Selection Box: Rick O’Shea “To The Left, To the Left”

Over the Christmas, I’ve asked some of my favourite bloggers to guest here and write a post on whatever they like. The series of posts is like a selection box. Something for everyone to gorge on. Which one is a Curly Wurly?

Up first, is 2FM DJ supremo and blogging maestro, Mr. Rick O’Shea.

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Posts about blogging I usually find to be interminably boring exercises in navel fluff observation. Usually. However, while thinking about that, I stumbled across something about myself that I found illuminating. Something that you might find rings true for you and thus I give it to Lexi as my contribution to her Christmas selection box series.

I find myself at home, here, in what is Star Trekkingly called The Blogosphere, more that I have ever done in any job, any college, any other interest or group I’ve ever been involved in. Why?

I came to the conclusion after a few random thoughts and some well earned chocolate, that I do because I’ve always belonged in what I can only describe as the subculture to the left all my life. Since I was a teenager I’ve held passions in areas that are not of what would mostly be called “the majority” in most places.

On and off I’ve pursued interests in comic books, design, architecture, pre-1950′s songwriting, astronomy and space travel, computers, video games (before the console boom), classical music, furious left wing political thought, foreign movies, independent movies, old movies, modern art, chess, crosswords, museums, music that will never see the charts, the world of burlesque…

I don’t mean that to sound pompous and elitist by any means, just to say that I don’t fall into the category of perfectly wonderful people (some of whom are close friends) who like soaps, watch Sky News, buy Beyonce albums, go on package holidays, do the Lotto, spend every weekend getting hammered in the pub or buy a Sunday tabloid (all things my parents would deem perfectly normal bordering on essential to be considered “normal” I hasten to add).

I also blog.

It’s become one of the defining things in my life and in the last year especially I’ve met some of my closest friends through it. I look around at these people and suddenly, now that I think of it, I see is the same looking back at me. Geeks, dweebs, nerds, techies, anoraks about one thing or another. We are the A/V club in American high school movies, the fractured personalities, the mask wearers and dresser uppers, the satirists and manic depressives, movie nerds or angsters, festooned with tattoos, piercings, fabulous hats and alternative lifestyles.

We. many of us, have questionable social skills. I include myself firmly in that category.

It’s why I feel I belong.

I only ever really see the sharp distinctions when I’ve non-blogging friends in a room with us. “The Norms” if you will. They, lovely people that they are, rarely mix with us, don’t really get why anyone would want to blog, smile politely.

I think it explains in some small way why groups of bloggers gravitate together even though we blog on wildly differing subjects – a lot of us just share variations off a type of mindset.

It’s why I continue to blog so passionately, it’s why I like so much the people I’ve met and why this jigsaw is where my squiggly, angular piece fits.

Happy Christmas to you all no matter what lonely keyboard you might find yourself at today.

December 23rd, 2008 at 9:00 am • Filed in Blogging, Selection Box



Comments

15 Comments to “Selection Box: Rick O’Shea “To The Left, To the Left””

  1. Tommy Says:
    December 23rd, 2008 at 9:13 am

    What a fantastic post. Well done Rick!



  2. Robin Blandford Says:
    December 23rd, 2008 at 10:10 am

    Ace.



  3. Gav Says:
    December 23rd, 2008 at 12:37 pm

    Spot on.



  4. Mmmmmmmmm…. Selection Box… « The Pointy Adventures Of Jean-Claude Supremo Says:
    December 23rd, 2008 at 2:22 pm

    [...] http://golez.net/2008/12/23/selection-box-rick-oshea-to-the-left-to-the-left/ [...]



  5. Joe Scanlon Says:
    December 23rd, 2008 at 2:35 pm

    V nice post!



  6. Ivan Santry Says:
    December 23rd, 2008 at 3:03 pm

    Great concept and a great first post. Way to go.

    Happy Christmas!



  7. Niamh Redmond Says:
    December 23rd, 2008 at 3:12 pm

    It was like a blog version of the Breakfast Club… Loved it. :)



  8. Eileen Says:
    December 23rd, 2008 at 3:33 pm

    The blogosphere certainly is a social network unto itself. Love the idea of skipping the social norms and being a sub-culture….Rage against the machine!!

    Great blog.



  9. Andrew Says:
    December 23rd, 2008 at 6:23 pm

    Cracking piece, nice work Rick. You really summed up the way people get drawn into the world of blogging and how important it can become to you. And people who don’t do it can’t really understand it. I know plenty of people, and not just of the older generation, who don’t know what a blog is. And plenty more who just look at me as though I’m a little simple when I tell them that I have a blog.



  10. Sinéad Says:
    December 23rd, 2008 at 6:34 pm

    Ditto, Sir.



  11. Brett Nordquist Says:
    December 23rd, 2008 at 7:00 pm

    I loved this post. It puts into words how I feel about the community. Makes me realize I need to give back more than all the taking I’ve done over the years. Great read.



  12. Suzy Byrne Says:
    December 23rd, 2008 at 9:19 pm

    So Rick your next trick is a Phd in sociology? Brilliant post! ‘Smile politely’ should be a new badge or t-shirt or something.. Looking forward to the next guest poster Alexia! Great idea!



  13. Festivities « Klaraflame Says:
    December 24th, 2008 at 7:20 pm

    [...] I’ll be also writing a guest post within the next few days. Here’s the posts so far by Rick and [...]



  14. Niall O'K Says:
    December 25th, 2008 at 2:59 am

    Rick, I’d say many things to explain how you’ve just put into words how I feel… but I don’t need to… because Andrew put into words how I feel about you putting into words how I feel.

    Clever, eh?



  15. End Of Transmission… « Monscooch Says:
    December 27th, 2008 at 12:03 am

    [...] This post reminded me why I liked blogging so now that Christmas is over, and the fact that I’m still alive, I’m going to go blogging (side note: isn’t it weird that WordPress’ spellcheck doesn’t recognize blogging as a word?). I’m currently trying to get a new design for this page together for the new year and a new weekly feature that will start next week which is going to be so exciting, people will rename the day Monscooch Monday in it’s honour. [...]



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