American Epitaph

Good piece by Victor Davis Hanson.

But of course the super-wealthy can't front a political movement on their own; they need some allies. And thus the petit aristocracy. Megan McArdle analogizes the credential elite (as I've done, I think) to the late medieval Chinese bureaucracy.

But many of the mandarins have never worked for a business at all, except for a think tank, the government, a media organization, or a school–places that more or less deliberately shield their content producers from the money side of things. There is nothing wrong with any of these places, but culturally and operationally they’re very different from pretty much any other sort of institution. I don’t myself claim to understand how most businesses work, but having switched from business to media, I’m aware of how different they can be.

In fact, I think that to some extent, the current political wars are a culture war not between social liberals and social conservatives, but between the values of the mandarin system, and the values of those who compete in the very different culture of ordinary businesses–ones outside glamor industries like tech or design. . .

Almost none of the kids I meet in Washington these days even had boring menial high school jobs working in a drugstore or waiting tables; they were doing “enriching” internships or academic programs. And thus the separation of the mandarin class grows ever more complete.

She also notes that a system in which the Golden Door Entry is being good at tests -- given that being good at tests is a function of absorbing received wisdom and anticipating the preferred answer of the hierarchized credentialed elite -- will produce a system controlled by people who are good at absorbing received wisdom and anticipating the preferred answer of the hieararchized credentialed elite.

That is, clever at Pleasing Teacher but never profound, never daring.

Furthermore, people value what they themselves are good at -- the wordsmiths think that wordsmithing is Serious You Guys Just the Best! -- and also scorn what they're not good at, this cadre of decisionmakers will tend to scorn everyone who isn't similarly conformist and bureaucratically-minded.

Posted by: Ace at 08:59 AM | Comments (228)
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Outstanding.

RS McCain wrote a post about one sex educator. The post isn't really about her, though. It's about this scam of an industry.

Posted by: Ace at 08:22 AM | Comments (159)
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George Washington was born 281 years ago today.

Read George Washington's Farewell Address if you haven't already. more...

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 06:12 AM | Comments (348)
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• Only 2% Of People Strongly Approve Of Rahm Emanuel In Chicago
  
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Posted by: Pixy Misa at 05:06 AM | Comments (237)
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Happy Friday.

Posted by: andy at 03:04 AM | Comments (259)
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Yea baby!

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:32 PM | Comments (100)
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Last night's ONT found me extolling the virtues of the internet as a tool for creative-types and lamenting the seemingly inverse relationship between the availability of rich, high quality content on the web and the average person's capacity to fully absorb it. Upon reflection, it occurs to me that I was essentially making a point, however scattered, about the double-edged-sword nature of the explosion in the availability of rich, high-quality content. Consuming media on the internet these days is a wharrgarblian task.

There's another aspect of the internet that carries a similar trade-off as it relates to person-to-person interaction. (I realize this is at least the fifth post ever written on the internet about its dehumanizing effects, but bear with me here.) It seems that for a lot of people, along with the ability to instantly communicate with people comes the irresistible compulsion to do it shabbily. Well, I'm here to help. more...

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 06:00 PM | Comments (592)
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The whole incident described in the last post -- liberal reporters doing victory dances about a conservative reporter's error -- suggests that reporters sort of understand that no one likes them and no one thinks their jobs are especially difficult or demanding. And so they seem to be attempting to reassure themselves of their value.

The other day a New York Times article tweeted out this story, calling it "terrific," and saying they "couldn't stop talking about it" at a Columbia Journalism school class. (I believe that's right; I don't really care if the details are correct, quite frankly.)

I suggest people read it... and notice how incredibly sad it is. I call it sad because it is so self-congratulatory about an utterly mundane and frankly trivial bit of journalism. Simply tracking down the provenance of a picture that appeared on the web, on social media.

It all seems quite simple and easy to me: the author makes it sound like triangulation was used to determine what building a shot was taken from, whereas, looking at the scenery, it strikes me that anyone familiar with the area could immediately guess what building it came from. Further, he then talks about slipping into a building without buzzing -- something millions of people do every single day, and I don't mean criminals, I mean when you're going over to your buddy's and he's not answering his bell because he's in the shower, or beating off -- as if it's some kind of daring act of espionage.

As far as I can tell, he just goes to the building in question, knocks on the door of one possible apartment the shot could have been taken from, and leaves his card under the door of another apartment; in a couple of days, the photographer (who lived in the other apartment) contacts him.

And yet this is all presented as some sort of heroic tick-tock along the lines of All the President's Men. As if we really need a moment-by-moment recounting of how a trivial story was easily nailed down.

And the odor of self-congratulation is oppressive, almost like a stinking physical body pushing up against you, like you're the one cute kid in a subway car full of perverts.

Ugh.

If these are your thrilling victories and tales of heroic daring-do, Media, you're even more mediocre than I thought.

By the way, the line "Shoeleather never smelled so good" is lifted from the article. That's his Serious You Guys You're Awesome compliment for a reporter's daring act of venturing to a physical location and knocking on a door.

Honestly, this is like a plumber bragging to me he used a motor to get a sewage-connection pipe to make grade at the street. Yes, I see. That's... useful. But that's just your job, and it's a rather trivial challenge in your job.

Now, if this plumber went on to write this tale of Plumber Heroism up in an 1800 word essay for the New York Times, he wouldn't get published.

But the New York Times thinks it's just super when a reporter successfully performs a mundane function of his job.

Hey, keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for those stars, guys.

This is just one of those things you shouldn't brag about -- because we immediately realize that if this goes right on to your Highlight Reel, then... My God, how easy is your job every other day? How little work do you actually do?

And this just in:

Local Anchor Wins 2nd Place in Hotdog Eating Contest

Posted by: Ace at 03:25 PM | Comments (348)
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If you've been following this story (I have only heard about it), Breitbart's Ben Shapiro posted a story claiming that -- or posing the question if -- Chuck Hagel was avoiding disclosing any donations from a group called "Friends of Hamas."

He's being kicked around a lot for it. Turns out, there is no "Friends of Hamas."

But this Taranto piece informs me of something I didn't know: the tip came originally from a New York Daily News reporter who asked that question; he clarifies now, he meant it as hyperbole.

Taranto notes that lefties fall for hoax stories all the time-- but they never seem to dwell on those. They just quickly change the subject. James Fallows, for example, falls for the most obvious of photoshop images -- and yet no one on the left ever says boo about his extreme gullibility when presented with liberal-bait.

Corrected: JDP says I read the story wrong, and he's right. I've corrected. The reporter didn't plant a hoax, he just asked a question he says was a joke. I'm guessing here, but what I think then happened was this: Because this reporter was asking about the "Friends of Hamas," someone then contacted Shapiro saying "A reporter's asking about the Friends of Hamas." And thus, a story.

Posted by: Ace at 02:50 PM | Comments (145)
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Russian woman sees boyfriend with another woman on Google maps "Yannex maps," a similar app. You know, where they drive by randomly and photograph everything. Corrected: erik corrects -- it wasn't Google. He also says Google blurs faces in these pictures.

Mom arrested for hiring strippers for her son's 16th birthday party. Before you say, "Well, you shouldn't be arrested for that," you have to check the pictures from the party at the link. I'd post them here but they're a bit family-unfriendly.

Lapdances, I mean.

22 year old cheerleading coach (female) cops plea for performing oral sex on a 17 year old (male) student.

And she's not bad.

Posted by: Ace at 01:46 PM | Comments (238)
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