RWDB CRITICISM UNAPPRECIATED

Club Troppo's Best Blog Posts of 2006 was announced on 16 December by Nicholas Gruen. Mark Bahnisch (Larvatus Prodeo) promoted the competition the same day. Skeptic Lawyer (aka Helen Dale, catallaxy) promoted the competition on the 17th. A subsequent Gruen post says seven blogs advertised the competition but mentions only Larvatus Prodeo and catallaxy by name.

Mark Bahnisch has at least two posts in the finals; a number of other finalists blog at Larvatus Prodeo or are frequent LP commenters. Helen Dale also has at least two posts in the finals and is on the judging committee.

It is therefore no surprise that the strongest reactions to criticisms (see here and here) of BBP06 have come from some of those with a personal interest in the competition: Bahnisch, Dale and the crew and commenters at Larvatus Prodeo. They find the criticisms and attached comments to be not very nice:

I should really be working but I have to say that I was totally gobsmacked disgusted and dismayed by things commenters said at Tim Blairs and JF Beck’s blogs about the writers of some of those posts. That anyone would think A. Duck’s post - about miscarrying a much wanted pregnancy - is a fit subject for ridicule just beggars belief, frankly. If Cristy’s reading I want her to know the comments around her post also made me furious.

Followed by this from Mark Bahnisch:

I haven’t read most of the comments on Tim’s thread but I’d certainly echo Laura’s sentiments about the comments on J F Beck’s. Mr Beck of course could disclaim responsibility, but if he does it would be reasonable to ask why he doesn’t intervene in the thread.

Stupid and insensitive comments are most unhelpful to say the least.

So, mean old RWDBs have been naughty, distressing the delicate progressives flowers, who are never, ever rude. Larvatus Prodeo is after all the home of civilized intellectual discussion. Where John Howard is unaffectionately called ratty, his face likened to that of a drug crazed beaver. Where "fuckwit", "cunt", "fuck", "shit" and the like are very much frowned on, except when contextually appropriate, of course.

Anyway, the whiners are whining because that's what they're the happiest doing -- really they should be happy some traffic was directed to their incestuous little event.

Update: Gummo Trotsky (Larvatus Prodeo; also a BBP06 finalist), inspired by Nicholas Gruen, was the first to suggest (10 December) the "best blog posts" idea. Gruen, no doubt inspired by Trosky (almost certainly Gummo, not Leon), proposed (11 December) an anthology of "best blog posts." Fifty one minutes later Mark Bahnisch offered to co-ordinate the project. (Collaboration between Bahnisch and Gruen is no surprise: they once discussed cross-posting between Larvatus Prodeo and Club Troppo.) Helen Dale quickly volunteered assistance.

There is nothing wrong or even improper with a few mostly like-minded bloggers grouping together to promote their writing. It is more than a little misleading, however, for this anthology of blog posts to be billed at On Line Opinion as the "Best Blog posts of 2006."

No matter who ultimately gets the best blog post gong, Mark Bahnisch will be the ultimate winner. He has high aspirations for Larvatus Prodeo and can now add numerous best blog post nominations to his ever more impressive list of accolades.

Note: BBP06 is incorrectly referred to above as a competition. A daisy chain is not a competition.

Update II: A Tim Lambert post has been included for a bit of diversity. The post is complete nonsense -- click here and scroll down to Perseus's comments -- but is now honoured as one of the best blog posts of 2006. Incredible.

Update III: Helen Dale responds with a catallaxy post titled The straight dope [on BBP06]. She reckons I'm a snarky liar. Ouch!

Editing note: BBOP06 was changed to BBP06.