As social media empowers uncredentialed people to be heard, society's most powerful actors seek to cast themselves as victims and delegitimize all critiques.
Social media is generally just an amplifier for the symphony of stupid that passes for "intellect" Taylor Lorenz personifies this. If I see the phrase "White Nationalist" used by anyone in the MSM I immediately tune it out. To them s "White Nationalist" is anyone who might disagree with anything they say.
Keep up the great work Glenn, the world needs journalists like you.
To balance all the hate that your truthful and purposeful journalism has generated, here's a psychic group hug from all your subscribers and readers to you and your family. Here's to good health and safety forever.
I love your articles, Glenn. Please keep at it even though I'm sure the extent of the abuse coming your way is staggering. We appreciate it. It's shocking how they attacked Donald Trump full time in the most uncivilized ways possible, but HE is not allowed to criticize them back. Civilized? These people are THE most uncivilized and patronizing elitists arrogant excuses for humans. The hubris is breath-taking. Thank you, again, Glenn. I pass your work around a lot.
Thank you, Glenn. This is mostly women who use feminism as a shield to pull this “I'm so oppressed” power play. And when it comes to supporting strong women who actually speak out for the real oppression of women - real feminists like Aayan Hirsi Ali in her new book Prey - they demonize her. The Taylor Lorenzes of the world know they're worthless hacks for their puppet masters. If they had a shred of real conviction that they're doing something worthwhile they might be bothered (who wouldn't be) by the hatred that gets thrown at them, they'd get over it after a drink. But they're too concerned with not getting exposed as frauds.
The NY Times has lost its relevance. Pre-internet it had some value if only for the international reach of its correspondents network, gathering information that other media outfits could not. There was some value to that infrastructure, even if liberally biased. (There were also standards and a sense of integrity then). With so many online sources available at the click now, and so many thoughtful writers to choose from, why would anyone still subscribe to the Times? The Times is living off its fumes of a reputation, relying on its appeal to the pseudo intellectual seeking validation and virtue. True critical thinkers looks elsewhere. GG is a good start.
Wow. I think this may be the best essay you've written since starting the substack. Definitely my personal favorite at least. Honestly should be in the running for a commentary award. The phenomenon you're writing about is so dangerous, and much more of threat to *actual* press freedom than anything these folks are complaining about, precisely because it obscures what is actually at stake. Thanks for writing.
Your critique strikes at the heart of identity politics and "intersectionality". How do the wealthiest and most powerful maintain their position on the top of the social pyramid when social capital is based on victimhood? By creating a system that doles out social capital based on how full your identity bingo card of perceived historical oppression is, without regard to wealth or power at all! As you rightfully point out, you are only allowed to shout, "bingo!" if you sing the establishment tune and blindly support all of the establishment's pieties. Any criticism of a Woman Of Color is immediately regarded as a racist and sexist attack, regardless of the merits of that criticism, unless that Woman Of Color has her own opinions or questions any establishment narratives (as evidenced by the myriad of smears and attacks suffered by Tulsi Gabbard, who went from darling of the DNC to pariah overnight for opposing Hillary Clinton).
Certainly the scummiest and most villainous of this crowd are those who willfully and consciously deploy this hypocritical rhetoric to gain power and political capital, but they aren't the only ones at fault here. Those who sing the identity politics tune and follow establishment marching orders because they are cowards who, despite knowing that their behavior is despicable, go along with it anyway deserve a fair share of the blame. But so do those who have internalized this behavior, and act out of true conviction. As adults, we are all responsible for our own behavior. It is our responsibility to know better. There is no practical difference between the person who burns you at the stake because they are a true believer and the person who feigns belief while burning you at the stake because they fear the mob.
This brought back many memories. I was a senior manager for a team of team leaders plus a few individual performers at a Fortune 500 company. One employee was brilliant, a well-rounded technology expert, with whom no one would work. She could not work in a team and redefined others' roles, disparaged their abilities, and was an all-around jerk. She had baldly lied to a client, she had refused to do her work on a company-owned computer and refused to provide copies of work in progress. She was also a M2F transsexual. I fired her. HR called me and ordered me to reinstate her because she was transsexual and that created a potential liability in a lawsuit. I refused.
If equal treatment is the goal, it cannot apply only to beneficial actions. Rules disallowing criticism of or adverse actions regarding a marginalized person are destructive. They're perpetuating the marginalization. Not being able to fire a jerk for whom firing would be unquestioned in a biological male or female is discriminatory. How can we reduce discrimination in the workplace by making some animals more equal than others.
Legacy fake news media is for retarded monkeys. Too many good sources to willingly listen to propaganda and infotainment.
