"There has been no avoiding the scandal that hit..."

And yet...somehow I managed to avoid it. Thanks, Salon, for drawing my attention to such crucial happenings in the shallow world of people who care only about themselves and how many people know them. Congratulations to Ms. Wilson for giving her buddy the airtime she so richly craves -- er, of course I meant "deserves." However, I'm sure this important news story would have been well covered by Salon's crack reporters even if none of them were good friends with the attention-seeker in question. Right?

So slavery due to gender isn't as bad as slavery due to skin color, because the latter was institutionalized and therefore painful while the former was implicit and therefore okay?

What a lot of uninformed blather to support perpetuating an outdated myth/a tired stereotype/black-and-white thinking. I don't think the argument "My daddy is so awesome" really holds up in true sociological studies.

I understand the book is "a joke" but even taking this at face value, the guy is clearly overcompensating in this interview with his constant need to justify himself.

She's a TV critic. This was a TV review.

When they start running above-the-fold stories about how bad The Sopranos is with commentary from senior White House staff about the bills that Congress are planning to pass in order to prevent this kind of television disaster from occuring again, then I think we can worry about who is getting too worked up over a TV show. Until then, have a little perspective.

We get it, okay? The president is a dum-dum. It's not an original observation. The joke is tired. Salon does nothing to refute its reputation as a left-wing commie pinko rag with a stale biscuit like this one. (And I am, incidentally, a left-wing commie pinko-leaning person myself.)

This article now serves as #11 for me.

I couldn't agree more. He was without a doubt the pinnacle of that fine ensemble cast and has been consistently robbed of recognition for it.

It was an unfortunate coincidence. And it wasn't about Kentucky, it was about Lost.

I do agree, though, that local affiliates should certainly have been warned. NBC didn't need to pull the skit, however.

"Jim Corwin"? "Irvin"? Seriously, this is just sloppy.

With everything you said. This reads like the transcript of a therapy session, all "me, me, me" with no deeper insights or even, apparently, curiosity about the lives and emotions of others.

And I don't get the bra reference either, except that it fits in well with the self-absorbed tone. I'm sorry the author went through what she did but I'm left cold.

So we as readers are not allowed to express dismay at a poorly written story that doesn't affect us emotionally?

Good to know. From now on I will only post glowing letters of approval to the articles I like and withhold any criticism at all, especially if those magic numbers "9/11" are uttered, thus rendering any and all negative commentary automatically insensitive.

This debate sounds suspiciously like the Bush administration's "you either criticize us and support the terrorists or you adore us and are a true patriot" attitude.

Congrats?

...sorry your novel got rejected.

And thanks to Salon for a lovely look at parenthood and memory.

Weak.

I've often wondered about maraschino cherries -- if, in fact, they were derived from actual fruit at all. Thanks for a fun and informative article.

It's my favorite thing about the Internet.

"This is my tiny little personal experience and I therefore generalize it to everyone. And if you don't agree with me you're stupid." Except "you're" is usually spelled "your."

I'm an avid gamer. I also work professionally in linguistics and education and am getting a master's degree in teaching. Oh, and I'm female. And over 30. And I hit the gym twice a week. And my friends are over 30, with lives and significant others and...they're gamers. Oh NOES!!!1!!!one!!

I can guarantee the anonymous "person of merit" below will claim I'm lying.

Anyway, blueskies' point is better made and better taken. Interesting take on Johnson's book, which I haven't read yet. It would be nice if people read it with as critical an eye as you did.

Chris: The title of the story is "What's real in 'Borat'?" I believe that was your spoiler notice. Perhaps you could simply not click on a story that is about a movie you have not seen!

clo: And speaking of personal responsibility, you're so right. Dharma blaming Cohen for her own incompetence as a producer is so ludicrous it almost seems like part of the movie.

It was fun to read about the reactions of the participants, and I'm particularly impressed by the bed-and-breakfast owners and the antiques guy. I don't know if I could be that gracious after being pranked like that! I'm Jewish, but not devout, and I definitely wouldn't have expected the Behars to find it as funny as they apparently did.

I'm not always a fan of Cary's overly poetic (and often obscure) advice, but he nailed this one. Especially the last paragraph.

If my fiancé had these kinds of feelings about my exes, I would be very, very worried about marrying him. Not because the fantasies are violent (I have a list of people whose heads I regularly envision exploding) but because of what this guy insists he has a right to. I fully agree that the LW needs to examine how much he really trusts his fiancée. He may feel he has a right to a certain kind of wife, but his wife has a right to her past as well. Both parties should be careful. I wish them luck.

...looked down my shirt at a book signing after a performance of Wigfield. Good times. He is pretty hot in person.

I thought, at the time, that the O.J. trial was the saddest, sickest travesty I'd ever seen. I had no idea to what lengths he'd succeed in topping that.