Disqus - Latest Comments for slag

Re: Jennifer Rubin's Fear-Mongering - Steve Clemons - International - The Atlantic

slag — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 17:37:49 -0000

Clearly, you don't read many liberal websites.

Re: 'Why Don't You Go Out And Do Some Work?' - Ta-Nehisi Coates - National - The Atlantic

slag — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:30:22 -0000

True. As they say...it takes a Village. And no, I don't think we'll see a paradigm shift anytime soon. But I also don't think we'll necessarily recognize a paradigm shift as soon as we see it, either.

Personally, my most dispiriting day in recent memory was the day after Obama went to the House Republican caucus to debate their policies with them. If there was any sanity in our system, some paradigm shifting would have indeed occurred that day. It does not appear to have happened.

Re: 'Why Don't You Go Out And Do Some Work?' - Ta-Nehisi Coates - National - The Atlantic

slag — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:40:38 -0000

Well, it seems to me that there are many avenues for initiating cultural shifts. You can apply pressure on your peers, as James Fallows seems to be doing. You can change laws or create/re-prioritize public programs (such as investing in quality public broadcasting, in this case). There are a lot of options, I think.

Re: 'Why Don't You Go Out And Do Some Work?' - Ta-Nehisi Coates - National - The Atlantic

slag — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:31:42 -0000

I think part of the problem may be that it's hard to [abruptly] switch from a reactive mindset to a proactive one. So, when you have a (possibly indeterminate) lull in needing to be reactive, you may tend to just lean on your default habits instead of going through the process of switching to the proactive mindset. That's what I seem to do anyway. And the only way I've ever found to fix it within myself is to elevate my default habits to more productive ones. I've never found a good way to easily switch to a proactive mindset--especially when I don't know how long I have for it.

Re: 'Why Don't You Go Out And Do Some Work?' - Ta-Nehisi Coates - National - The Atlantic

slag — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:18:39 -0000

"The supply is supported by the demand. We, the American media consumers, demand these hollow opinions and those "news" and media outlets are all too happy to supply."

While I understand where this analysis comes from, I always find it a bit shallow. There are a lot of interrelated variables at work creating our culture. One variable that comes to mind immediately is path dependence. At some point, it becomes nearly impossible to determine where the supply ends and the demand begins.

Re: Steal This Diploma - Atlantic Mobile

slag — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 23:44:59 -0000

Thank you ever so much for this thread! It's exactly what I've been looking for.

On the non-academic-but-still-interesting side, I, too, highly recommend RadioLab, and to go with it, Neil DeGrasse Tyson's Star Talk radio show: http://startalkradio.net . It's geek-light and includes interviews with funny people, such as Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and John Hodgman. Not too demanding but entertaining and mildly educational in that it at least sparks interest in further inquiry.

Re: Scribbling Women - Ta-Nehisi Coates - Personal - The Atlantic

slag — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 21:20:09 -0000

"Edward in Northanger Abbey"

Sense and Sensibility.

Re: In Defense Of Tracy Morgan - Ta-Nehisi Coates - Entertainment - The Atlantic

slag — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:54:55 -0000

Personally speaking, I enjoy hearing jokes directed at ignorant, oppressive people. It's an empowering experience. Just like Obama and that SNL guy making fun of Trump at the WH correspondent's dinner. Best jokes I'd heard all year. Very satisfying.

Re: In Defense Of Tracy Morgan - Ta-Nehisi Coates - Entertainment - The Atlantic

slag — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:43:31 -0000

"There's a clear split between who she's playing, and what she actually thinks."

The analogy I think of here is Michael v. Gob Bluth in Arrested Development. There's no way Michael could have made the Franklin Comes Alive satire funny. Michael's supposed to be the normal guy you can relate to. No normal person could have that lack of self-awareness and not come off as a complete clod. Gob, however, can make Franklin sing because Gob's character is so transparently unaware that he can serve as a magnifying glass for the world around him.

If Tracy Morgan was trying to make fun of bigotry by embodying an unaware character to serve as a magnifier for it, then it sounds like he failed in this instance. It sounds like he came off as a bigoted Michael rather than as a clueless Gob.

Re: Obama Concedes A Poor Choice Of Words On "Enemies" - Marc Ambinder - Politics - The Atlantic

slag — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 17:59:23 -0000

I don't understand. Are Republicans enemies of comprehensive immigration reform or not? I have seen nothing that refutes the claim and quite a bit that supports the claim that Republicans are enemies of comprehensive immigration reform. So what's the problem here? That Republicans don't quite grasp the complexities of the English language as well as Latino immigrants do?

