Saturday, August 29, 2009

Fire Sully, Too

Next time someone says anything the least bit positive about Andrew Sullivan, make them read this.

Charles Murray responds to my small riposte to him on the question of torture. I should say I am second to few in admiring Murray's work. I risked my entire career to bring his brilliant book, The Bell Curve, into the bounds of respectable conversation because I believe his intellectual honesty is self-evident, even if you believe he is wrong about everything.
Note the weaselly phrasing, making it seem as if Sully might disagree with the unambiguously racist idea that black folk are genetically inferior.
The Bell Curve effectively invalidates everything else Sully does. Glenn Greenwald is wrong to link to him. This is a bright line in the sand.

6 comments:

Susan of Texas said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Susan of Texas said...

I meant to say that Coates has been silent on this, and will probably stay silent. Coates stood up to Douthat, why not Sullivan?

NutellaonToast said...

Cause Sully prolly gives him a huge jump in traffic every time he gets linked.

bulbul said...

Will someone please explain to me what the flying fuck "intellectual honesty" is? Thanks a bunch.

brad said...

It means if you're dishonest enough not to call him out on his racism he'll be polite to you in gratitude.

Interrobang said...

Eh, when normal people use the phrase "intellectual honesty" it means something like "academic integrity," in that your principles aren't built on sand and don't wash away the instant someone tries to induce you to sell out, and you stand up for the facts. When a right-winger says it, more like what Brad said.