My Question
I wonder how Althouse’s low-wattage cheering section reconciles her recent discovery that private corporations should be committed to “viewpoint neutrality” with their terror over the consequences of restoring the fairness doctrine (which is totally going to happen despite the near-total lack of political support, just you wait!)
If I may be permitted to state the obvious, the whole idea of companies having the same obligation to viewpoint neutrality that the state does is bizarre and transparently unworkable. Does Fox News have to give equal time to liberal contributors? Does the Conservative Book Club have to be well-stocked with the works of Gramsci? Do science magazines have to give columns to young-earth creationists and vaccines-cause-autism cranks? The whole idea is nutty.
Her response to a commenter gives us a bonus example of the wingnuttery those mean searching-for-heretic liberals always focus on rather than the progressive views she allegedly holds in private:
“I am wondering how an iPhone app could cure gayness. Some kind of aversion therapy involving show tunes and WNBA broadcasts? [Your local dimwitted sports talk show host phoned and would like you to stop using his lines from 2006. --ed.]”
I don’t know, but maybe some people who love gayness might find it amusing.
Oddly, examples of gays and lesbians (or people who “love gayness”) who get a major hoot out of “cure yourself of the awful disease of homosexuality” bigots are omitted.
My question is why is she worth so many posts? Is she deemed a leading light of whatever category of blogger she considers herself?
She actually has some level of pull with People Who Matter–witness the affair of the lagislative invitation. You might well ask why bother with Erick Erickson(CNN sure did!) or James O’Keefe.
Yes, that “affair” didn’t really thrill me as much as some around here. Getting a ticket like that … did that mean she had some sort of actual pull regarding the decision-making of the actual legislature? They didn’t want to give up the name. Silly but who really cares? The two aren’t the Koch Brothers or something.
Actually, yes, the media is giving way too much attention to James O’Keefe, taking him seriously and giving him credibility, when by now he doesn’t deserve it. But, at least there, I can see that the guy is getting people in trouble and can see LGM talking about that and such.
Ditto EE, regarding actual things he did that might affect people (such as the Nikki Haley thing). But, ten posts about stupid things he says and thinks? Why?
It’s getting to be like the moronic Slate thing where they kept on posting stupid things Bushism. At least there, he’s a President. Althouse is no one really.
Poor Joe, he just hates the way this bog is run and there is no way he can keep from reading it. It’s a very, very sad story and it breaks my heart just thinking about it.
Let us not forget her worse-than-Paglia New York Times guest columnist spot.
Brrr. Truly there are few things to be feared more than a worse-than-Paglia anything.
Oddly, examples of gays and lesbians (or people who “love gayness”) who get a major hoot out of “cure yourself of the awful disease of homosexuality” bigots are omitted
I think she could find one, if she knew where to look.
Frau Outhouse knowing where to look is rather a non sequitur.
When and by whom did you get promoted?
Must we all bow before your Evil SuperVilliain-ness?
The Donalde has officially designated Mal, DocAmazing, and myself as the evil LGM regulars. We wear it as a badge of honor.
I feel so left out!
I suspect Donalde thinks if he uses the word “Buttocks” people will assume he is gay.
And “Incontinentia” strikes far too close to home.
You could email him and see if he would include you in the list of Evil Regulars. He is, after all, an Associate Professor of Demonology.
You could email him and see if he would include you in the list of Evil Regulars
Or you could post a comment on that thread, or on all of Donalde’s posts. Surely he would allow the comments to go through, given that he criticized the
goodevil Doctor Farley over Meade. To not allow these comments would imply Donalde was athin-skinned hypocritical weasel-f&%)erconservative.This is dissing me in a major way, is all I can say.
Seriously. I’ll just have to console myself with membership in the Guild of Calamitous Intent.
The dragon clearly symbolizes reactionary tendencies, and we all know things were better, even “good,” back then (insert your personal value of “then”). Dear Cthulhu, the symbolism is as obvious as an onion ring, and as subtle as Donalde’s Bwahahahaha!!!11!!. You can’t fool me by slipping in good under evil pretenses.
Splitter.
That made no sense whatsoever. Well done.
I put in an official request with Donald, but, so far, I have heard nothing
Evil is powerless in the face of inefficiency.
I even adopted a theme song.
You do not need bow before my evil. We socialists recognize no heirarchy, as that is a tool of the running dog oppressors. We’re an anarcho-syndicalist commune. We take it in turns to act as a sort of executive officer for the week.
There’s enough evil to go around. No need to hoard it.
