Launching a new Canadian conservative web site is a rare achievement these days. The hard fact too is that in order for Canadian conservative content to gain some margin of success with unique Internet visitors, the content should be tailored to an American constituency. Although this pretty much describes our very own ESR, we are talking about this month's Conservative Site of the Month award going to The Iconoclast.
Despite
the September 11th calamity, anti-Americanism is still a popular sentiment
even in Canada these days, but it's a sentiment that logic and reason
can break when given half a chance. The Iconoclast serves up content that
is a blend of reason and humor. To borrow a phrase from Mary Poppins,
a spoonful of entertainment makes the education go down. The Iconoclast
aims to make you laugh while you absorb the underlying school of thought
- conservatism - that keeps the issues and the headlines under one cyber-roof.
But if there's one point of criticism to make about the Iconoclast it's
in their humor -- hit and miss at best.
Their jokes don't always hit the mark, or overhit their mark, and Osama bin Laden can only be so much of a comical punching bag. Let's try this analogy: Imagine your hammering a nail in a piece of wood, but three-quarters the way through you bend the nail so that it can no longer go straight in. The smart thing is to take your hammer and straighten the nail out again to finish job. The not-so-smart thing is to keep hammering away until the bent nail is buried in the wood. When it comes to the Iconoclast, it's as if their brand of humor is to keep hammering away at the bent nail no matter what. And so sometimes you have to kind of laugh at the them, not with them.
Still, the Iconoclast deserves to be taken seriously. The "Daily
Notebook" and "Cranky Film Reviews," along with most of
the commentary, are good food for thought. Only four and a half months
after, people are more open and honest about their emotions since the
terrorist attacks on the U.S. It's comforting to know that there are those
out there who won't pull any punches, even if they fail to come up with
a good punchline.
Past Sites of the Month
Know of a site that you think should be spotlighted? Write and tell us!