Just a rantlet on some blog trends
The first is the circle-shaped headshot. Since when are we afraid of straight lines and corners? Or do we just wish to be seen as if through a telescope? Who is the taste-maker that started this ubiquitous trend, and what other, more humanity-helping fashions should they be working on?
The second trend is more insidious. It is the inclusion at the end of every blog post of a section, which is creatively entitled Conclusion.
I'm actually pretty interested in this one. My hypothesis is that there is a demographic explanation for the appearance of this device -- a relic from an an educational system that filled a dearth of Humanities education with an overemphasis on writing shitty five-paragraph essays. It's kind of intriguing that so many people would all reflexively put a section with a header and two sentences restating exactly what had already been said.
Look, if you have written a 500-word essay that is so complex that it needs another 50 words to sum it up, fine. If you have made a strong logical argument that builds a set of premises up to the necessary conclusion, yes, by all means, have a conclusion. (But you don't really need to label it for me to identify it.)
But, as it stands, a Conclusion in the wild usually functions more like a huge spoiler on the back of your 1998 Nissan. It doesn't do anything useful, it insults my intelligence, and it looks stupid. If you can cut it off and your car goes just as fast -- if you can cut it off and your writing makes just as much sense -- then cut it off.
I know that these are really finicky complaints about the world, but I just haven't heard anyone else point them out. So I imagine there must be one or two others who will feel a sense of camaraderie reading this small rant.