progressive cyberdadaism from our nation’s capital
In the process of gloating over Benji Demenech’s recent resignation, I happened to run across this reaction on NRO:
Second, regardless of whether the plagiarism charges make it impossible for Domenech to continue as the WaPo’s “Red America” blogger, the WaPo would be foolish and craven to bow to this mob — for whom attacking the blogger was just a means to an end — by abandoning the project altogether.
Adding a conservative blog was a smart editorial decision to widen the variety of viewpoints on offer at Washingtonpost.com — not a “sop to the right.” But jettisoning that blog, and thereby limiting the viewpoints on offer, would indisputably be a sop to the left.
This, of course, is remarkable coming from NRO, an activist site strictly for right-wing partisans. Can you imagine the Cornerites inviting Dan Froomkin into the shrill echo-chamber they blog from to provide that illusive balance? I thought not.
Second, I find it interesting that these pre-adolescent pundits make no effort to appeal to a love of truth. In their world, there is no truth, just a “variety of viewpoints.” They are like Creationists who believe that the geological history of the planet Earth needs to be balanced by a reading from Genesis. Again, so that we may be exposed to a “variety of viewpoints.”
Finally, I’ve never understand why right-wing partisans are so rabidly opposed to any form of affirmative action. Except, of course, in the case of conservative bloggers. They need to be made a special case of, be given a role on the pages of prestigious journals. Not because they have any particular skill as the recent “Red America” shows us. If Demenech had any real talent or skill, it was his ability to crib from such a wide variety of authors on such a wide variety of subjects.
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hip·po·pot·a·mus n. A notion, perhaps distinct from conventional wisdom, that needs to be verified by reality-based scrutiny.
95. Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum (I think that I think, therefore I think that I am.)
— Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
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