I subscribe to the NYT’s, although, after their cheerleading for the Iraq war, I no longer rely on them as fountain of truth; just a bunch a hucksters like the rest of the MSM. That said, I don’t bother reading Ross because it’s five minutes of my life, I’ll never get back.
I equate him to the three stooges at the Washington Post: Thiessen, Olsen and Huwitt. They all deserve each other and may they all be relegated to the dustbin of history. Enough said!...:)
Yet again -- mainly because I still haven’t gotten an answer: Of what importance are Douthat or Chotiner or Brooks in the greater scheme? Which minds of those with actual power and agency have been changed?
A silver lining to the piece maybe is to serve as a reminder that no establishment reporter can be trusted to be honest and of reportedly (sic) value, who produces something good for society as opposed to fanning the flames, so to speak.
As a Lefty northeastern urban type I of course subscribe to the New Yorker, and I was salivating when I saw Chotiner had interviewed Douthat. It seems to be common knowledge when Isaac Chotiner calls you up for an interview, the wisest course of action is to purchase a new identity, move off the grid, and keep your head down until he loses interest. So I assumed Douthat, in his hubris, was walking into a bear trap.
What a disappointment! I wouldn’t exactly call it a tongue bath, but either Douthat was too slippery for Chotiner (hard to believe), or like the New Yorker profile of Rod Dreher from a couple of years ago, the mission was to Both Sides neo-reactionaries so they appeared house-broken and de-fanged. A great disservice to readers.
And yeah, Douthat is no “liberal whisperer.” Anyone who falls for his schtick was never very left of center to begin with.
The so called liberals are not gullible. I think that one could have argued that decades ago but to watch them now, I am nearly positive that they knowingly want the fascists to take over. Because I simply have no ability what would be motavating their actions otherwise.
And on a separate note are you implying that the lizard people do not control the world? Because that is disturbing because I was kind of hoping that someone did.
Can't even begin to wade thru all this. Will start with this gem:
"“Christian conservative who lives among liberals, writes for them, and… has their respectful attention” "
Writing AT them, maybe. FOR them is irresponsible claptrap (first time I've ever written that word...kinda like it!). Don't Douthat writes FOR liberals in the manner of folx who yell "FIRE" in crowded theaters, whilst adding first "Ready...Aim..."
"But the people who are making the argument already have a platform and an audience, so you need a way to engage it.”
I/We need nothing of the sort, boyo! The only thing we need wherein you and your "ideas" are concerned is the going away thereof.
The UFO thing? That's just godpersons blathering about the wheel in the sky. "End (of Part 2) Times! Tune in for Part 3 when the Dude lands it on the Ellipse!"
"what you might say about a boss who loosens his tie and does karaoke at an office party" – Don't make me replay Larry Ellison's Kumbaya moment!
"Authentic Harvard gibberish!
Obviously 2 marks, but 3 marks overall 'cause Damn!
Thank you for this. I read this despite the topic because Chotiner, and I kept waiting for the subtle shiv... and it never came. As you say, the only pointed comment (thank god) came from Goldberg.
Put me on team "something more subtle". Chotiner interviews do a variety of things, depending on the subject. Sometimes he's looking for straightforward information. The message I get from this one is that Douthat is fundamentally unserious, without real commitments, the same troll he probably was as an undergrad, making his roommates' flesh creep with his eccentric opinions. Goldberg's analysis of what he does may be right, but I don't think it's as much "sincere" as staying in a character he adopted when he was coping with his mother.
Whenever I read something like "obvious supernatural realities about the world" I remember that some of the saints who had notable visions probably also had migraines, which can cause auras. Fasting a lot and sleep deprivation can lead to hallucinations, too, I hear. Mostly, it's your own imagination - like believing in fairies in the garden when you were six.
My personal bete noire being David Brooks (aka David Fucking Brooks) this got me: “What they got right was an emphasis on trying to be at least in part the party of the working class” --- how? By tossing them rage chum on the daily? Just don’t try to take one to a fancy sandwich joint, that would be unkind.
I don’t have heroes - except Keith Richards, who has proven you really can be yourself - and that includes Chotiner. My take-away was that while politicos and lawyers are available targets for his subtle pantsing, the New York “literary” hierarchy doesn’t permit someone who wants to keep working in that milleu the luxury of dumping on a Made Man. Douchebag is too much of an asset for the NYT (“We know you hate it when Krugman calls Republican ideas zombies, but look, we have Douchebag and that other three name woman Christian”) to permit his being exposed for the pious fraud he is. I will give points to the editor who let “supernatural realities” stand. That says all you need to know about the sophistry of chuds like Ross. “You libs are blind to jumbo shrimp!”
“They were careless people, Ross and Abigail —they smashed up things and made beautiful mistakes and then retreated back into their money and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”
I subscribe to the NYT’s, although, after their cheerleading for the Iraq war, I no longer rely on them as fountain of truth; just a bunch a hucksters like the rest of the MSM. That said, I don’t bother reading Ross because it’s five minutes of my life, I’ll never get back.
I equate him to the three stooges at the Washington Post: Thiessen, Olsen and Huwitt. They all deserve each other and may they all be relegated to the dustbin of history. Enough said!...:)
Yet again -- mainly because I still haven’t gotten an answer: Of what importance are Douthat or Chotiner or Brooks in the greater scheme? Which minds of those with actual power and agency have been changed?
