Why I Traded My Dime For Credulity
August 20th, 2009 3:40 pm by Jonathan
I came to Less Than Credulous after a sixteen month project with my co-host and co-writer, Shane. When we were younger, we often talked about being able to publish music, our writing, and voice our thoughts with little cost to us, and having a wide reach. In 2008, technology had finally caught up to where our ideals were fifteen to twenty years ago.
What initially started out as collaborative project for the sake of doing something quickly gained a life of its own, and became The Libertarian Dime podcast. Each week, we would tackle topics ranging from taxes to the economy to the elections (it certainly cannot be said that our timing was bad for starting such a venture). We had on great guests, honed our interviewing skills (which I'd never done in a public forum), and garnered a decent following of both new and regular listeners. The fact that (with the exception of one week) I continued with this show was a testament to my lack of laziness (or sanity), and it was something I enjoyed and a project in which I believed.
At the beginning of 2009, our show saw a great boom in popularity and guests. However, after the first quarter, something started to scratch at the back of my brain. I had been spending my waking hours (that weren't with my job and my fiancée, Nicole) thinking about politics and researching for our podcast. After a while, everything could be seen from a libertarian angle, right down to labels on the salad dressing I was using during dinner. News sites and political venues were becoming the equivalent of cable television or a (bad) Bruce Springsteen song. It was getting stale, despite the change we were all promised. However, unlike the current administration, we did move forward.
We added Mike Fairman to the cast, who offered a third perspective during our round table discussions, and when we were interviewing guests. This certainly livened things up a bit, but did not change the fact that the state of current events (to use a term I picked up in my political science courses) sucked. I found myself turning to video games and music more than politics and current events.
Whether it was a subconscious decision on Shane's part or if it was intentional, we started to veer from the realm of politics and discuss things such as personal finance, how to get a job in the current market, and even time travel. It was a breath of fresh air. However, while I have always been one for individuality and being able what one wants, I would walk away from our weekly podcast and wonder if The Libertarian Dime (if by name alone) was too restrictive in scope for what Shane and I had talked about doing for a long time.
Shane approached me one night and mentioned stopping The Libertarian Dime (in all fairness, we weren't putting out much written content – just weekly podcasts, which we were finding draining at this point). As much as I knew Shane not to give up on an idea, this was a relief to me. We talked for a while, and came to the conclusion that we weren't quitting per se, just that we had seen The Libertarian Dime through its full life-cycle, and when something that started out as inspiring becomes an obligation, then to continue to do it only diminishes the joy and enthusiasm of those running the project, which in turn ruins the experience for the listeners and readers.
Well, like the mythological phoenix (I only say “mythological” because we haven't disproved its existence...yet), we reinvented ourselves and started Less Than Credulous as a way to take in and write to the larger scope of our ideas and opinions. Sure, we may talk about politics, but this platform will also allow us to write about other topics as well (be it music, the paranormal, video gaming, vegetarianism, or anything that strikes our fancy).
At heart, I've always been (or have fooled myself into believing I am) a better writer than a speaker. I've also never really had the desire to talk about politics every waking hour, when there are myriad other topics to research and discuss. When I think about it, most of my mental energy goes into thinking and researching a concept or subject. Writing about it comes easily, but after that, I want to move on to a new topic, and discuss the previous ones at leisure. Less Than Credulous will allow for that.
Now that this exegesis is coming to a close, expect more (though possibly less prolix) articles from me in the future about, well, who can really say? It depends on what strikes me, but I can guarantee that the topics will be researched before I offer an opinion. Some articles may be informative; some may be snarky; and some may just be random musings on my part. I look forward to writing for Less Than Credulous, and encourage you to read and respond to us!
