THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2023
The horribleness, it burns: "History is full of horribleness."
So writes Charles Blow, somewhat memorably, in his new column for the New York Times. The column appears in today's print editions under this earnest headline:
A Ban on a Film Is a Ban on American History
That's what the headline says in print editions. Online, the headline is longer.
For the record, our human history truly is full of horribleness. Also though, all too often, so is the New York Times!
That said, we'll start today with words of praise for that same newspaper. As of 7 o'clock this morning, the Times still hasn't presented a news report about a recent non-event.
(We base that statement on a search using the Times' search engine. Based on the paper's search engine, there has been no news report about this non-event in the New York Times' print editions. Also, there has been no such report among the newspaper's much wider offerings online.)
The recent non-event in question took place in the state of Florida. To its credit, the New York Times hasn't presented a news report about this non-event.
Inevitably, Charles Blow's column is all about a certain version of this recent non-event. His column is full of inaccurate and embellished factual claims mixed with fabulous leaps of logic.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep—but more and more, then more and more, the horribleness seems to be Us.
Tucker Carlson has been at his astonishing worst, in the past two nights, with respect to the shootings in Nashville. His conduct is truly hard to comprehend.
Anthropologically, his conduct challenges the basic things we have always thought we knew about our own human species. Also, his conduct being completely ignored—by newspapers like the New York Times, by journalists like Charles Blow, by the people who pose as our "dear, dear friends" on Our Own Cable Channel.
Carlson's conduct is hard to comprehend. But then too, This Is Us.
For ourselves, we're losing a chunk of time this morning. We expect to continue this report in the early afternoon.
We want to make one point quite clear—Charles Blow is plainly a good, decent person. That said:
All too often, again and again, is it possible that the journalistic horribleness of our failing society turns out to be coming from Us?
To be continued: This afternoon
Tomorrow, or at least so we still hope: Dvorak's column; Rep. McGovern's embarrassing conduct; PEN America's abandoned post
ReplyDeleteWe didn't watch the incomparable Tucker Carlson in the past two nights. As a matter of fact, we haven't watch any TV shows for weeks.
...and you, dear Bob, probably shouldn't watch talking-heads on TV every night. Nay, not 'probably'; definitely. Your brain is getting fried, dear Bob.
Tucker is still lying to his viewers, because he knows they are nothing but bigoted rubes.
DeleteSame as when you were watching.
The second amendment is evil.
ReplyDeleteI guess Blow only rates a “good decent
ReplyDeleteperson” now (Bob’s own version of
“Let’s go Brandon”) as he doesn’t now
rate an actual response. Bob just
takes it for granted we will find him
as evil as he does.
Meanwhile, more news on the Fox
meltdown that does not interest Bob
today…
Presumably Somerby is calling the banning of the Disney Ruby Bridge film a "non-event" because it is banned pending investigation, not permanently banned. That is a dodge because there is no process for investigating and restoring such books and films and who knows when they will be returned to use. Meanwhile, the items are not available.
ReplyDeleteThese sorts of evasions are dishonest, if that is what Somerby means by "non-event". Because he doesn't say, we can only guess. This kind of tease doesn't aid communication, but who says Somerby is here to discuss anything? It is so much easier to write a blog when you can go straight to the complaints without even discussing the current events themselves.
I think Blow's column is excellent. Somerby praises Blow as a good decent person without actually talking about what he said. From that, we get the idea that Somerby doesn't approve of Blow's column, which Somerby says is about a non-event that is all-too-real in FL, where the film cannot be used in the classroom, even if Somerby hints that it is not actually banned.
Note also that Somerby himself discussed this supposedly non-event yesterday that he is today cutely disappearing, along with actual discussion of Blow's column.
IMO it's a terrible idea to show young children a movie that shows human beings behaving badly. Some children may copy the bad behavior.
ReplyDeleteBTW I think the Times's decisions to make Blow a regular columnist contributes to racism. There are so many highly intelligent black opinion writers. Presenting their columns would help build an image that blacks are highly intelligent. OTOH Blow's columns strengthen a different stereotype.
Tucker Carlson sure gives white people a bad name.
DeleteTucker sure helped the Shaman of I/6.
DeleteWrong again, Cecelia.
DeleteJust read that Julie Kelly has reported that the decision to allow Jacob Chansley to serve out his sentence at a Halfway House was made in HmJanuary,
DeleteAnonymouse 3:50pm, just read it as you likely did.
DeleteKids should identify with Ruby, not the white racists.
DeleteCecelia I understand you are a long suffering wounded lost soul (even aside from weirdly pretending you are a woman), so we must consider giving you some slack when you push your nonsense.