A silver lining to the piece maybe is to serve as a reminder that no establishment reporter can be trusted to be honest and of reportedly (sic) value, who produces something good for society as opposed to fanning the flames, so to speak.
JFC.
As a Lefty northeastern urban type I of course subscribe to the New Yorker, and I was salivating when I saw Chotiner had interviewed Douthat. It seems to be common knowledge when Isaac Chotiner calls you up for an interview, the wisest course of action is to purchase a new identity, move off the grid, and keep your head down until he loses interest. So I assumed Douthat, in his hubris, was walking into a bear trap.
What a disappointment! I wouldn’t exactly call it a tongue bath, but either Douthat was too slippery for Chotiner (hard to believe), or like the New Yorker profile of Rod Dreher from a couple of years ago, the mission was to Both Sides neo-reactionaries so they appeared house-broken and de-fanged. A great disservice to readers.
And yeah, Douthat is no “liberal whisperer.” Anyone who falls for his schtick was never very left of center to begin with.
How great would it be if Roy got to sit down and interview
( please God don't) Douthat. I'd like to think it would end with Roy tossing his glass of O'Douls into (please God don't) Douthat's chinless face.
" Beautiful Mistakes"
Now there's a phrase guaranteed to piss you off. How do these people make so much Goddamn money?
( I ask myself that a lot, lately)
I don't worry much about anti-vaxxers anymore. I figure self-selection is natural selection. Not my fault they're so Goddamn stupid.
Good column! You must have enormous patience.
The so called liberals are not gullible. I think that one could have argued that decades ago but to watch them now, I am nearly positive that they knowingly want the fascists to take over. Because I simply have no ability what would be motavating their actions otherwise.
And on a separate note are you implying that the lizard people do not control the world? Because that is disturbing because I was kind of hoping that someone did.
Damn.
Can't even begin to wade thru all this. Will start with this gem:
"“Christian conservative who lives among liberals, writes for them, and… has their respectful attention” "
Writing AT them, maybe. FOR them is irresponsible claptrap (first time I've ever written that word...kinda like it!). Don't Douthat writes FOR liberals in the manner of folx who yell "FIRE" in crowded theaters, whilst adding first "Ready...Aim..."
"But the people who are making the argument already have a platform and an audience, so you need a way to engage it.”
I/We need nothing of the sort, boyo! The only thing we need wherein you and your "ideas" are concerned is the going away thereof.
The UFO thing? That's just godpersons blathering about the wheel in the sky. "End (of Part 2) Times! Tune in for Part 3 when the Dude lands it on the Ellipse!"
"what you might say about a boss who loosens his tie and does karaoke at an office party" – Don't make me replay Larry Ellison's Kumbaya moment!
"Authentic Harvard gibberish!
Obviously 2 marks, but 3 marks overall 'cause Damn!
Thank you for this. I read this despite the topic because Chotiner, and I kept waiting for the subtle shiv... and it never came. As you say, the only pointed comment (thank god) came from Goldberg.
Put me on team "something more subtle". Chotiner interviews do a variety of things, depending on the subject. Sometimes he's looking for straightforward information. The message I get from this one is that Douthat is fundamentally unserious, without real commitments, the same troll he probably was as an undergrad, making his roommates' flesh creep with his eccentric opinions. Goldberg's analysis of what he does may be right, but I don't think it's as much "sincere" as staying in a character he adopted when he was coping with his mother.
Good for Michelle Goldberg. As for the rest (long Michael Barbaro pause) of these jackhats (pause) they're hopeless.
Whenever I read something like "obvious supernatural realities about the world" I remember that some of the saints who had notable visions probably also had migraines, which can cause auras. Fasting a lot and sleep deprivation can lead to hallucinations, too, I hear. Mostly, it's your own imagination - like believing in fairies in the garden when you were six.
I sometimes imagine Douthat's interview with the NYT editorial board before they granted him his sinecure on the op-ed page:
NYT: We've read some of your stuff, and we think you're terrific!
Douthat: "I hate you all."
NYT: We'd like you to consider writing a regular column for us.
Douthat: "I'd like you all to die in a fire."
NYT: We'll pay you absurd amounts of money for each column.
Douthat: "I think the NYT should be burned to the ground."
NYT: That's the spirit! When can you start?
My personal bete noire being David Brooks (aka David Fucking Brooks) this got me: “What they got right was an emphasis on trying to be at least in part the party of the working class” --- how? By tossing them rage chum on the daily? Just don’t try to take one to a fancy sandwich joint, that would be unkind.
C'mon, can't we all come together under the anesthetizing power of a blanket of money? Oh, you don't have any? Fuck off.
I don’t have heroes - except Keith Richards, who has proven you really can be yourself - and that includes Chotiner. My take-away was that while politicos and lawyers are available targets for his subtle pantsing, the New York “literary” hierarchy doesn’t permit someone who wants to keep working in that milleu the luxury of dumping on a Made Man. Douchebag is too much of an asset for the NYT (“We know you hate it when Krugman calls Republican ideas zombies, but look, we have Douchebag and that other three name woman Christian”) to permit his being exposed for the pious fraud he is. I will give points to the editor who let “supernatural realities” stand. That says all you need to know about the sophistry of chuds like Ross. “You libs are blind to jumbo shrimp!”
“They were careless people, Ross and Abigail —they smashed up things and made beautiful mistakes and then retreated back into their money and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”