Follow GG, Sharyl Atkisson, Sara Carter, Full Measure News, Kim Strassel. Get it from the horse’s mouth C-Span. Watch your state and local agency and legislative meetings on zoom. Read the documents they release. You won’t have much time left over for Dancing With The Stars or Rachel Maddow.
When Glenn characterizes this demand among media elites as a caste problem, I think he gets it right. It's one caste at the top trying to tamp down any response from all the lowly, fed-up castes. I hadn't quite thought of this phenomenon in those terms. But looking back on my career in journalism (at three major US newspapers), I can certainly recall evidence of this type of arrogance among the newsroom staff in the form of occasional displays of contempt for their own readers. I confess, I didn't devote much thought to this until (oddly) the breakup of Yugoslavia.
You may recall that the US press routinely and insistently vilified the Serbs in those years, but in the city I was living in at the time there were Serbian-American spokesmen who sought to tell their side of events. To little avail. The story line was what it was, and any attempt to provide a different perspective was brushed aside.
While I don't wish to minimize the horrors of those years and the Serbian share of culpability, it struck me that it was unlikely that Serbia was a 100% villain across the course of those struggles. Serbian-Americans deserved at least a hearing by which their case could be fairly considered. That never happened, and it was largely due to a dismissive newsroom attitude that effectively silenced the voice of a significant fraction of the paper's readership at the time.
If I were a totalitarian for a day, 7+billion human slaves would spend 24 hours reading and rereading this story. The next day, the world would be free.
“ The third reason this New York Times reporter is receiving attention is because she has become a leading advocate and symbol for a toxic tactic now frequently used by wealthy and influential public figures (like her) to delegitimize criticisms and even render off-limits any attempt to hold them accountable. Specifically, she and her media allies constantly conflate criticisms of people like them with “harassment,” “abuse” and even “violence.” “
I’m surprised you didn’t highlight AOC’s use of this tactic. It’s the exact same formula.
The progressive-driven "cult of victimization" has penetrated all aspects of today's culture. Plus, as Glenn amply demonstrates, the more entitled one is, the stronger the urge to portray oneself as a victim. We've been teaching our kids this for at least 10 years in public schools and colleges, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised when the rot spreads to all corners of our discourse--magnified ten-fold by omnipresent social media.
Taylor Lorenz continues to draw a paycheck from the Times, while Donald McNeil has been fired. The New York Times is a sorry joke of a paper.
With regards to Biden's staff, it's a very diverse group of uniformly horrible people.
Social media is generally just an amplifier for the symphony of stupid that passes for "intellect" Taylor Lorenz personifies this. If I see the phrase "White Nationalist" used by anyone in the MSM I immediately tune it out. To them s "White Nationalist" is anyone who might disagree with anything they say.
Keep up the great work Glenn, the world needs journalists like you.
To balance all the hate that your truthful and purposeful journalism has generated, here's a psychic group hug from all your subscribers and readers to you and your family. Here's to good health and safety forever.
I love your articles, Glenn. Please keep at it even though I'm sure the extent of the abuse coming your way is staggering. We appreciate it. It's shocking how they attacked Donald Trump full time in the most uncivilized ways possible, but HE is not allowed to criticize them back. Civilized? These people are THE most uncivilized and patronizing elitists arrogant excuses for humans. The hubris is breath-taking. Thank you, again, Glenn. I pass your work around a lot.
Thank you, Glenn. This is mostly women who use feminism as a shield to pull this “I'm so oppressed” power play. And when it comes to supporting strong women who actually speak out for the real oppression of women - real feminists like Aayan Hirsi Ali in her new book Prey - they demonize her. The Taylor Lorenzes of the world know they're worthless hacks for their puppet masters. If they had a shred of real conviction that they're doing something worthwhile they might be bothered (who wouldn't be) by the hatred that gets thrown at them, they'd get over it after a drink. But they're too concerned with not getting exposed as frauds.
The NY Times has lost its relevance. Pre-internet it had some value if only for the international reach of its correspondents network, gathering information that other media outfits could not. There was some value to that infrastructure, even if liberally biased. (There were also standards and a sense of integrity then). With so many online sources available at the click now, and so many thoughtful writers to choose from, why would anyone still subscribe to the Times? The Times is living off its fumes of a reputation, relying on its appeal to the pseudo intellectual seeking validation and virtue. True critical thinkers looks elsewhere. GG is a good start.
Wow. I think this may be the best essay you've written since starting the substack. Definitely my personal favorite at least. Honestly should be in the running for a commentary award. The phenomenon you're writing about is so dangerous, and much more of threat to *actual* press freedom than anything these folks are complaining about, precisely because it obscures what is actually at stake. Thanks for writing.
