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The Pointless Juggling Parable
May 2nd, 2006
Reading the Copyblogger, Brian Clark, who makes Seth’s point, in Why Emotion Matters, as well as Seth does in It’s How You Tell It, regarding the Chris Bliss three ball juggling routine, and the five ball parody created by Jason Garfield.
The point is that Chris still puts on a better show. Why? Because, Jason makes juggling look boring.
Bloggers, what a useless lot. We are a community of critics. All we ever make are observations. Seinfelds one and all.
This is what happens when people set out to be clever in their observations, they state the obvious, but with an inflection that says, “Do I get a cookie now?”
Obviously, the purpose of Jason’s performance was to make Chris’ exertions look especially comic in light of Jason’s display of skill and ease. It was brilliant showmanship.
Yes, it does tell a story. Not with the maudlin sentiments of corporate communication, but with panache.
Moreover, the video he released on the heels of Chris’ viral distrubtion, meant that his video is now everywhere where Chris’ video is found. I tip my hat to such opportunism.
By far, my favorite overinflated bout of observational bather, the one that so clearly displays the lofty contempt the observer has for the specimens du jour is Sue Pelletier in Technical Brilliance is Not Enough.
As I watched Jason juggle, it was obvious that he is fantastic at what he does. But I wouldn’t hire him for a corporate event. He’s just not engaging. He looks alternatively show-offy, bored, and angry. Bliss seems totally engaged in what he’s doing, excited about it, even a little worried. He pulls us into his experience through his showmanship and makes it ours. Jason seems to be doing it all for Jason.
At breakfast, in the morning, after the day that I offer my opinons on the talents of complete strangers in terms of which complete stranger I would hire for a corporate event, feel free to put however much arsenic in my scambled eggs as you see fit.
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Comments 
Point taken, and I’ll be skipping the eggs.
But I’m curious — your blogged observation of our pointless blogging makes you… what?
Just a thought.
That would make me meta-pointless.
Thank you for visiting. I love your blog.
[...] Alan Gutierrez caught my attention by calling one of my posts pointless. He may have been right, and he certainly delivers a worthwhile perspective by blogging from post-Katrina New Orleans. FYI, calling one of my posts pointless will only get you a link in approximately 1 out of 1,000,000 instances, but Alan managed it. [...]
[...] I mentioned Brian Clark in a recent post about the blogospheres’ take-away from the Chris Bliss and Jason Garfield juggling videos. [...]
Again, thank you for linking in, Brian Clark.
For those of you who followed Brian’s link. My gratitude is expressed in the blog entry Brian Clark the Copyblogger.