It doesn't exactly matter, but...

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

Comical horizons and frameworks of a floundering culture:
No, it doesn't exactly matter. But this was part of this morning's daily feature, "The Conversation," in the hard-copy New York Times, as seen on page A3:
The Conversation
FIVE OF THE MOST READ, SHARED AND DISCUSSED POSTS FROM ACROSS NYTIMES.COM

[...]

4) How to Boil the Perfect Egg.
In his first column for the Times, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt tackles a subject of much Googling: What's the best way to boil an egg? Informed by years of home testing and tinkering, Mr. Lopez-Alt devised a double-blind experiment carried out at his restaurant, Wursthall, in San Mateo, Calif., enlisting 96 volunteers to peel and taste more than 700 eggs...

5) She Quit Her Job. He Got Night Goggles. They Searched 57 Days for Their Dog.
This tale of a Washington state couple's determined search for their 7-year-old Border collie, Katie, after she disappeared from their dog-friendly hotel in Kalispell, Mont., remained popular on Monday, and was among the day's most emailed articles. After 57 days, Katie was found and brought home.
On Sunday, the report about the lost Border collie was the "most read article" in all of NYTimes.com., as we noted yesterday morning.

As it turns out, the tale "remained popular" with Times readers through a second day. Also, eager subscribers emailed tips about the best way to boil eggs.

Is the inclusion of these articles a commentary on New York Times readership or on the Times itself? We can't answer your question, but we will say this:

As the nation continues to slide toward the sea, someone at the Times decided to include these articles on a list of the day's most read and discussed. Just for the record, the #2 item on today's list was this:
2) Tekashi 69: Can He Disappear After Testifying Against the Bloods?
The rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine—whose real name is Daniel Hernandez—testified against his former crew, the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, in Manhattan federal court last week. In doing so, he "may have decimated any remaining good will he had left in the rap industry as he became both a punch line and a pariah," Ali Watkins writes.
Thank God for Watkins and the Times; we get these insights nowhere else! At any rate, you've now seen the New York Times' account of three of the five "most read, shared and discussed posts" from across the whole of yesterday's empire.

Were these articles really heavily read and discussed? We can't answer that question. But we're often struck by the way this journalistic empire is portrayed in this daily feature, especially as our floundering nation continues to slide toward the sea.

Also this, from today's print editions:

In this news report from Stanly County, North Carolina, the Times reports a heavily fraught real-world debate concerning "the philosophy of cheerleading." Inevitably, Sheriff Crisco is quoted about some of the events in question.

In fairness, the Times seems to be inexorably drawn to the top philosophical questions. In the Sunday Review of September 8, the liberal world's brainiest newspaper offered this mega-groaner:
Opinion
Taylor Swift, Philosopher of Forgiveness
The pop superstar offers genuine insight about “moving on.”

By Scott Hershovitz
Dr. Hershovitz is a philosopher.
For the past two weeks, we've tried to force ourselves to comment on this absurd but highly instructive high-profile opinion piece.

In truth, Dr. Hershovitz isn't a philosopher, and neither is Taylor Swift. In fairness, we know of no evidence that either person has ever said anything different, though we're perhaps a bit suspicious of the professor.

Just to be clear, Taylor Swift did nothing wrong in the compilation of that high-profile groaner. By way of contrast, the brainiac Times gave us a dispiriting look at its intellectual horizons and frameworks as our nation—as our floundering nation—continues to slide toward the sea.

What's the best way to boil an egg? In our view, the new, reimagined, expanded Times is increasingly strong with such topics.

14 comments:

  1. Well, Bob, what did you expect?

    You're a man of modernity, and they are decisively postmodern.

    So, yeah, they are informed by years of home testing and tinkering of how to boil an egg. Live with it, dear Bob.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Little does he know I've sent his link to the lost dog story to a slew of people. (Thanks, Bob!)

      Perhaps Elizabeth Warren's high profile champions would keep faith with their candidate and party via strategizing a defense against any lines of attack, if our elites celebrated the keeping of faith in more personal ways.



      Delete
    2. Meh. I hear Warren is disliked even in Massachusetts: too much bullshit, self-promotion, too opportunistic. Though anything is possible, of course, these days.

      Delete
    3. Tell us more about how too much self promotion is a deal breaker for Trump voters, dembot zombie.

      Delete
  2. Bob snarkily asks, "Is the inclusion of these articles a commentary on New York Times readership or on the Times itself?"

    Obviously, it's the former, since it's one of the "THE MOST READ, SHARED AND DISCUSSED POSTS FROM ACROSS NYTIMES.COM"

    I mostly defend Bob, but IMHO this post is silly. Lots of people are interested in things that Bob considers trivial.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Somerby is only interested in attacking liberals.

      Delete
  3. Bob, this is gonna piss you off.
    I just read, in "THE NEW YORK TIMES", that the murder trial of a Dallas Police Officer started today. The officer came home from a long shift, parked on the wrong floor and pushed open the door of an apartment on the wrong floor. The legal occupant (a single man) was sitting in his apartment in skivvies, watching TV and eating Ice Cream, with dirty dishes piled up in the sink.
    He had a red doormat out front of his apartment. The officers apartment did not have a doormat. When he started toward the door, presumably to see who was there, she shot and killed him.
    Killed while eating Ice cream. How great is that!
    That is as ridiculous as it gets.
    But to you and your fellow travelers this is history, not news.

    Instant Karma is gonna get you.

    PS: I know how to boil an egg and did not read the NYTimes recommended approach.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear fake media critic,
    Do you think you can pull your focus away from trivia long enough to criticize the NYTimes for giving oped space to a war criminal defending Trump's treason?
    Thanks,

    Someone not foolish enough to think your blog is about media criticism (i.e. not deadrat)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am not sure why you say that Professor Hershovitz isn't a philosopher. His academic credentials suggest that he might be. I also do not understand why Taylor Swift's comments should not be of interest to Times readers. The dog article is absolutely newsworthy, in my opinion. Anonymous's point is well taken. The Times has a lot of problems these days. Based on the evidence you present here, its publication of "The Conversation" is not one of them.

    That said, thank you for the invaluable website.

    ReplyDelete
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