory last week. Weird is good.
6) It's okay to be wrong.
If I went back and read everything I've written over the past year, I'm sure I'd find some posts that I don't quite agree with anymore. Guess what? That's part of life. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." A thoughtful, honest inconsistency has allowed me to learn from my mistakes. In one post, someone said they thought I was being racially inconsiderate. I didn't intend to be, but through conversation I made a friend who has lead me to some excellent resources on racial issues that I didn't know before.
5) Don't take yourself too seriously.
Everybody needs to laugh and be silly. Reality can be a rough, messed-up place and sometimes the only appropriate response it to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Certainly, there are times to be serious and humor can be difficult if used in the wrong ways, but we could all use a little more laughter.
4) It's fun to create with friends.
If I had to run this site by myself, I'm pretty sure I would've stopped a few months back. While I love writing and trying to be creative, my favorite aspect of this site is working with my friends to record the podcast and write posts. My favorite memories of the last year have all involved creating things with my friends. If you're one of the 29 blog contributors or one of the 16 voices heard so far on the podcast, thank you, I love you, and you're amazing.
3) You can have real friends on the Internet.
It's crazy I know, but I love how many people I've gotten to know through the blog and Twitter. Nothing beats a good old-fashioned friend in the same city, but Internet friends you're pretty awesome too. I have yet to meet most of you, but hopefully we'll cross paths somewhere along the way. Thanks!
2) The grind is worth it.
Blogging is fun, but it's also a grind. For a while, I would beat myself up if I didn't post for a day or if I missed my deadline (which I am currently in the process of doing), but once I freed myself from my own hang-ups and restrictions a lot of that stress fell away. The grind really is worth it. I can tell my writing has improved, even if it still has a ways to go. I can tell that writing is shaping the way I view the world and is even, I hope, helping me to be a better person. It can be rough and it can be frustrating, but it's worth it.
1) Doubt and vulnerability are more useful than anger.
I've written or outlined a lot of posts while angry or frustrated and I inevitably go back to them when I've calmed down and find myself disappointed in the approach I was planning to take. Righteous indignation can be necessary and trust me, I'm not short of issues that raise my ire, but I've learned that vulnerability and doubt are far more valuable tools for conversation. Righteous indignation may be useful to rally the troops, but it is limited in its strategic usefulness. This is the most important lesson I've learned from blogging and one I want to work on more in the next year. I want to write with more humility and less arrogance, more vulnerability and less rage. I want to write that way because I think it's just a better way to be.
I'd love to hear your favorite memories from the last year, whether you're a contributor or a reader. What have you learned? What do you hope to see in the future?
Peace,
Ben
Ben
Howard is an accidental iconoclast and generally curious individual
living in Nashville, Tennessee. He is also the editor-in-chief of On Pop
Theology and an avid fan of waving at strangers for no reason. You can
follow him on Twitter @BenHoward87.
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| Controversy! |
by Ben Howard
So you want to write a controversial blog post, well good for you. That will certainly achieve your twin goals of driving traffic to your site and developing your thriving internet fame.
But what's that you say, you don't have the time or the nuanced worldview to write an interesting, thought-provoking article about an important and often misunderstood aspect of daily human existence? Never fear! Just follow these five easy steps and your blog post will be a mild sub-culture based controversy in no time!
Step #1: Pick Your Controversial Topic
To get a real controversy brewing you'll want to make sure that your topic is a real doozy. There's a certain kind of art to picking a truly controversial blog topic.
First, you want to make sure that you pick a topic that appears to have two equal sides, but one of those sides, preferably the side you'll be arguing on behalf of, needs to be based on a fundamental logical fallacy. The appearance of fairness is an essential quality to a truly controversial post.
Second, you'll want to choose a topic that you're tangentially aware of, but not intimately associated with. If you're a man in your mid to late twenties, perhaps you should try your hand at an unnuanced critique of modern feminism. What if you're a white Christian who's never left the country? Try talking about the essence of Islam. Make sure it's something you can caricature without ever actually engaging.
Step #2: Write With Careless Condescension
Now we come to the content, the beating heart of your intentionally controversial post. Always remember that articulate, well-reasoned, and thoughtful content can quickly derail your search for controversy and could accidentally breed true dialogue.
In order to avoid such a disaster, be sure to write with an affected and careless condescension reminiscent of any number of 1950's sitcom fathers, ESPN analysts, or anyone who's appeared on Fox News, CNN or MSNBC within the last calendar year.
When writing, be sure to universalize your experience. You're the writer, you're the only person who's really important in this situation. Even though we both know you're searching out the largest readership possible, pretend that everyone who reads it will think it exactly like you. It might be enticing to include a dash of humility or grace, but try your best to avoid that dastardly urge.
 |
| Do not use! |
If you feel like your content is a little weaker than you would want or if the language isn't as inflammatory as you'd earlier hoped, try making an appeal to biblical authority by quoting a verse. To achieve optimal controversy, choose a verse that's both out of context and easy to misinterpret.
Pro Tip: Apply Greek or Hebrew transliteration to increase the assumed sincerity of your fallacious argument.
Step #3: Select a Provocative Title
A good title is the bait for your incendiary trap, and it can make or break your attempt to stir up a proper controversy. You want to settle on a title that teases the irrationally controversial content of your post, but doesn't go too far and drive away the masses too frustrated to even take a look at the mess you've created.
I suggest a title that subtly hints at a point opposite your thesis thus baiting people into a post they expect to like before bashing them over the head with incoherent and offensive logic contained within.
If you aren't the subtle type, and let's face it if you're following these instructions, you aren't, then you may want to try something more extreme and totalizing. Use words like "wrong" or "lie" in your title to entice people to read about why someone would be making such a "radical" claim.
Step #4: Passive-Aggressively Defend
Now that you've written and published your incendiary, condescending, "biblically based" blogging screed, it's time to stoke the flames of internet discontent.
If you've followed the first four steps, you should begin to receive angry comments and tweets in mere minutes. The internet simply cannot abide someone being as callously wrong as you currently are.
Be sure to respond to the reasonable disagreements of those in your comment section with scorn and mockery. Take their words out of context, allege persecution, and constantly refer to your personal experience as a trump card to their well-crafted arguments of logic and general decency.
Once you've got the comment section roiling jump on over to Twitter. Write passive-aggressive tweets about how you wish "people could learn to disagree" and constantly use the phrase "it's just my story." If you're feeling adventurous, continue to belittle those who present critiques or express concern about your ideas on Twitter.
Finally, maintain a public dialogue with friends who agree with your inane blog post so that the few people who still think you're actually open to a conversation can be cynically disabused of such a notion. Casually and unironically use the word "haters" in a number of tweets to personal friends.
 |
| You! |
Step #5: Profit
Note: This
step has been inserted in accordance with United States Statute 745.1G,
also known as the "List Adherence Act of 1993," which requires that all
lists "contain a vague reference to the value of capitalist intentions
belying the foundational element of content creation in the emerging
'Information Age.'"
I hope you've enjoyed writing this controversial blog post and
basking in the artificial internet infamy that such a post can create.
Who knows, if you keep following these simple instructions over and over
for decades on end, maybe all of the reasonable people will just stop
trying.
Peace,
Ben
Ben
Howard is an accidental iconoclast and generally curious individual
living in Nashville, Tennessee. He is also the editor-in-chief of On Pop
Theology and an avid fan of waving at strangers for no reason. You can
follow him on Twitter @BenHoward87.
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