Something’s wrong, I can’t quite tell what it is
People are funny. Hilarious, even. Yesterday a regular reader emailed me to express concern. The subject line said ‘Something’s afoot.’ Oh what? thought I. John Bolton has been made Vice-president? Barack Obama has turned atheist? No, the something was afoot at B&W.
Am I picking up a shift in your political orientation? Something is changing in the complexion of B&W and I can’t quite put my finger on it. Almost as though you were feeling contrite about slamming President Bush for his brainlessness for so long and felt you needed to give the other side equal time, or even more, that you are saying, “The Devil take the whole bunch of them.” Why, soon you’ll be telling us you are heading back across the ocean having given up on us. Tell me I’m wrong, but your choices are starting to look like Arts and Letters Daily.
??? I thought. What can this possibly refer to? I stole time from pressing work on TPM (and B&W) glancing over recent News items and N&C titles trying to figure out what was meant, and I squandered several minutes writing a longish reply. Then wished I hadn’t bothered when the reply to my reply came in.
Nothing as specific as any of those–just a sea-change I am sensing or a tilt of the tectonic plate. I’ll let you know if I can pin it down more–not that it should matter–but just as long as you are doing equal-opportunity goading, I am reassured.
Pretty funny, you have to admit – first the shock-horror accusations, then the casual admission that actually the helpful reader has no examples. This morning I stole another couple of minutes to point out the absurdity along with the waste of my time which I have better things to do with it actually. The thoughtful reply? ‘Life’s tough.’
I’m laughing again. You do have to admit – that’s not bad.
Don’t worry, I won’t publish your rude emails, not unless they’re as funny as that. I get lots of rude emails that I don’t publish. (Oh well not all that many really. Most of them are about dear Al Pope, and not rude anyway. But I get a few.) But ones that extract the biscuit and cause hilarity – those are fair game. Besides, this way I recoup the wasted time.
So the first e-mail accuses you of equal-opportunity goading, and the second one praises you for it!?
Actually, they’re right. We need to tighten up on stuff and get more, y’know…
…about things. You’ve been getting lax, OB. And stop sucking up to GWB.
Lox. I’ve been getting lox. I eat it with lemon juice and tabasco. No, tax – I’ve been getting tax, to fasten down the carpet. No, l’ax, the one with which I’m going to chop down le cherry tree.
One loony tune deserves another, or something.
“Your choices are starting to look like Arts and Letters Daily”. I was thinking more like South Park… in the best possible way !
I think I know what he means. It’s the veil etc etc. And maybe he’s interpreting your opinions on the veil, burkha etc as meaning that you have become pro-Bush.
If I am correct, that’s funny. And sad.
I suspect that everyone realises that the Shrub is now a “lame duck”.
He can still do a lot of damage in his remaining two years, but he is, nonetheless, constrained after the recent election.
In the meantime, the religious are still out there, killing, torturing an blackmailing.
Perhaps that’s it.
Evidence of South Park credentials…
South Park Libertarians
Trey Parker and Matt Stone on liberals, conservatives, censorship, and religion.
http://www.reason.com/news/show/116787.html
“It’s the veil etc etc. And maybe he’s interpreting your opinions on the veil, burkha etc as meaning that you have become pro-Bush.”
Well, could be, but those opinions have been on here for a long, long time. That’s why the fun-loving people at SIAW called me a little girl and all the rest of the patronizing dreck, years ago – autumn 2003 I think it was. I suggested the Michael Moore piece, but the reader said (as we saw) no, nothing specific. [throws up hands]
It really is quite funny. Much like telling a spouse or partner or best friend, ‘You’ve changed lately, you’re not what you were, it’s very worrying, you’re not the fine upstanding person I thought you were’ and then when being asked for particulars, saying ‘Oh, nothing specific, it’s just a feeling.’
Maybe people do that; I wouldn’t know, I don’t get out much; but it seems terribly odd, and risible.