Re: Democrats Should Stop Blaming The "Narrative" - Marc Ambinder - Politics - The Atlantic

slag — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:13:57 -0000

This is true. Democrats should stop blaming the narrative. They should start blaming Paul Krugman for being shrill. If he were nicer to them, Democratic lawmakers would have listened to him more and the economy would now be better off.

Thanks a lot, Krugman! Your shrillness cost the Democrats some seats in the House and possibly in the Senate too. Jerk.

Re: One Year After With a Fallen Czar - Politics - The Atlantic

slag — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:31:02 -0000

Letting Van Jones go was a huge mistake for this administration. He's an amazing and inspiring leader. I hope he keeps on keepin on because we desperately need people like him to help shift our economy onto a sustainable path. More Van Jones and others like him!

Re: Will The Bush-Cheney Check Ever Be Paid? Maybe. - Politics - The Atlantic

slag — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 01:15:24 -0000

Thank you for writing about this issue.

It would have been nice to see America take a leadership role in owning up to and trying to make good on our mistakes. But, apparently, we're incapable of such leadership at the moment. We're weak.

Re: When You Impugn Coldplay, The Terrorists Win - Culture - The Atlantic

slag — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:46:46 -0000

Your favorite band sucks.

Re: BEATING OBESITY - Magazine - The Atlantic

slag — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 23:23:23 -0000

Kick ass, Ambinder! Way to go!

That is all.

Re: A Slathering Of Awesome-Sauce - Personal - The Atlantic

slag — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 16:45:49 -0000

Hilariously accurate post. In general, that is, because I can't speak to the stuff about Spider Man. And all that I know about JM DeMatteis I just learned from his blog: http://jmdematteis.blogspot.com/. Blogs are amazing things.

Re: The Ghetto's Tryna Kill Me... - National - The Atlantic

slag — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:44:53 -0000

Agreed. I think we all need to dispense a little non-violent karmic justice every now and again. It does the body politic good.

Re: You're A Customer - Culture - The Atlantic

slag — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:02:01 -0000

Feed's back. But feed sucks now because it's just titles. Bitter-sweet.

Re: You're A Customer - Culture - The Atlantic

slag — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:38:27 -0000

For the record, I can't get any of your post-redesign posts to show up in my RSS feed. I tried re-subscribing both through your button and through my browser's RSS button to no avail. I didn't even know you were posting today until I figured something was up and clicked through on your blog title and found several new posts.

Re: Obama On Rachel Maddow Show

slag — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:11:44 -0000

Actually, I appreciate Rachel's skepticism on every level. She asks the questions that I want asked. Whether it be polling or partisanship, she's representing me when she explores those issues. I'd hate to see that go away.

Re: You'd Have Done Better With a Scarecrow

slag — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:38:54 -0000

"It’s absolutely correct to point out that if this had been a figure of Barack Obama, the outrage would have had mobs in the street, given the incendiary nature of lynch mob imagery."

I think what you meant to say is that "it's not at all correct to point out that if this had been a figure of Barack Obama..."

Nonetheless, I'm just tired of the stupidity coming out of this election. Time to retire the noose. Permanently.

Re: And It's Also Really Funny

slag — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:45:43 -0000

To be fair, maybe he's just asking her for a loan. Only 600 billion left after she and Cindy chip in.

Town and Country first!

Re: Obama Fires Back Against McCain's 'Sad' Attacks

slag — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:15:39 -0000

Glad to see Obama highlighting the fact that McCain's coming from a place of weakness. That weakness has pretty much defined everything McCain's done in this campaign, including choosing a VP. It's his overarching narrative. And it's a good one.

Re: Barack Obama Addresses Economic Crisis

slag — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:38:47 -0000

I liked the style of this speech. It definitely presented Obama as in control of the problem. This is exactly what we need to see from him. One thing Obama needs to project more of is a Clinton-style comfort-level with all parts of his subject matter (the parts of Obama's speech that were more comfortable to him were obvious). What partially contributed to that comfort level for Clinton was his facility for BSing. But it will be interesting to see if Obama can attain a similarly relaxed command over the subject while trying to attain a high level of honesty.

Also, do you have the Q&A?

Re: Barack Obama in Duryea, Pennsylvania

slag — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:58:21 -0000

Good video and great points made. Undermined by Obama's use of the phrase "pretty unique". WTF? The guy has a law degree and he modifies "unique"? Disappointing.
/grammar nazi