Hit & Run, Sniped All Week Long
Over at what's been called "the Jewish Slate" (at least by it editors), Jewcy, Hit & Run is being discussed this week in a very special section called "Moveable Snipe."
Essayist-novelist Daphne Merkin (yeah, the spanking lady) and National Review's John Derbyshire (yeah, the kung fu castoff) take aim at this here blog along with James Wolcott's furballs, Kesher Talk's Islamofascist-baiting, DesignObserver's whatever, and Matt Yglesias's political confessions. As with most media criticism, the only loser is the audience. How they intro H&R:
2. Reason's Hit and Run: The Cato Institute meets the Sex Pistols under the leather-dudded stewardship of Nick Gillespie (full disclosure: he's a bud of mine and was very kind to me during my abortive D.C. stint at Wonkette a year ago). Reason specializes in collective editorial blogging and unity of voice. Not like 'round these parts with the Trotsky-this, K-Fed-that.
I don't know about you, but when I hear Cato Meets Sex Pistols, I reach for my Sigue Sigue Sputnik bazooka.
But if snipe is the order of the day, here's a steaming pile of snark (and let me preface this with a Don Ricklesque admission that I admire both writers' work in various ways): Pay special attention to the Derb's author photo, which seems alternately to conjure the mug shot of an unrepentant serial killer who finally cracks after days of interrogation and an unmasked British triple agent, who's about to go into one of those, "Don't you see, it's all a game?" speeches at the end of a Graham Greene "entertainment." As for the Merk: check out the link above re: spanking lady, which includes a 2006 pic of her and then check out the sepia-toned shot at Jewcy, which appears to be from the days when she rode with Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid.
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Has Ms Merkin cultivated that dull-as-dull-can-be writing style to compensate for the comedy name?
Wow, weird coincidence: I just discovered "Jewcy" yesterday (via a link on Steve Sailer's comment board).
John Derbyshire is a math nerd who wrote a great book about the history of algebra. I can't help but like him.
"Moveable Snipe"
The intent is to have two "snipers," implying rifle-like precision shooting. After a quick scan it feels more like two naifs armed with pillowcases looking for little birds.
Unity of voice??? Does John still blog at "the corner"?
Actually JDs stuff isn't that bad, provided he avoids the word "buggering". His main beef with H&R seems to be, that he finds some posts more interesting than others. Apparently, if his limited curiosity isn't piqued by the headline, it's not worth investigating further.
Daphne also wants us to know that she finds some of the stuff here of more personal interest than some other stuff. Regular H&R comment readers will be amused to read that she approves of an article by Cathy Young, whom she finds "nuanced"
Oh, I fogot Daphne's money quote.
"I must admit that I have been obsessed with getting an iPod and learning how to download music on to it for the last two years."
Is there a word for unintentional self snark?
So, I was left with the impression thats she concluded that the lovely Howley sided with O'Reilly on the tartlette scare. Did she actually read the article?
Derbyshire seems to say nice things about Hit and Run. I didn't find much snark on there by anyone. Derbyshire is one of the true free thinkers writing out there. Some of his views are a bit cracked, but I think he honestly arives at them. I have had numerous e-mail exchanges with him and he is always polite and thoughtful even if we don't agree. I can't help but like the guy.
Cato meets the Sex Pistols...hell, I'd use that in place of Free Minds and Free Markets.
I think it is more, "Cato meets The Ramones."
On the other hand, there are some that say Reason's H&R blog is like the American Enterprise Institute merged with Public Image, Ltd.
"[Ms Merkin's] lifelong daydream of finding herself "thrust over a man's knee, being soundly spanked for some concocted misdeed." The fulfillment of this wildly subversive desire, she wrote, had resulted in marriage and, later, in parenthood."
Not to mention reconstructive surgery for the unfortunate knee.
Not to mention reconstructive surgery for the unfortunate knee.
