https://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/2009/08/28/amateur-hour/feed/PJ Media is a leading news site covering culture, politics, faith, homeland security, and more. Our reporters and columnists provide original, in-depth analysis from a variety of perspectives.en-usWed, 10 Jun 2026 01:17:09 -0400<![CDATA[The Internet constantly introduces us to people whose existence we would never have suspected. Talent that would never have made it past the gatekeepers can always schedule a performance on YouTube, the world&#8217;s largest stage. Whether you are three guys in an apartment who&#8217;d like to walk 500 miles or a someone who walks in on a scene at the Sopranos or a Malaysian girl who has made the whole universe her cultural context from Sarawak, it&#8217;s a vast virtual world in which our avatars encounter one another and occasionally pull in the real people they represent after them. If it&#8217;s true that on the Internet nobody knows if you&#8217;re a dog; it&#8217;s also true that everyone sooner or later learns if you have talent.]]>Fri, 28 Aug 2009 04:18:33 -0400<![CDATA[Richard Fernandez]]>https://pjmedia.com/richard-fernandez/2009/08/28/amateur-hour-n189031