46th Ward Insecurities

WAR BREWING? Rogers Park Bloggers Claim Right to "Pre-emptive Strikes" CHICAGO - JUNE 9 - I've been trying to read the Uptown, Chicago blog WhatTheHelen?! more lately, because it often has some good stuff in it. They're feisty, edgy. They are a fellow northside Chicago blog. But they seem a bit melancholy down there in Uptown these days. Insecure, maybe, feeling like underachievers. But it seems the bloggers in Chicago's 46th Ward, a zone known as "Uptown," has lately developed a Napolean complex or sorts. They look up to Rogers Park, not just on a map (they are south of Rogers Park). They also look up to us as Chicago's bloggiest neighborhood. You see, in Chicago's blogosphere, Rogers Park is Numero Uno. Uptown ain't. Yes, I know, it's weird. We bloggers in Rogers Park find it amusing. But I don't think we feel it makes us superior. After all, "Fifth Bloggiest" neighborhood in the nation simply indicates quantity. It says nothing about quality. But the good folks down by dere want mo' bigger blogs. They want to be Chicago's bloggiest. To wit, a post on WhatTheHelen?! from June 4 titled "Yet Another Uptown Blog" notes that an Uptown blog called, ironically, "Uptown Chicago (In)action," has not posted anything lately. As of today, their most recent posting was on April 8. "Hugh" left a comment saying that the 46th "will be the bloggiest ward in the city in no time." Fat chance, and I'm not sure if Hugh was kidding or not. Another posting from WhatTheHelen?! (WTH) has the title "Vote Morse Avenue Dry Blog," and urges reader to "Go see the blog," with a link to the blog and an excerpt from it. WTH wraps up with this: "Why can't we have things like this in Uptown? Go get yourself a blog, and start communicating." Go forth and multiply! Things like what? Blogs? You have blogs in Uptown. Anti-alcohol blogs? Your alcoholics would just come up to Rogers Park to swill cheap booze at the Red Line Tap anyway, only to stagger back into the 46th Ward all messy and stuff. Oh wait, I was missing the point. It's not about the alcohol - it's about getting as many blogs going in Uptown as possible. We must multiply. We must grow in number. There is strength in numbers. With strong numbers, we can overwhelm and overtake Rogers Park as the Bloggiest Blogohood in Chicago. Then, all of our dreams will be realized! In another post on WTH, a commenter wrote, "Now if only Roger's Park wasn't the only bloggiest neighborhood in the city. Perhaps there should be a couple of more. There should be some more blogs in places like Beverly or Hyde Park." Huh? Not the "only bloggiest neighborhood?" There can be ONLY ONE -est of anything, including bloggiest. Ah well. So far, this is all just harmless rivalry, albeit one-sided. But it could become dangerous. If the Uptowners keep pushing for more and more blogs, the balance of power could be upset. We in Rogers Park just might have to come down there and straighten out those uppity Uptowners. Rogers Park reserves the right to pre-emptive strikes.