Earlier today I was reading my favorite blog, The Bolg, and the day’s featured post was by a guest-poster. It was basically some dude calling bullshit on the whole blog: the style, the subject matter, the ideological intentions, etc. Here’s the link. http://www.thebolg.com/2010/12/oscar-on-the-bolg-a-critical-perspective/
Reading this article got me thinking: regardless of subject matter, topic, presentation, or any other factor, you can be relatively certain that there’s someone out there who will call bullshit on it. For instance, I can say “I was really impressed with Tool’s live show; they really are a great art-rock/progressive act” and be releatively sure that someone out there will call bullshit and say that Tool is too commercial to be “real” art-rock or whatever, or that they’re never been art-rock, or any number of things. That’s really awesome for you to have that opinion, but rarely is something really constructive substituted. Usually one does not call bullshit upon that which they are apt to enjoy. This may have to do with the way in which “bullshit-calling” is used in society. If someone says “Nickelback is a terrible band”, it isn’t really idiomatically correct to say “I call bullshit on that, they’re a great band!” It also is flat out incorrect to utter that statement.
To be clear, I am not bashing contrarianism. In many regards, I would consider myself a contrarian. I’m talking about the more superficial act of calling bullshit; usually, a contrarian has a well structured argument against a position that they can back up with evidence other than “that’s the way I feel.” Bullshit, however, requires no such planning or research. Now one can oppose a viewpoint without calling bullshit, but bullshit-calling is a separate art unto itself. Some random blog I just googled said that “calling bullshit” was more about pointing out inconsistencies or hypocrisy than stating dislike for something. Therein lies the problem: many people will call bullshit simply because they don’t like something. The dude who wrote that Bolg piece doesn’t like The Bolg because he doesn’t think sarcasm and irony are “constructive.” Well fuck you, you humorless moron. Those who don’t like sarcasm are often the victim of it and just aren’t clever enough to come up with any good responses. So ha ha ha, we’re all laughing at you. Whatever. This piece, in case you haven’t noticed, is meta-as-fuck because I’m basically calling bullshit on people calling bullshit. And that is what we call irony, friends. Also doubly ironic and meta because the guest Bolg writer didn’t like irony either. Peace, y’all.
Originally posted to Tumblr on December 7, 2010
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