Respect is the new Schadenfreude

I feel like there's so much freaking Schadenfreude and negativity and hatred and jealousy floating around the Internet/blogosphere, and there's also a way that we bloggers have of talking at one another rather than to one another. Feelings get hurt, people get angry, or just build up resentments. Believe me, I know it's not fun to google or technorati or icerocket yourself (though icerocketing oneself has a kindof nice ring to it) and just come away from what you read feeling like shit and like the person writing about "you" (I use quotes because there's a very dehumanizing way people sometimes write about other people) will never even attempt to understand you.

Thankfully, I'm friends with and know and connect with all sorts of kickawesome (as Bex would say) people all the time, and if you don't already read her, you should check out Jen Lancaster's blog Jennsylvania. Not only is she smart and funny and entertaining, but I was really surprised and I respect that Jen emailed to ask me what I meant by this post. I assured her that I was basically ranting about Opinionistas, not her, but it's sortof rare in the blogosphere for someone to actually ask another person a question in a thoughtful, honest, human way, as Dacia recently observed.

Jen's also written Bitter Is The New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office (yes, that's really the official title, all on the book cover - I'm curious if there's been a longer book title. Surely there has, but what is it?), a wickedly hilarious memoir about her job search, blog start, but mostly about her morphing from spoiled sorority girl into struggling adult. It's a blog book, or a blogmoir, or whatever you want to call it, there's a bit of nonfiction chick lit "you go girl" element in there, but it's also one of those books you could read just for the cutting sarcasm, or for the deeper story underneath - up to you. You should check it out - I think an interview, somewhere, possibly here, with Jen just may be forthcoming as well:

Bitter Is The New Black