Do you and Dr. Dick get to use the Austin Powers line about “I didn’t spend 6 years in evil medical school to be called mister!”
You have no idea how long I’ve waited to be able to use lines like that…
I am the other kind of Dr., but I think I can tweak it to fit.
I bow anyway, just because I’d love to get that kind of status with the oppressors.
Or maybe not. Have they pointed your houses and offices out to the second amendment absolutists?
And it turns out I was right. Take that, Forces of Good!
Does this mean that she supports restoring all those adult apps that got banned from the app store as well? Or is this just limited to viewpoints she agrees with?
OT – any truth to the rumor that Lemieux bought the $300 million lotto ticket?
If so he may now be called Big Kitty Le Meow
I enjoy the Althouse back and forth here, but I thought she was pretty clear in her post that she was condemning Apple in the court of public opinion rather than as a legal proscription.
There’s a reasonable point to be made that Apple should maintain neutrality both as good ethics and good business. Contra Althouse, that doesnt prevent them from blocking bigotted or hateful speech, as in this case.
I enjoy the Althouse back and forth here, but I thought she was pretty clear in her post that she was condemning Apple in the court of public opinion rather than as a legal proscription.
And I think it’s pretty clear that nothing in my post says otherwise.
The thing is, whenever she educes a “general” proposition, the immediate application of that obligation is some liberal or another, or (same diff) the immediate beneficiary is some wingnut or group thereof. Cf when she objected that comparisons of Bobby Jindal to Kenneth from 30 Rock are racist.
The rare exceptions are when Althouse has been herself been insulted by some other wingnut (generally Jeff Godlstein in his cups and with his trousers around his ankles).
Gays and lesbians aren’t the only people who love gayness. After all, it’s the best-selling alcoholic beverage in Ireland. This may partly be due to its excellent taste (“a meal in a glass”) but it also has brilliant slogans: “Gayness for Strength”, “Gayness Makes You Strong,” “My Goodness My Gayness,” and most famously, “Gayness is Good For You”. Frankly, I don’t know what Althouse has against it.
…for the win!
Probably the best blog comment in history, right here.
Since political donations are, according to her, political speech…
And since she thinks media companies need to commit to viewpoint neutrality…
Does that mean she thinks it’s wrong for media companies to make political donations?
I’m guessing not.
I think she’d go for half measures. Donations follow the Animal Farm rule
Conservative good; liberal bad
I don’t know of anyone (lovers of “gayness” or otherwise) who thinks that this is amusing, although some are willing to make fun of it because of its general crappiness. (I downloaded it just long enough to see what it really consisted of; it was put together by an app maker that markets to the Christian/church market, and seemed to consist mostly of links to non-mobile-formatted web pages.)
I do know of quite a few LGBTs at places like Joe.My.God who are furious about ex-gay organizations and therapists in general, and this app in particular, because it pushes bogus and harmful pseudoscience. People who are already struggling with their sexual orientation and identity are taunted with the possibility that they can make it all go away and be happy heterosexuals (although some of the “ex-gay” people are honest enough to admit that they’re not ex-gay so much as celibate), and when they inevitably fail–because, after all, this shit doesn’t work–they think that the failure is theirs… unless they’re lucky enough to find out about a group like Wayne Besen’s Truth Wins Out. Some of the JMG commenters are angry at Apple for letting the app in their store at all.
But that’s of no concern to Althouse, who seems a lot more concerned that her trollish husband got himself banned from commenting here than she is with the possibility that some gay teenager might kill himself because he “failed” with Exodus.
Amen.
my question: althouse does teach at the university, right? (i don’t keep up with her and all i know about her are amusing lgm takedowns)
can’t we file an foi request for her email?
I know everyone’s kidding, but just to say it.. that Cronin FOIA request is such bad behavior that not even Althouse deserves it.
Ahem
Above was in reply to Howard. I was distracted by my plans to overthrow motherhood and apple pie.
my question is answered! sorry to be late to the party, but i don’t always read the althouse discussion comments. thanks evil….
now, who’s going to step up and file the document request? what standing do you need?
“some people who love gayness”
You simply can’t use that phrase and not be, at some fairly meaningful level, a homophobe.
In Outhouse’s case, I suspect it is at every conceivable level.
Please, for the love of all that is
holyevil, please let us not discuss Meade’s sodomy comments.…..now I feel much more queasy about the potato blog.
Or indeed Meade’s penchant for sodomy.
Madame Althouse will not take that sitting down!
You win 9 internets!