Fraters Libertas

He'll Never Play in Peoria

It is with dismay we note the chasing of Vox Day from the marketplace of syndicated columnists (or as he would say - and did say - So much for dreams of media whoredom.)

I understand our man VD may not have been everyone's cup of tea (he's more like a gallon jug of grappa), but when you compare his abilities and output with the majority of gainfully employed syndicated opinionoscenti, the injustice is clear. I find it hard to believe there aren't more people out there interested in thrice weekly Vox Day ruminations than, say, the edgy conventional wisdom recycling of a Neal Peirce or the cornpone BS radicalism of a Molly Ivins.

Beyond an original and entertaining prose style, Vox's main asset is logical thought and consistency of philosophy (which happens to be libertarianism) and the practical application of such to real world conditions. He takes the time to think through scenarios and to make sure his arguments make sense before he promulgates them. No one can easily do a "gotcha!" on the guy (which is the soul of blogging, perhaps explaining why he never became prominent via the fishing expeditions of those desperate for easy material).

Consistency and coherency combined with originality, assets which most syndicated columnists lack. To say nothing of the house men, the local, paid, staff columnists out there. It seems these are lifetime positions, like a Supreme Court judge or an Arch Bishop. You get hired by a monopoly newspaper, get your cozy little slot in the Metro section, and then write forever, regardless of the quality of your product or whether anyone even reads you anymore. Isolation from market forces, this is how a newspaper ends up with a featured column consisting of dry anecdotes about having the flu. Who wouldn't prefer a VD essay to that? (Or even a column consisting of dry anecdotes about having VD, for that matter.)

The beauty of our brave new world is that the rejection of Vox Day by the gatekeepers of the MSM doesn't silence the man. He goes merrily on, via his blog. No, he'll never play in the Peoria Journal-Star. But the multitudes of those in Peoria bored to tears with Neal Peirce and Molly Ivins can now find Vox. (Assuming they read Fraters Libertas too.)