5 Blogs That Make Me Think

I have been a very naughty blogger, in that I have received the Thinking Blogger Award more than once and haven't got around to doing the post until now. This is not to detract anything from the honour of receiving the award, particularly from the folks who gave it me; Sage at Persephone's Box, David at Growing Up with a Disability, Sara at Moving Right Along and Sharon from The Family Voyage. All fantastic bloggers, who do make me think.

The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

It wasn't that I didn't want to do this, but that it I found it very difficult thing to do. Of course, when I first received the award I had a much longer shortlist; many of those I would have chosen have got their just deserts in the meantime. However, it is still necessary to leave out bloggers who might well make me think as much as these do. And that's before one comes to the issue of how to be complimentary without sounding somewhat creepy, a lifelong conundrum for me.

Not that I can guarantee that none of my five haven't already received the award; if they have then either I missed their post about it or they are just as naughty as I am.

So, the award goes to...


1. Chewing the Fat
Many disabled writers steer well clear of sentiment, for fear of the Tragedy Model stereotypes we're all used to. David Hindburger does a remarkable thing, in that he writes very moving and touching stories about his experiences and the disabled people he meets, without resorting to the emotional shorthand we're so used to. This is human interest, to which disability is incidental. Uh, not very articulate today, so you best go read some.

Check out Shufffft about the changing pace of the "Institutionalised Shuffle", Too much on whether it is possible to have too much diversity in one person or Imagine that! where David encounters some ladies who may be in denial...


2. Writhe Safely
Flawedplan is one of the most articulate and authoritative bloggers writing about mental health politics. She manages to intersperse very smart impassioned analyses of current affairs, medical ethics and sociology, with extremely personal accounts of her own life experiences, some of which make for rather uncomfortable, if very compelling, reading.

Check out Red Eyes and Tears, where she wrestles with the question of overcoming stigma or
Mothered Day about nature, nurture and child abuse [Trigger Warning].


3. The Center of Gravitas
Gay Prof is a extraordinarily smart cookie, writing about queer politics, academia, queer politics within academia and Wonder Woman. But he is also very funny. I can have read the most robust argument on a deeply serious subject and still, he's always thrown in some line which has me creasing up. Usually something rather rude. Or something about Tinky Winky.

Check out The Wages of Straightness about the divisive nature of privilege among the those fighting for equality (contains sexual references), Immoral Minority the best post I read reacting to the death of Jerry Falwell or ¡Por Fin! on getting over a crap relationship... and Texas.


4. The Beauty Offensive
Seahorse hasn't been blogging for very long, but she is a blogger with a mission; to blog the everyday things of beauty. Which she does, despite having started this project at a pretty dramatic turning point in her life.

Check out I am happy in which she shares a day of happiness, Accessories for the Aesthete or From Where I'm Sitting, Seahorse's contribution Blogging Against Disablism Day which records her first outing on wheels.


5. The Perorations of Lady Bracknell
I'm kind of amazed that it looks like I'll be the first to award her, but Lady Bracknell is the epitome of wit and wisdom, perhaps' the thinking blogger's blogger (the compulsion in my fingers to type crumpet just then was only narrowly avoided). She manages to be both very clever and very funny however serious or (dare I say it) frivolous the subject matter. Her Ladyship and her Editor also keeps a hold of that humour even when the fates seems quite determined to knock it out of them.

Check out In which we name and shame, about revealing Sitemeter data, Do you think you are sufficiently decayed? in which Lady Bracknell outlines those qualities in a gentleman which are likely to catch her eye or The results of a sleepless night about pain and friendship.