DeleteChansley has shown remorse for what he did, calling it “indefensible”, so this former hero of the Right is in reality a fragile snowflake soyboy. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Chansley lawyer as well as officials involved in the case have made it clear that his early release was not related to Tucker:
https://time.com/6267335/jan-6-qanon-shaman-jacob-chansley-released-early-prison/
Anonymouse 6:59pm, I posted the correction right after I read it three hours ago.
DeleteI don’t if your soul is lost, but your head sure is.
You posted “HmJanuary”.
DeleteAlso you don’t what? I guess we will never know.
I offered slack, but you’re so triggered, your hate is always at the ready.
Anonymouse 7:25pm, that “HMJanuary” was a toughie to figure out, huh?
DeleteWhat actually happened is that you read my first post and pounced.
Three hours late and a lot of brain cells short.
To be fair, Cecelia, you were the one who "pounced" to begin this. At 3:25.
DeleteIt would have made a great victim story though, too bad your rw sources lied to you. Conquering hero Jacob Chansley released from jail due to the hard diligent work of man of the people Tucker Carlson. (who never lies to you) And thereby, once again, confirming how the big bad liberal world conspires against you poor helpless conservative victims who just love our country and the children so much. That would have been good for at least a full week of aggrievement, eh Cec?
David, tell us about those primitive men again.
DeleteAnonymouse 8:03pm, google my “source”Julie Kelly who informed me.
DeleteNotice my response to Anonymouse 3:07pm, contained no personal slight toward him/her.
Notice that I didn’t delete my post, I corrected it.
Notice I didn’t call anyone a “lost soul”.
Most importantly, notice that you’re a dunce.
I don’t understand what you are arguing about but it has nothing to do with Somerby’s essay or David’s comment. Can you take this outside please.
DeleteAnonymouse 8:28pm, oh, good. Better late than never in your response to anonymouse 3:07pm.
DeleteCec, I understand how disappointed you must be. It was a great victimology story too delicious to resist. Plus it had the added benefit of totally discrediting and undermining the Jan 6 Committe and all their accumulated evidence. A triple play.
DeleteI first saw the lie on Twitter reported by well known magat propagandist, Charlie Kirk. As soon as I saw it I just knew it had to be a lie and it took me about 5 seconds to learn the truth. It's understandable that you didn't have the patience to check it out first, so I had to tell you were wrong.
I never heard of Julie Kelly before;
Julie Kelly is a political commentator and senior contributor to American Greatness.
Kelly covers political and policy issues including the January 6 investigation, 2020 election
fraud, and pandemic-related lockdowns. She is a former political consultant to officeholders and
candidates in suburban Chicago.
Kelly is the author of two books, “Disloyal Opposition: How the NeverTrump Right Tried and
Failed to Take Down the President,” and “January 6: How Democrats Used the Capitol Protest to
Launch a War on Terror Against the Political Right.”
That's resume, right smack in the middle of Crazytowne, USA
That is some kind of kook you follow, Cec.
Anonymouse 8:42pm, yet the biased awful right wing nut, Julie Kelly, corrected the record as to the Chansley decision to HER audience.
DeleteCan you get a clue?
Ah, yes, publish first, check later.
Delete“A Lie Can Travel Halfway Around the World Before the Truth Puts On its Shoes”
but of course, that's the point, isn't it?
Anonymouse 9:06pm, who published first?
DeleteTo be fair, 3:07 was pointing out the absurdity in D in C’s comment.
DeleteAnonymouse 9:15pm, and I responded, in context, to the Anonymouse 3:07pm comment.
DeleteAre we all clear now?
Look at all the space you’ve wasted on nothing.
DeleteAnonymouse 10:13pm, do a count of your pixels
DeleteCecelia is Somerby’s resident hate monger; yet we have traced the hate, Cecelia, and it’s all coming from inside of you. Get out and run Cecelia, save yourself…from yourself!
DeleteAnonymouse 2:15am, it’s the anonymouse credo to accuse other people of hatred while anonymices invariably launch personal attacks.
DeleteActually, Cecelia, your reply to 3:07pm comment was completely out of context. I notice Glenn Beck was on Tucker last night trying to peddle the same bullshit you were peddling yesterday. LOL
DeleteAnonymouse7:49am, Tucker Carlson doesn’t give any race of people a bad name.
DeleteNeither do you and Anonymouse 3:07pm, though you’re both white and try like hell.
DeleteHmm. They do give dear Bob's tribe a bad name, though.
...well, to be fair: just as all the rest of dear Bob's fellow tribesmen...
Cecelia gives Cecilia a bad name.
DeleteWho’s Cecilia?
DeleteSome guy on TDH, who tries to get under people's skin.
DeleteMy kinda girl.
Delete