CARNIVAL OF THE CAPITALISTS AND VANITIES

You will find plenty of parties during this time of the year. It is no exception in the blogosphere. Check out the last Carnival of the Capitalist of 2004, at the Business Opportunities Weblog. Don't miss the Reason Roundup at the Charlotte Capitalist. If you are interested in starting a discussion on the true concept of egoism, have a look at the Radical Centrist's comment on my entry to the Carnival of the Vanities.

I noticed as I read through the submissions that bloggers, who have a reputation for being contrary and argumentative, are getting soft it seems. There is a definite trend towards the "easy sell" in this week's Carnival, of taking positions that everyone agrees with. Perhaps its the holiday spirit at work, we all want to be so nice this time of year. Pete resolves to gain weight, LaShawn wishes for fewer idiot commenters, Dee wants us to have more sex, Joe wants us to give ourselves more presents...these are not daring, radical positions! I guess, like Martin of the Ego blog, we all like to be liked. ...

Martin Lindeskog, an "American in Spirit" from Gothenburg, Sweden, likes to get his ego stroked. He likes it so much that he named his blog "Ego" and has chosen to end the year by reiterating the thanks he offered his ego gratifying readers last Thanksgiving. Some would say that being an unrepentant egoist definitely makes Martin an "American in Spirit", but I disagree. We Americans are much more likely to be egoists in denial. He's not really a true egoist, however. Martin blows his cover by admitting that he has been disturbed by some negative comments on his blog. A truly egotistic blogger is gratified with any attention at all, no matter how negative. They mix well with the egotistic commenters. (The Radical Centrist, Carnival of the Vanities #119, 12/29/04.)