Your critique strikes at the heart of identity politics and "intersectionality". How do the wealthiest and most powerful maintain their position on the top of the social pyramid when social capital is based on victimhood? By creating a system that doles out social capital based on how full your identity bingo card of perceived historical oppression is, without regard to wealth or power at all! As you rightfully point out, you are only allowed to shout, "bingo!" if you sing the establishment tune and blindly support all of the establishment's pieties. Any criticism of a Woman Of Color is immediately regarded as a racist and sexist attack, regardless of the merits of that criticism, unless that Woman Of Color has her own opinions or questions any establishment narratives (as evidenced by the myriad of smears and attacks suffered by Tulsi Gabbard, who went from darling of the DNC to pariah overnight for opposing Hillary Clinton).
Certainly the scummiest and most villainous of this crowd are those who willfully and consciously deploy this hypocritical rhetoric to gain power and political capital, but they aren't the only ones at fault here. Those who sing the identity politics tune and follow establishment marching orders because they are cowards who, despite knowing that their behavior is despicable, go along with it anyway deserve a fair share of the blame. But so do those who have internalized this behavior, and act out of true conviction. As adults, we are all responsible for our own behavior. It is our responsibility to know better. There is no practical difference between the person who burns you at the stake because they are a true believer and the person who feigns belief while burning you at the stake because they fear the mob.
Poor and working-class Americans are reluctant and ashamed to claim victimhood, but no such qualms from the well-off!
This brought back many memories. I was a senior manager for a team of team leaders plus a few individual performers at a Fortune 500 company. One employee was brilliant, a well-rounded technology expert, with whom no one would work. She could not work in a team and redefined others' roles, disparaged their abilities, and was an all-around jerk. She had baldly lied to a client, she had refused to do her work on a company-owned computer and refused to provide copies of work in progress. She was also a M2F transsexual. I fired her. HR called me and ordered me to reinstate her because she was transsexual and that created a potential liability in a lawsuit. I refused.
If equal treatment is the goal, it cannot apply only to beneficial actions. Rules disallowing criticism of or adverse actions regarding a marginalized person are destructive. They're perpetuating the marginalization. Not being able to fire a jerk for whom firing would be unquestioned in a biological male or female is discriminatory. How can we reduce discrimination in the workplace by making some animals more equal than others.
Legacy fake news media is for retarded monkeys. Too many good sources to willingly listen to propaganda and infotainment.
Follow GG, Sharyl Atkisson, Sara Carter, Full Measure News, Kim Strassel. Get it from the horse’s mouth C-Span. Watch your state and local agency and legislative meetings on zoom. Read the documents they release. You won’t have much time left over for Dancing With The Stars or Rachel Maddow.
When Glenn characterizes this demand among media elites as a caste problem, I think he gets it right. It's one caste at the top trying to tamp down any response from all the lowly, fed-up castes. I hadn't quite thought of this phenomenon in those terms. But looking back on my career in journalism (at three major US newspapers), I can certainly recall evidence of this type of arrogance among the newsroom staff in the form of occasional displays of contempt for their own readers. I confess, I didn't devote much thought to this until (oddly) the breakup of Yugoslavia.
You may recall that the US press routinely and insistently vilified the Serbs in those years, but in the city I was living in at the time there were Serbian-American spokesmen who sought to tell their side of events. To little avail. The story line was what it was, and any attempt to provide a different perspective was brushed aside.
While I don't wish to minimize the horrors of those years and the Serbian share of culpability, it struck me that it was unlikely that Serbia was a 100% villain across the course of those struggles. Serbian-Americans deserved at least a hearing by which their case could be fairly considered. That never happened, and it was largely due to a dismissive newsroom attitude that effectively silenced the voice of a significant fraction of the paper's readership at the time.
If I were a totalitarian for a day, 7+billion human slaves would spend 24 hours reading and rereading this story. The next day, the world would be free.
“ The third reason this New York Times reporter is receiving attention is because she has become a leading advocate and symbol for a toxic tactic now frequently used by wealthy and influential public figures (like her) to delegitimize criticisms and even render off-limits any attempt to hold them accountable. Specifically, she and her media allies constantly conflate criticisms of people like them with “harassment,” “abuse” and even “violence.” “
I’m surprised you didn’t highlight AOC’s use of this tactic. It’s the exact same formula.
The progressive-driven "cult of victimization" has penetrated all aspects of today's culture. Plus, as Glenn amply demonstrates, the more entitled one is, the stronger the urge to portray oneself as a victim. We've been teaching our kids this for at least 10 years in public schools and colleges, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised when the rot spreads to all corners of our discourse--magnified ten-fold by omnipresent social media.