Hello. My name is WiseFool and I'm a Drudgeaholic.
It's been seven hours since my last visit.
Finally this afternoon I've removed the link from my bookmarks bar. If this were a 12-step program, I'd say this is only about step two or three. But it is a great move forward in my recovery.
I've always known how bad 'Drudging' was for me, as I've seen it turn some of my best friends into slobbering, hate-filled idiots who think the Iraq war was a good idea, that Barak Obama is a Muslim or that that Hillary Clinton is evil. It was time for me to say 'enough is enough.' I'm on the road to recovery and I have to say the future looks bright.
I was turned on to Drudge by a person who was my good friend at the time. I like to think he meant well. But when he move on to more hard-core stuff like Rush and Hannity I knew I had lost him as a friend forever. Like crack or heroin, once a person starts with that stuff, they'll never be the same.
I knew I had a problem when I'd find myself going to the site in the middle of the night when taking a break on a crunch deadline, knowing the site wouldn't have been changed since my last visit.
I knew the political-slant articles were largely just biased crap. I knew they were always misleading or incomplete or meant to focus people's attention away from what dispicable people BushCo and his minions were. I remember the day when a Kerry-bashing headline stayed up for two hours with no link and then disappeared for no reason or explanation and I thought to myself 'What a lying piece of shit this site is.'
And yet, still, I returned.
Even when the site isn't posting total crap, the whole concept of directing people's attention to the selected stories of the day makes for a sort of brainwashing. Sure, when some prominent GOPer ran into trouble, he'd post a link about it, in a glossed over, 'these aren't the droids you're looking for' sort of way. As I recall, the white SUV parked in John Kerry's driveway got far more attention than Cunningham, Abramoff and Plamegate combined. Mark Foley got some sensationalized attention, but quickly phased into rehashing Hassert's "Don't blame me or the GOP" talking points.
No Drudge is not a journalist. He and his site are not expected to stand up to the same scruples of a real media outlet, and obviously they don't. At the same time, the site's popularity as a news source is phenominal. So if he's not the media, that makes him simply a right-wing filter of the news, pointing to the right-wing stories written with a right-wing slant. You'd think with all the enticing intrigue of USAgate, he'd be all over it, yet it's received, at best, a minimum of attention. News aside, has someone measured how many conservative editorials and opinions make it on the site compared to liberal op-eds?
I have to admit Drudge is an enticing site; little to read, often updated throughout the day, very few ads or distractions. It's a format that invites frequent visits. For many it is an addiction, to be on top of those juicy rumors, to be 'in the know,' to be a part of, something.
But no more for me.
It's time for Drudge's stats to start sinking. It's time to block the domain, to put up the barriers and promise to myself that I won't contribute to Drudge's popularity.
Granted, I'm but one man who can only change himself, but it feels good to know that, at least in my little world, I'm not contributing to the success of Mr Drudge or his site. While I'll admit I lack the time and strength to counter his damage to our society, I don't have to invite it into my browser either.
I ask those of you like me to do the same. Drop this wicked habit before the '08 campaigns are in full gear. Don't fear the ignorance, as it is far better to be ignorant than stupid. Don't think there aren't other more reliable sources for up-to-date information. Understand that by defining the scope, Drudge's site is a brainwash, a distraction from what is really important. It will probably be rough for a couple days but once you've got that monkey off your back, you'll find your life is better for it.
Like me, the first step is to admit you have a problem. Won't you join me?