Also blames dinosaurs, meteors, Puck, the elves who live in her head …
Within minutes, a dozen other e-mails tumbled through the hatch
enumerating all the reasons Sotomayor was a terrible pick: affirmative
action, identity politics, theRicci case, double standards, racism, sexism.Boom shacka-lacka-lacka . . .
You could practically hear the clattering of bullet points ricocheting through the blogosphere.
Actually the first clichéd, pre-packaged idiocy I encountered was on the pages of the New Republic, Katykins, and that was BEFORE the announcement was made. TNR, you know, the magazine thing. Then, once the announcement was made, Gloria Borger was on CNN proudly announcing that she had just received the Republican talking points, and here they are for your edification! Ain’t neither of those things blogs, last time I checked, so maybe not so much for you with the wanking.
So while we’re racking things up, let’s blame the blogosphere and its ricocheting bullet points (GAH, get me rewrite!) once we’re done blaming TV and Jeffrey Rosen. I am so sick of how “the blogosphere” has become a quick way to excuse publication/broadcast of things the publishers/broadcasters know to be crap.
“It was a phenomenon … on the INTERNET,” they intone, as if that makes it better that they got sucked into this nonsense.At least when I read 43 comment threads about Barack and Michelle’s hot NY date night over at ONTD, I know I’m doing it and don’t blame that comm for contributing to the downfall of Western Civilization.
I think part of the problem mainstream media commentators have with the web is that most of them don’t seem to like it much. Either they’re not seeing the vastly good uses to which it can be put or they’re simply not having enough fun in show business. This is one of those times when I think coming to the semi-pro political internet through the fandom internet was beneficial, because I freaking LOVE the internet, even the scary parts of it, because even though I’m terrified, somehow, knowing it’s all there is so much better than just suspecting it’s worse than I thought.
A.