It's laughable when outlets claim opinion pieces are subject to actual editors, and then they publish opinion pieces that are completely fact-free.
Just once, I want WaPo or NYT to grow a spine and publish these opinions with full annotation showing how they are straight up lying, instead of acting as if their opinion piece is a valid article, equal to anything else.
If an oncologist consistently told patients "don't worry, that 20 pound tumor growing out of your head won't kill you" and then those patients died the next week, I'm pretty sure the oncologist would be out of a job, but do it on the opinion page, and you're Kathleen Parker.
I was recently coincidentally reminded that Kathleen Parker gave that terrible Michael Moore parody movie a pull quote. “It’s radical… it’s brave… and it’s funny!” One out of three, I suppose.
Maybe I’m just jaded but I just have gotten to a point where I can’t bring myself to read opinion pieces in major publications. But especially the WaPo, I’m by no means any sort of accomplished writer or really anyone very good at it -- but I do think that what passes for a columnist in some of these publications make my meme filled, classic cracked-lite, newsletter, award worthy by comparison.
> In a just world, publishing such confidently incorrect pieces in an actual newspaper would result in the author’s career in opinion journalism coming to an end soon after.
Unfortunately, I think this ship sailed when all of the Very Serious Columnists who cheerled for the Iraq War were allowed to keep their cushy jobs and everyone who was right from the get-go stayed marginalized. : |
I see most newspapers and many magazines now as mostly outlets designed to shovel bullshit down my craw, and manipulate my opinions.
I don't want to be a crank, I truly don't. I want to be somebody who reads the paper, and thinks 'that's some of the news for today! I got it, cool.'
Not that I did that exactly but I did think I was getting 'information about the world' much of the time with some BS mixed in. The ratio of BS to information has really changed.
Now I have to really hunt around for information about the world. It's much more time consuming. Google is also worse, so that's not helping.
I am an insatiable consumer of 'the news.' I have a ridiculous number if newspaper subscriptions and magazines subscriptions. It's my main luxury expense and time-wasting activity. I used to read the entire NYT daily almost every day (in the olden days, on paper). The whole thing! Now I skim the headlines going 'I know what this is going to say, this is fluff, this is shit stirring' etc. Much of it doesn't seem like information in the standard sense.
Did I change or did the media?
Cory Doctorow talks about enshittification but it also seems to leak into the world, like a kudzu.
There's still some good books, luckily! There are still things to read online. One can still learn. But I am SO tired of being trolled by the newspaper.
Is this sustainable? I guess. It's probably more profitable, right?
I don't get why people like it more. Because it's emotionally activating? Don't they want to understand the real things though?
This quote from Evan (forgot their last name) is so good. Also, true and scary
"As the hatred and fear of trans people is normalized, the boundaries of what is acceptable will move repeatedly. Parker’s ugly screed for WaPo is not the first time, and it will not be the last. However, each new assault on the norms of public discourse by conseravtives ought to be marked and taken in somberly by those whose humanity still makes them capable of normal human empathy for trans people."
Also, YES PLEASE to term-limits for op-ed columnists. I'm even willing to send Paul Krugman back to Princeton as part of the deal.
Right now it's like the comics pages*, think of all the talented artists we never got to enjoy because all the real estate was locked up for decades by Mary Worth and Andy Capp. (In her defense, I'll say that Mary Worth offers more insight into the human condition than Kathleen Parker ever will.)
*And please, Dear God, let's hope none of these columnists figure out the trick of handing the franchise down to their kids.
Newspaper Columnists Owe Readers Better Than Trolling
It's laughable when outlets claim opinion pieces are subject to actual editors, and then they publish opinion pieces that are completely fact-free.
Just once, I want WaPo or NYT to grow a spine and publish these opinions with full annotation showing how they are straight up lying, instead of acting as if their opinion piece is a valid article, equal to anything else.
If an oncologist consistently told patients "don't worry, that 20 pound tumor growing out of your head won't kill you" and then those patients died the next week, I'm pretty sure the oncologist would be out of a job, but do it on the opinion page, and you're Kathleen Parker.
I was recently coincidentally reminded that Kathleen Parker gave that terrible Michael Moore parody movie a pull quote. “It’s radical… it’s brave… and it’s funny!” One out of three, I suppose.
I'm convinced Kathleen Parker is kept around for rage clicks.
Maybe I’m just jaded but I just have gotten to a point where I can’t bring myself to read opinion pieces in major publications. But especially the WaPo, I’m by no means any sort of accomplished writer or really anyone very good at it -- but I do think that what passes for a columnist in some of these publications make my meme filled, classic cracked-lite, newsletter, award worthy by comparison.
> In a just world, publishing such confidently incorrect pieces in an actual newspaper would result in the author’s career in opinion journalism coming to an end soon after.
Unfortunately, I think this ship sailed when all of the Very Serious Columnists who cheerled for the Iraq War were allowed to keep their cushy jobs and everyone who was right from the get-go stayed marginalized. : |
I see most newspapers and many magazines now as mostly outlets designed to shovel bullshit down my craw, and manipulate my opinions.
I don't want to be a crank, I truly don't. I want to be somebody who reads the paper, and thinks 'that's some of the news for today! I got it, cool.'
Not that I did that exactly but I did think I was getting 'information about the world' much of the time with some BS mixed in. The ratio of BS to information has really changed.
Now I have to really hunt around for information about the world. It's much more time consuming. Google is also worse, so that's not helping.
I am an insatiable consumer of 'the news.' I have a ridiculous number if newspaper subscriptions and magazines subscriptions. It's my main luxury expense and time-wasting activity. I used to read the entire NYT daily almost every day (in the olden days, on paper). The whole thing! Now I skim the headlines going 'I know what this is going to say, this is fluff, this is shit stirring' etc. Much of it doesn't seem like information in the standard sense.
Did I change or did the media?
Cory Doctorow talks about enshittification but it also seems to leak into the world, like a kudzu.
There's still some good books, luckily! There are still things to read online. One can still learn. But I am SO tired of being trolled by the newspaper.
Is this sustainable? I guess. It's probably more profitable, right?
I don't get why people like it more. Because it's emotionally activating? Don't they want to understand the real things though?
This quote from Evan (forgot their last name) is so good. Also, true and scary
"As the hatred and fear of trans people is normalized, the boundaries of what is acceptable will move repeatedly. Parker’s ugly screed for WaPo is not the first time, and it will not be the last. However, each new assault on the norms of public discourse by conseravtives ought to be marked and taken in somberly by those whose humanity still makes them capable of normal human empathy for trans people."
Kathleen Parker is an example of someone turning a complete lack of imagination into a career.
Normal person: Can you imagine what would happen if Donald Trump was re-elected?
Parker: No, I can't actually. Thanks for the suggestion, I think I can get a column out of this.
I love Michelle Wolf but I desperately want that sketch to stop being relevant.
Rest in Power, whatever Michelle Wolf's show was called
Also, YES PLEASE to term-limits for op-ed columnists. I'm even willing to send Paul Krugman back to Princeton as part of the deal.
Right now it's like the comics pages*, think of all the talented artists we never got to enjoy because all the real estate was locked up for decades by Mary Worth and Andy Capp. (In her defense, I'll say that Mary Worth offers more insight into the human condition than Kathleen Parker ever will.)
*And please, Dear God, let's hope none of these columnists figure out the trick of handing the franchise down to their kids.