shotbanner.jpeg

February 08, 2005

Random Notes to Lefty Commentators

Just a few notes:

  • Lefty Bloggers: I realize that Atrios and Ollie Willis and the giggly fratboys at Pandagon use the term all the time, and that probably gives it the imprimatur of authority that assuages your hive mentality soothes your inner Borg appeals to the relentless, insecurity-driven groupthink that drew you to leftism in the first place draws you to such things, but referring to conservatives as "wingnuts" every. single. time. you. talk about them kinda dulls the edge on that there edgy humor. Just saying.
  • Speaking of relentless repetition, I caught about thirty seconds of Nick Coleman's "radio show" this morning, mainly to get an idea of when it was o so I could live-blog it, as promised, later this week. No kidding - thirty, maybe forty seconds. I heard the word "Monkey" at least four times, and "wingnut" twice. By my count, that averages out to 640 "Monkeys" and 320 "Wingnuts" per program. Ask yourself; what would Oscar Wilde do?
  • General note to lefty bloggers: Merely stating "you're wrong" doesn't make it so.
That is all.

Posted by Mitch at February 8, 2005 05:37 AM | TrackBack
Comments

I listened to a little of Nick this morning, and he sure seemed to be swearing a lot, ("It's my damn show and I can say whatever I want") and also a pre-occupation with what is going on at KQ. He wanted scouts to listen to KQ and report each week on how many penis jokes were told and how many minorities were made fun of and so on.

All 3 of his listeners called in during the 8:00 segment on Bush's budget "being balanced on the backs of the poor." Holy anecdote; he had all of them. 2 of the 3 callers were women, one uptalked so badly it almost made me cry. She, of course, has a "special needs child" in school and Paw-len-teeee? just made her fur-i-ous? because he decided that parents aren't paying enough? for some of their insurance? for their autistic child?

The things I do... I don't know why I did that. And, I missed a good segment on Bob Davis about the Vulcans at the bar.

Posted by: Shawn Sarazin at February 8, 2005 08:59 AM

Wingnuts is an appropriate term for people who generate and spread unsubstantiated rumors, like "John Kerry's war wounds were self-inflicted" or "Hillary had Vince Foster killed" but is not appropriate to describe people who make coherent, fact-based arguments that you disagree with.

Posted by: Rick (Centrist Coalition) at February 8, 2005 09:35 AM

Rick: There's something to that, but I'm referring to the practice on many (many!) leftyblogs to use wingnut as a synonym for all conservatism.

Not that I care - it makes them sound dumb, not me.

Shawn: I'm dying to see the ratings for that time slot. If anything is worse than Marc Moron...

Posted by: mitch at February 8, 2005 09:39 AM

Shawn, did the segment about "Vulcans at the bar" have anything to do with ST Enterprise being cancelled?

Posted by: Thorley Winston at February 8, 2005 10:15 AM

The Star Tribune cites a quote from Al Jazeera in its editorial pages today.

I really don't think there's anything else that needs to be said.

Posted by: mike at February 8, 2005 10:50 AM

Thorley,

That's why I am upset that I missed the segment! I wanted to hear about Spock and the garter and the waitress...

Posted by: Shawn Sarazin at February 8, 2005 10:56 AM


They learned it from you. You have no problem lumping the left under the Moonbat umbrella.

http://www.shotinthedark.info/archives/005005.html
District 59 covers much of northeast and southeast Minneapolis - deep in the heart of moonbat Minneapolis.

http://www.shotinthedark.info/archives/004634.html
The moonbat left has cried "Fascism" ever since long before George Bush's election in 2000 was confirmed.

http://www.shotinthedark.info/archives/004499.html
Attention, Moonbats: Christmas Cancelled

http://www.shotinthedark.info/archives/004484.html
The moonbat left had not served the Democrats well - racing to the far left has never won the Democrats an untainted election

Posted by: Flash at February 8, 2005 11:19 AM

Flash: Big difference here. I was describing specific behaviors by specific people or definable, discrete groups - that part of Minneapolis that acts like Berkeley with snowblowers, the Dean wing, zealots slavering for some bad news for the administration, and the MoveOn.org/Democrat Underground clacques. The lefties I'm talking about substitute "wingnut" very generally and broadly for conservatives.

Posted by: mitch at February 8, 2005 11:39 AM

And I argue you do the same, if not worse. But I also had no doubt, as is very typical of NARN blogs, that you would rationalize this behavior as OK for you guys by parsing a definition that fits your purpose to justify your behavior as acceptable.

I simply avoid name calling of any type if at all possbile. Anyone that has to resort to that is diluting their argument, regardless of how valid it may be.

You are a gifted writer as it is, and it pains me when I see you resort to that tactic, the most annoying of which is Josh "ua Micah" Marshall. How petty. I generally stop reading at that point.

Flash

Posted by: Flash at February 8, 2005 11:54 AM

You miss the point Flash. these lefty blogs are using the perjoritive as a substitute for argument. I know exactly what mitch means:

Mitch Berg Said "X"

Mitch is a wingnut.

Therefore X is wrong.

Atrios is especially guilty of this.

Posted by: rick at February 8, 2005 12:20 PM

I understand the point clearly, i am only pointing out that it is not a tactic monopolized by the Left.

-saracasm on-

I don't need to call Mitch a Wingnut to know he is wrong. I can skip that middle step all together.

Mitch Berg Said "X"

Therefore X is wrong.

In most cases, anyway.

-saracasm off-

There are exceptions:

http://www.shotinthedark.info/archives/004894.html

http://www.shotinthedark.info/archives/004849.html

Flash

Posted by: Flash at February 8, 2005 12:58 PM

Flash: I demur to Rick's point; he hit most of it.

Three simple points, though:
1) As a simple search shows, I've decided to dial back anything that could be considered name calling; you'll note that I've used "moonbat" exactly once since New Years, and that in reference to giving a speech deep in Phyllis Kahn territory. So yes, I feel qualified to criticize to a reasonable extent - but it should also show that I agree, name calling is something as a rule to be avoided.

2) What you call "rationalization" I call, in some cases, justification. J-Dog Marshall uses an appellation I personally find precious and pretentious, and I lampoon it. You find it petty, I call in pointed; if a Republican pundit were to call himself "M. Paul Berg", lefty pundits would wet themselves with glee, you have to know it.

3) I forgot my third point. Oops.

Posted by: mitch at February 8, 2005 12:59 PM

Mitch and Flash-

I agree with you both. I avoid namecalling... but sometimes you must call it as you see it.

My proposed solution: A more nuanced definition for wingnut.

For example- take the "SpongeBob is molesting our children's minds" scare . It starts with the "zealot wingnut" Dobson, then the "zealot wingnut news organization" Agape Press. Then "wingnut if it will get my website more attention" Matt Drudge flogs it. Then many "online wingnuts" at Free Republic start pulling their hair out over it. Then people like "get aids and die wingnut" Michael Savage grab the ball and runs with it. Then it filters to the "MSM wingnuts" like Bill O'Reilly, and Sean Hannity where they beat the dead horse until the next ratings opportunity presents itself. Those wasting their time viewing, listening, or reading any of this crap and would be labeled "wingnuts-in-training".

Posted by: Carson at February 8, 2005 01:39 PM

Any meaning that the term may once have had went right out the window when the left started using it to describe people like Ann Althouse.

Posted by: Fred at February 8, 2005 02:19 PM
hi