Letters to the Editor
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@nulla
never thought i'd say this, but you are right in your assertation that the media are only selling what the public wants. it is true, too many people are so self involved they can't even negotiate a 4 way stop sign. these are chris, and billy o's and fatboy rush's audience and they do pay the bills.
i do remember, however, when journalists did not stoop to the lowest denominator, but actually prided themselves on "getting the story".
huntley, brinkley, morrow and cronkite. anderson, royko, ivans...
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@divadab
Regarding Chris Mathews' negatives to Hillary and positives to Rudolph, I think he is probably quite unconscious of his patriarchal misogyny. He is a son of the patriarchy, and has by osmosis (as it were) absorbed its tenets.
How is this even possible? I would be willing to concede that people in the media have been after the Clintons for so long they might not even recognize how nasty they sound, but the reaction to Rudy is totally out of line. Look at the ad Glenn posted from him the other day -- it's way out there beyond LBJ's mushroom cloud, beyond Willie Horton. I wouldn't think you could ignore that kind of malicious propaganda and racism just by patrician upbringing.
Even Republicans don't vote for Giuliani, it seems, so why does he get more time than Ron Paul and Bill Richardson, not to mention Mike Huckabee or John Edwards?
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@thrasher
you wouldn't be a homie from west bloomfild, mich. would you? you know out in the burbs...
just curious.
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CHRIS MATTHEWS CONDUCTS DOG FIGHTS
Chris Matthews conducts dog fights -- nothing more, nothing less. He puts on the dogfight, and you buy the ticket to go watch it. Michael Vick was put away for it, and you know what I think should happen to Chris Matthews. Hardball baseball is NOT a dogfight, so what Matthews does night after night goes over boundaries all the time. It's partisan journalism, based on who he likes, unless he has actual moral reasons to drive his responses, like feeling repelled at the Iraq War (or the fact Bush lost a major American City, New Orleans; or lost the World Trader Center; or has overseen a huge budget deficit; or is spending $10 billion a week in Iraq; or has high gas prices -- you name it, this President is a failrure).
But Hardball baseball is supposed to be fair. It is supposed to play by the rules, and if the subject is his `feelings' about certain people, not based on their actions (the revulsion to Bush is more valid), then it's overkill. It's nothing but an illegal bloody, repulsive dogfight. Nothing more. And he should be regarded in the same light as Michael Vick.
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I'll take a stab at it...
I won't venture to postulate here why open expressions of sexism, in my opinion, have been able to survive more than open racism. --DCLaw1
Because such expressions are still tolerated on the Left, unlike expressions of racism. I more or less quit reading Broadsheet ages ago, because of the misogyny resident there. (My stomach couldn't take it any more.) But that's just one very near example. There was also the Kathy Sierra case that really revealed how prevalent sexism and misogyny are all over the web, including the Left.
The reason that its tolerance by the Left matters is because the Right and Left are held to different ethical standards: anything goes, i.e., ends justify means vs. put people first, and political correctness.
If the public sphere's "conscience" will tolerate something like sexism, why shouldn't anyone else-- who wants to-- feel free to express themselves the same way?
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I should have added...
...that Glenn's comment threads are among the least sexist anywhere, and especially among the regulars.
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Another Media Note
A New York Supreme Court justice has ordered that the Dan Rather v. CBS trial go forward into the discovery phase, according to New York magazine.
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@anonymust 5:21
i like your idea, but just gagged when you said "political correctness'. this is a big part of the problem the left has with sexism & misogyny. it's politically correct to advocate the rights of sex workers to gainful employment, never mind the damage done to the perception of women, and men for that matter, as a result of said industry. sexim, misogyny and even racism boil done to a basic lack of respect for another human being.
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AP: Richardson to end presidential bid
By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer 30 minutes ago
MERRIMACK, N.H. - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson ended his campaign for the presidency Wednesday after twin fourth-place finishes that showed his impressive credentials could not compete with his rivals' star power.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080110/ap_po/richardson
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Anonymust
I think that's a viable theory. Probably not the only reason, but it makes sense to me.
Perhaps to dig a bit deeper, though, why do you think a degree of sexism is still acceptable on the Left, unlike racism?
Not rhetorical - I'm genuinely interested in anyone's possible explanation.
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News To Cheer up Bop
Swedish technicians are preparing to work on collecting the body heat of commuters who gather in Stockholm's central rail station and then channel it into a nearby office building.
Swedish officials say the idea of harnessing body heat in a public place and using it to heat another structure came up only recently. They say the train station seemed like a good place to start because it's already equipped with vents and duct work. Officials say they need only install some fans, and a bit more duct work, to move the warm air into the office building.
Officials say the collected body heat from commuters will result in a net 15 percent saving in heating costs in the office building.
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Ahaa! NY Mayor Bloomberg weighs 2008 run
By SARA KUGLER, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 36 minutes ago
NEW YORK - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has quietly been polling and conducting a highly sophisticated voter analysis in all 50 states as he decides whether to launch an independent presidential bid, associates said Wednesday.
The scope of the research, details of which were revealed to The Associated Press, demonstrates how seriously Bloomberg is considering running for president despite his almost-daily denials that he isn't entering the race. The extensive coast-to-coast research effort shows that Bloomberg is willing to dig deep into his wallet simply to gauge his chances of winning and lining up the proper support network.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080110/ap_on_el_pr/bloomberg2008