Thursday, August 14, 2008

Wonderful

I just got home, and instead of something fun, or poking at Megan, I get to deal with this bullshit. Radiohead was fucking awesome, I was one person back from the rail dead fucking center stage, having staring contests with Thom. Then Brad of S,N! was kind enough to give me a couch to crash on, tho we had all too little time to hang. Anyway, back to the bad shit.
First off, fat jokes are out. Not because of the crusade to try to force us all to find them offensive, but because they aren't fucking funny. They aren't creative, or original. Sure, Mr Creosote was funny, but we aren't Python. Fat jokes were supposed to have been out of here earlier, ahem, but I have been lax in enforcing that. I don't like or want to play the heavy.
That said, here we go. No fucking comments about anyone's racial heritage or go back home rhetoric. Ever. At fucking all. Nutella was not being racist, at least in my mind, but that doesn't mean a line wasn't crossed. We live in a context where latinos are facing increasingly heated and hateful rhetoric, to the point ouright racist jokes about Mexicans are supposed to be acceptable on Family Guy. Part of seeking to have others read your words is accepting you have to give a shit about what they think.
In generalized terms, we don't have the right to criticize others for mistakes we intentionally make ourselves. Yglesias is wrong and a fucking asshole, but shit. When someone offends you, the solution is not to try to offend them back. That may be psychically satisfying, but it cheapens you.
You can be very funny and genuinely creative, Nutella, but you give your anger too much reign sometimes. I very much understand how you get so angry, but the solution is not to give in to the instinct to injure back. It does you no good. I still haven't decided, but I'm very tempted to wield my dictatorial powers and delete your second post about all this. It's just not constructive, and I really don't want to pick a fight with Kathy G, nor will I let any kind of feud take place.
I will say to Kathy G., because I have to, not want to, that you overvalue your own sense of offense. I want our respective blogs to be friendly, because I respect your work and want you and your readers to feel comfortable here, but I don't give a shit that your blog gets more traffic, and I don't care if you ever blogroll us. I don't say this to antagonize, but because it is true and I think it needs to be said. I agree with you most of the time, and always at least sympathize with your position, but spare Nutella the lectures. They do nothing but set him off further, helping to continue a downward spiral of negative feedback.

I've begun to speak to Nutella about this, and I hope I can make him understand why the rage filled rants just can't continue, but let's everyone try to relax a bit. Internecine warfare is fucking stupid, and I'm not going to tolerate it here.

I'll probably keep adding to this post along the way, so lemme begin by trying to sum everything I said up. Nutella, and Kathy G; it ain't about your feelings. This blog exists to document and mock the career of Megan McArdle at The Atlantic, it's not about you.

Also, everyone say whatever they need to say about this tonight, because after that it's done. I don't care what it takes, but tomorrow we go back to poking at Megan, period.

Finally, if you don't care and just want this over, thank you, and I'm sorry.

1 comment:

spencer said...

I don't like or want to play the heavy.

Fat-basher!!!!