I know, especially around the Althouse, there's this shallow practice of interpreting Drudge's photo placement for "hidden meanings" - like he's not Geekzilla in a fedora but some fucking News Oracle or something (What's with Right-wing whites in fedoras? Ask Roger Simon, maybe,...)
(Since they're hung up on visuals, has anybody actually looked at Matt Drudge? What does that tell you? Has he ever actually said or written anything of any significance? Is he even capable of it?)
This (supposedly-non-NewAge) ritual, of trying to understand journalism by reading Matt's tea leaves, revolves around Drudge's placement of photos (something I know a thing or two about) but never his words, though words are how he truly tells the tale:
"Bar Owner Threatens Graffiti Artists..."
Drudge didn't write that - he wouldn't - that would be too honest. Here's what Drudge wrote:
"Black Detroit Bar Owner Threatens To Use Deadly Force Against White Teen Graffiti Artists..."
Pure exploitation. And how stupid do you have to be to fall for it? Using Drudge's popular outlook, I'd say white feminist college professor-level, at least. (And we can't leave out Glenn Reynolds' Instapundit when it comes to spreading nonsense,....) Is it any wonder I'm sick of all of them?
Matt Drudge, Ann Althouse, the idiots scrawling their names all over Detroit - every one of 'em?
I'm surrounded by morons.
I don't know about you, but I didn't wake up to have my chain yanked racially - and don't get a kick out of it. I also don't like that I can't get to the people who do it, nor can I get the ones, I can talk to, to change.
And I don't like the white Americans who act like I, and my skin color, are here for theatre. I don't like a lot of things:
And I don't like the white Americans who act like I, and my skin color, are here for theatre. I don't like a lot of things:
My vision for this country - my country - is just,...different.
I know dummies enjoy the stupidity of it all, but - sincerely - I ain't one of 'em,...
This has become the very screwed up way "conservatives" think they will somehow right the wrongs of progressive race pimping I guess (they are of course dead wrong, because it isn't).
ReplyDeleteI can remember, back in the days when I was a college instructor, having a discussion with a class about how people were portrayed in the media, which in turn shaped how people thought about that group and how that portrayal actually created a situation where people from that group would start to act in a manner they were portrayed as acting -- sort of keeping up with expectations of appearance. Along with that I said it was un-American, because it took away individuality on all levels. I used my dad's ethnic group as an example (as it's not bringing up the race issue which I wanted to avoid because it would just screw with the talk, but there was at one time, maybe still, some similarities that were important and maybe they'd make the jump). I brought up the same conversation over some beers after work with some of my esteemed colleagues.
The responses were classic: "yeah, but aren't you happy [with the portrayals], certainly it's better than being boring old white shop owners or bankers or something; at least you guys (!) get to be glamourous!" (this from both students AND esteemed colleagues).
I was a bit shocked (but shouldn't have been), so I replied at the time "what makes you think that 'we' want to be seen only as sports stars, entertainers, and gangsters? did it ever occur to you that maybe 'my people' have a dream of being Caspar Weinburger?" (he was the only name that popped into my head at the time of some body who had a pretty big function in society without any fizzy glamour attached to him; I'm not saying that every paesan's dream is to be Caspar, but the notion of not being noticed when one chooses, of fitting into, being accepted as individuals in the crowd so well that you don't probably is a secret desire, one which is largely accomplished...until they find out your last name...it's no fun being a dago hillbilly out in the sticks) "Yet you nearly force the issue that that can't happen, because 'we' have to be xyz...or welfare guidos, but I digress." They just didn't get it; "why would you want to be Casper Weinburger?" (and the fact that they immediately fell into the "you people" dialog along with me, like it was the most natural thing is also a big tell -- I had to engage in it to get my point across, because there was no way that I could do otherwise and because to be very honest -- it was just as natural and easy for me too; there's another tell).
It wasn't really about being CW...it was about being seen as real people, who might have lives and dreams outside of what the rest of society wanted...to be distinctly non-glamorous: to be nonglamourous Caspar freaking Weinburger or just some average, run of the mill bar owner who has had enough of rotten punks marking up his joint (and distinctly not entertaining to society at large, distinctly nondestinct really unless one chooses to be). In short, to be taken as just very real people for a change, probably boring but real...wish I could be in that classroom or on that barstool now, because this might have explained it better.
PW
**and the fedora is an affectation -- a totemic image; by wearing it I guess they think they're going to be like their daddies and granddaddies of the Greatest Generation (which makes them great too); I guess it's like homeopathic syrup: take once or twice daily and your nuts will grow.