Blog Commenter Lands New York Magazine Cover Story

This week’s New York Magazine cover story drops over 5,500 words on the “slightly illicit-sounding” Brownstoner, a blog that for several years has chronicled the steamy vicissitudes of gentrifying Brooklyn. Or rather, the article looks at Brooklyn’s turbulence through the prism of the blog’s commenters – specifically a derisive doomsday prophet who calls himself The What. 5,500 words, one commenter. Up next, a sprawling New Yorker profile on Alex Balk’s Tumblr imitator.

Adam Sternbergh, the article’s author, sees the site’s comments section as a unique forum where people who wouldn’t ordinarily converse offline can gather to air their divergent grievances. Sternbergh calls it “a rolling transcript of the borough’s new anxieties, shameful prejudices, and secret fears,” with The What distinguishing himself as one of the nastier voices in the mix, famous for predicting the collapse of Brooklyn’s overheated real estate market. A sample:

Go to the happy happy joy joy websites about housing. This used to be one of them but The What came along. I took a shit in the Brownstoner’s punch bowl, man it’s fells good. Look at the log floating by, that’s you equity going down the drain.

Sternbergh tries and fails to contact The What and interview him for the piece, to no avail. Brownstoner publisher Jonathan Butler has tried to ban The What by blocking his I.P. address, but the rogue commenter constantly changes locations. In the end his identity remains an unsolved mystery, and today the undiscovered Brownstoner commenters are tasting sour grapes and envy of The What’s inevitable book and movie deals: "Jesus, The What is probably reading this with one hand down his pants,” and “Boring beyond belief. NY magazine lost its relevance in 1974.”

Other commenters have simply decided now that The What’s gone MSM, he’s so over: “The What's demise has begun. now that he's achieved a tiny degree of fame, his appeal will quickly fade. flavor of the month.” Take heed, BabyHitler; Reader's Digest has been making inquiries.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on May 27, 2008 12:03 PM

Comments [rss]

sonyactivision

Well beware, all you tall poppies. You rip on the usual celebrity/politico/annoying archetype suspects and then your name comes out of the hat and you become That obelisk in Mecca circumnambulated by toothless pilgrims from Pakistan waving their sandals and throwing rocks. This is a cruel, mercilous business and so a pox on all of you, and if I see any of you in the NY Times, sweet death will be your only refuge.

Amanda Harletsch

power to the people!

zodak

So, are there any Gothamist commenters that you actually enjoy reading?

virgil, politburo, kojak, amsci & someone else.

Dave Hogarty

In response to your question Jen, I'm imagining a book titled "Dear Sir, I Am Writing to Complain About . . .--The Abraham Simpson Letters"

matty

VanessaNYC is usually on point.

bklynd

So, are there any Gothamist commenters that you actually enjoy reading? There's obviously a few dozen of us here who are as interested in the comments as the stories, popping up here day after day - so who would you cite as the shining lights of sanity in a sea of trolls?

(I'm not just asking because I want a big commenters circle-jerk. but also because giving your peers positive attention will make people like "Spear Chucker" sad.)

I'd give props to some of the feisty women we've got here (Mihow, Emily Dickinson, Cucarachita), and the always classy Kevin Walsh.

Kevin Bracken

I think old media is still hoping new media will eat itself, and serving up the seasoning.

zodak

I'd settle for lunch with Jen and Jen.

count me in on that party!

amsci

Rocknrope, maybe Ira Glass can do a segment on you!

Tim N.

Do I need to be more rude and graphic to get my deal?

I'd settle for lunch with Jen and Jen.

Rocknrope

I better get top billing on Gothamist when my book deal launches, and not sponsored by Toyota.

drewo

Commenters - pshaw. What do they know anyway?

matty

And the whole self-immolation of Emily Gould in the NYT magazine thing just made me feel really sad for these people. Is being accepted by the New York literati really worth exploiting yourself like that?

Why not write a really good book kinda like Truman Capote did. I mean, you know, it's just an idea.

JenChungsBaby

So what? I've got a JenChungsBra movie deal in the works. We're in talks with Lucy Liu's agent right now.

matty

Journalism is getting so "meta" so neurotic, so navel-gazing so exploitative and so self absorbed thanks to places like gawker, the NYT and tumblr (even here not so much though) that I kind of fear what the future of writing and journalism hold for us.