Ambrose Bierce, the acerbic American social commentator of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, defined divorce as “a resumption of diplomatic relations and rectification of boundaries.”
The point: From the very beginning of the United States until now, there have always been writers addressing and focused on divorce in the country, even the inimitable Mr. Bierce. “Divorce is unending” notes one media publication’s founder and editor, and the subject – because it touches so many of us – abounds in analysis and anecdotes across a spectrum of broadest proportions.
And yet, until recently, no fount existed that sought to incorporate divorce stories, views, observations, odes, recriminations, poetry and the general encapsulation of all opinions related to the subject, both high and low, into a single repository of divorce lore and information.
The Huffington Post divorce section, a recent creation, seeks to fill that void and, since its inception early last month, has been consistently adding readers at an impressively high rate.
The section, which appears online, delights in attracting authors and essayists of note, along with more common folk simply aiming to get a point across and/or air their view regarding a particular aspect of their divorce, whether child custody, child support, alimony or some other matter. Reader comments of all sorts are encouraged, and many thousands come in from across the country.
The overall tone and feel of the site is egalitarian and accessible and, unlike many other divorce-related sources, is not overtly women-centric. In fact, many men weigh in with stories and opinions.
And ungilded reality is preferred. “I think people love it when anyone is willing to be vulnerable about their own life, because so much out there, in women’s magazines especially, is about the pretense of perfection,” says Adrianna Huffington, Huffington Post founder.
The site debuted November 8 and had about 500,000 views its first week.
Related Resource: www.nytimes.com “Other People’s Divorces” November 26, 2010