[SoapBox]Once again the cry of if she ain't starving she's fat. The woman pictured next to the article is not fat. She is curvy. Some men actually prefer to be embraced by a woman that's soft and warm, as opposed to bony and bitch.[/SoapBox]
mercy.
However... her last name.
Merkin.
Merkinworld...
How about: Gaius Marius meets the Stooges.
Mission of Burma in Mr. Crane's trousers?
Dr. T and the DEAD BOYS!
The Fabulous Thunderbirds... um. nevermind.
Unity of voice? Then everyone's a democrat shill like Weigel?
Whodathunkit?
I love what Derbyshire says about Kesher Talk:
"News and views from a hawkish liberal Jewish perspective," says the banner at Kesher Talk. I had Babelfish translate that into Hebrew and then the Hebrew back out into English. Funny-it came through as: "We're guilty as all get out about blacks, Hispanics, and all the other people we are smarter and richer than, but don't even think about messing with Israel!" Well, it's nice to know where you are right up front."
Priceless.
The Sex Pistols are terrible, and terribly overrated. Sure, JR was more punk than ... whatever, but his music sucked. I'm putting up Guttermouth's The Album Formerly Known as Full Length LP as the best punk album ever. Sure, I don't think anyone from the band has ODed or killed a girlfriend, but I don't need a sideshow to enjoy the music.
pigwiggle,
How old are you?
Guttermouth = the best?
What about the Ramones, the Clash, Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Bad Religion, Operation Ivy, Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, the Damned, Mission of Burma, Naked Raygun, Suicidal Tendencies, Descendents, Murphy's Law...This is hardly even a start.
Guttermouth?
pigwiggle, How old are you? Guttermouth = the best?
Yeah, I grew up with all that. The first cassette I owned was DK In God We Trust Inc., you know the one where they left the B side blank so you could help "kill music industry". In fact, I own everything the original DKs made, and some LARD to boot. I didn't say Guttemouth was the best; they've made a lot of crap. I'm saying Formerly Known as Full Length is the best album. Malted Vomit, No Such Thing, Chicken Box .... fine, fine work. Most of Full Length was released in their first two EPs, Puke and Balls. Anyway, get with the times. All that stuff is clunky and old. Start with some Zen Guerilla.
High#:
at least Piggle didn't say, "Dead Milkmen".
🙂
evil laughter.
VM:
it's just you and me, punk rock girl.
Oh, Jesus, LARD.
That's it! Where are my pliers?!?
Favorite Dead Milkmen line:
"Well, rumor around town says you think you might be heading down to the shore."
Favorite punk rock lyric (courtesy of Sheer Terror):
"Shut up, punk!
Enough of your shit
I've had it up to here
It's time I made
my intentions clear
I don't give a fuck about your skinhead pride
and I could care less about the Lower East Side
I'm just a working class slob who's tired og getting the short end of the stick
It ain't my problem if I ain't like you
and I'm not sucking Uncle Sam's dick.
You call that negative?
Think I'm out of touch?
Well, I can't stand living
I can't stand you
and I just can't hate enough
You think that my anger has blinded me
That I can see as far as I can spit.
That's where you're wrong because I can see quite clear
and I can see that you're full of shit
You call that negative?
Think I'm out of touch?
Well, I can't stand living
I can't stand you
and I just can't hate enough!"
The live version has an intro that has to be heard to be truly appreciated.
I'll transcribe it for you anyway:
"There's been a lot of fucking rallys, and marches, and talk, and jeering all about fucking the homeless shit and all about fucking squatters' rights. If I may be as so bold, you don't work, you don't live in an apartment. Pay your fucking rents like any other normal fucking American person would. Squatters' rights. I'll give you a right, I'll give you a left, and I'll give you a kick right to the fucking head.
All right, you dicks, this one goes out to all a'yas. You're a bunch of lousy shitheads, but I love you."
Ron: except it's not true. We don't have that multicultural guilt. We are actually classical liberals. I guess the word "liberal" really has jumped the shark.