Starting next Thursday, we will begin our commentaries. So...I've been thinking about what makes a good commentary. Of course, a strong commentary is one that is passionate and thought-provoking...but I think there is more to consider than who can yell the loudest or who can be the most sensational. I think commentaries that are well-reasoned, logical, and creative can be even more powerful. A good commentary would also be able to get you to think about a topic that you've not previously considered, or a topic that you've not seen as important. In general, my advice for this assignment, then, is to be creative, be logical, and be respectfully passionate.
I've found some commentaries on-line that I think are interesting, thought-provoking, heartfelt, and just plain curious. Perhaps these will inspire you:
My favorite is this commentary about National Coming Out Day.
I've never been a big fan of Al Gore, but here is someone who is asking Al Gore for President?.
If you like Steven Colbert, you have to ask yourself...sarcasm at it's best or truly insane person? Either way, his "The Word" segments definitely qualify as commentary Medium Matters.
And, of course, we have seen commentators Mo Rocca and Nancy Giles discuss a variety of issues including procrastination, creativity, and politics. Several of their pieces that we didn't see may be of interest. For example, given our interest in the history of place, you may be interested in Mo Rocca's discussion of Connecting with History. And Nancy Giles questions the value of "clubs" in her commentary Club Memberships.