Originally Posted by $5 submissions

Kickass response, DamageX. I agree with you that "humans are emotion junkies." The suffering, the angst of the artist is an entry point for genuine identification. I just have to wonder though.... why is it easier to identify with someone when they're going through shit than when they're going through some good times? While I do empathize with webmasters who post about bad things that happen to them I am also genuinely happy for those who post about good things. Yet, most of the time, at least when it comes to mass culture -- happy/bouncy = crap, tortured/depressed = "REAL" and "deep"