Irish Blog Reality vs Irish Times Mythology

Jmcc pointed me at an entry on Bernie Goldbach’s blog tonight, so I started reading and following the links, as one does.
Robin O’Brien Lynch’s article seems to have brewed up quite a little storm, if you’ll excuse the cliche.
Bernie rips into it, breaking each assertion across his knee, as if it were balsa wood.
Gavin Sheridan was good enough to provide what would seem to be the bones of the actual article. (I don’t read the Irish Times and I am not going to pay to read it online as long as I can read other news sources)
Jmcc not only takes the article apart, but also provides some very nice arguments that turn the entire situation on its head.
Some of the comments in this character’s article got me thinking.
Am I supposed to feel some kind of moral obligation to write about the Irish psyche simply because I am Irish?
Why would I write about something unless I wanted to share my thoughts and opinions on the subject?
Does this mean that my blog is not Irish?
The entire thing reminds me of the Adrian Weckler article on Irish hosting companies.
I get the distinct impression that some of these journalists are so wrapped up in their own “little worlds” that they really don’t seem to be aware of what is going on in the “real” world, albeit a virtual one in this instance.
I’ve been involved in the Irish ICT industry in some way for the last 5 years (or more – I tend to lose track). In that time I’ve seen some good journalism covering online trends, new technology fads, crazy ideas and moments of sheer brilliance.
The Irish ‘net space has been vibrant since the first graphical browsers were available. I remember the levels of activity in the “vax lab” in UL back in ’94, as guys hacked away all day to build up what is now Skynet – Ireland’s first “net soc” (I could be wrong).
If Irish bloggers are so “inactive”, how come the multi-user version of wordpress is being developed by an Irishman?
To make these kind of blanket statements is simply nuts, but as a journalist writing in a “quality” national newspaper it is more than that, it is quite dangerous.
Journalism, in any form, can have an extremely powerful influence over people’s perceptions, opinions and ideas.
When you give your thoughts written form you move from an abstraction to a more concrete layer.
You may not be aware of it, but your every word has an influence.
From a purely linguistic perspective you may choose to analyse the relationship between words, clauses, phrases and sentences, how the very placement of a comma may alter an entire concept, albeit accidentally.
Put that in your private diary and it will gather dust and possibly be forgotten, unless you are famous.
Put your thoughts to print in a more public medium and you begin to influence.