Comments on: Links on Friday - 2 http://grandioseparlor.com/2007/01/links-of-friday-2/ Cogitations on sociopolitical and economic issues focusing on Nigeria & Africa Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:37:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Imnakoya http://grandioseparlor.com/2007/01/links-of-friday-2/#comment-2421 Imnakoya Sat, 13 Jan 2007 22:32:28 +0000 http://grandioseparlor.com/2007/01/links-of-friday-2/#comment-2421 Thanks for the comment John. Thanks for the comment John.

]]> By: John Powers http://grandioseparlor.com/2007/01/links-of-friday-2/#comment-2366 John Powers Fri, 12 Jan 2007 19:53:09 +0000 http://grandioseparlor.com/2007/01/links-of-friday-2/#comment-2366 You write: "[W]hy some sensible questions always seem to provoke off-the-point and often negative responses?" Engagement is key, and I appreciate that you encourage that in your writing. When the rich and notable get engaged in African issues it doesn't necessarily lead to productive engagement by regular folks, but sometimes it does. For folks like me who have to think hard about $40 not $40 million dollars the pros and cons of Oprah's investment seems pretty abstract. Could that money be better spent? Maybe, but I've got to had it to her that she is engaged. From what I understand she's setting this up with the intention that she's going to live there at least part of the time; it's a long-term commitment. I think regular folks can be engaged. Oprah and Bono get savaged for being so different--"the rich are different from us." But I've got to hand it to Bono at least for showing ways for how regular can be engaged. The great thing about blogs is mostly their the product of regular people. I think we bloggers just have to step up to the plate and encourage engagement as we can. Sure, our engagement will be different from the rich, but that doesn't mean it can't be significant. You write: “[W]hy some sensible questions always seem to provoke off-the-point and often negative responses?”

Engagement is key, and I appreciate that you encourage that in your writing.

When the rich and notable get engaged in African issues it doesn’t necessarily lead to productive engagement by regular folks, but sometimes it does.

For folks like me who have to think hard about $40 not $40 million dollars the pros and cons of Oprah’s investment seems pretty abstract. Could that money be better spent? Maybe, but I’ve got to had it to her that she is engaged. From what I understand she’s setting this up with the intention that she’s going to live there at least part of the time; it’s a long-term commitment.

I think regular folks can be engaged. Oprah and Bono get savaged for being so different–”the rich are different from us.” But I’ve got to hand it to Bono at least for showing ways for how regular can be engaged.

The great thing about blogs is mostly their the product of regular people. I think we bloggers just have to step up to the plate and encourage engagement as we can. Sure, our engagement will be different from the rich, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be significant.

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