Reader Comments From The Fray:
[Friday notes from the Fray Editor: There was some discussion of names, and J.K.Rowling was cited as an initialed woman. We'll be very interested to find out whether readers have shared Theresa's experience (below), and if they agree with Ms Adams about staying true to your gender. If you thought the African Queen story was done, or fun--well the Breakfast Tablers were sternly taken to task by Daniel Horne, here, in what another poster described as "a really good rant, well-thought-out and well-written". More on the Catholic League here. And yes of course there are lots of posts with oral and anal sex in the title, and we've told you before, no links, you have to find them yourself.]
I find all this blather about bias in the media mildly fascinating, but the vast majority of the posters either implicitly, by pointing out perceived bias, or explicitly assume that the 'media' have some obligation to be even-handed toward both right and left. Where did you ever get this silly idea? If I may be so bold as to quote the authority on this issue, the First Amendment:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The print media, particularly, are not under any sort of restraint on what viewpoint they put forth, and media barons have from the very beginning of the republic used their presses to push whatever agenda they liked. If you feel your viewpoint is not being fairly represented, this amendment allows you to go get your own press and publish whatever, short of libel, that you please. Can't ask fairer than that!
--swade
(To reply, click
here.)
Who uses real names anyway? I certainly don't. Not here on the web. But I do stay true to my gender. I think we owe those with whom we might exchange ideas that much at least.
--Alexandra Adams
(To reply, click
here.)
As a regular reader, I would like to respond to the offhand comment about requests for jobs to the women staffers at Slate. As a young woman in her mid-20s, I am appalled at the similar sorts of responses I have gotten from people who, when asking me about my job(s), past and present, also ask me how they can get the same job, even as I am occupying said position. I suppose I should be taking it as a compliment, but at the same time, what do they think is the right way to respond to their question? Tell them that I sent in a resume, interviewed, and voila, got the job, just like most people?
Anyway, I'm just wondering if this comment has hit on a gender fault line. I wonder how many men have received such candidly acquisitive questioning at the mention of their own job titles--or more to the point, is there an openness desirable in "good" female professional behavior that also allows this line of etiquette?
--Theresa
(To reply, click
here.)
[Tuesday notes from the Fray Editor: Well The Fray made its (very fruitful, thank you Ellena) suggestion about gender issues and the Breakfast Tablers went with it. Very proper, Interactive Slate. The Fray Editor would also like to say that when A.O.Scott started doing the Slate Book Club, one Frayfan of his said he loved seeing more of Scott, but was disappointed that a long-standing and enjoyable debate amongst his friends on the Scott gender had now been settled. And more about biblical Tamars here.]
Hi, Jodi!
Thanks for outing me. The issue of names is a never-endingly problematic one. Actually the worst problem I've ever had is being confused with Tom Shales. But those of us who were given difficult names by our parents have to live up to them. Those who don't like my advocacy of lower taxes have even said I didn't deserve to be called "amity" (friendship). This strikes me as low. And the last names? East European names, with their strange-seeming spellings, are a badge of cultural honor. It's our social and filial obligation to be hard to spell!
--Amity Shlaes
(To reply, click
here.)
[Monday
notes from the Fray Editor: Fray posters are, as always, right on top of the really important issues. BTC has the links for the Brad and Claire case, below, and we're sure WillV speaks for many. Oh, and if the Breakfast Tablers run out of things to talk about (what is there to say about sex scandals, really?) Ellena has a topic she wants to suggest (see above).]
You can follow the whole Brad & Claire saga in the [London] Daily Telegraph. Click here to start. This is the site running the on-line poll on whether Brad should keep his job. It also has links to other UK newspapers, including one that has details of what the e-mail included. Enjoy!
--BTC
(To reply, click
here.)
Isn't it a sad commentary that we have to import a sex scandal from Britain? We're going to miss Bill Clinton more than we know.
--WillV
(To reply, click
here.)
Addressing Jodi Kantor's concern about Cheney's health records.
A) You really don't need a great heart to attend funerals.
B) Where was your concern when Bill Clinton, who was actually the President, never released his medical records?
--Keith
(To reply, click
here.)
Suellentrop is right about the infantilization of college students. A cynic might be tempted to conclude that when students threatened the lives--or at least dignity--of college administrators, they got a lot of freedoms that are now being taken away because they are behaving better.
Of course, campus alcohol policies are in fact a cause of alcohol-related deaths, which have been on the rise since these policies appeared. That's because instead of drinking beer at frat houses, with lots of people around, they're drinking Everclear in dorm rooms and choking on their own vomit. The increase of the drinking age, unsurprisingly, had a similar effect, moving students away from commercial establishments with lots of people around and into frat houses and dorm parties. When will the anti-alcohol crowd face up to the many deaths they've caused?
--A.G.Android
(To reply, click
here.)
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Reader Comments From The Fray:
[Friday notes from the Fray Editor: There was some discussion of names, and J.K.Rowling was cited as an initialed woman. We'll be very interested to find out whether readers have shared Theresa's experience (below), and if they agree with Ms Adams about staying true to your gender. If you thought the African Queen story was done, or fun--well the Breakfast Tablers were sternly taken to task by Daniel Horne, here, in what another poster described as "a really good rant, well-thought-out and well-written". More on the Catholic League here. And yes of course there are lots of posts with oral and anal sex in the title, and we've told you before, no links, you have to find them yourself.]
I find all this blather about bias in the media mildly fascinating, but the vast majority of the posters either implicitly, by pointing out perceived bias, or explicitly assume that the 'media' have some obligation to be even-handed toward both right and left. Where did you ever get this silly idea? If I may be so bold as to quote the authority on this issue, the First Amendment:
The print media, particularly, are not under any sort of restraint on what viewpoint they put forth, and media barons have from the very beginning of the republic used their presses to push whatever agenda they liked. If you feel your viewpoint is not being fairly represented, this amendment allows you to go get your own press and publish whatever, short of libel, that you please. Can't ask fairer than that!
--swade
(To reply, click here.)
Who uses real names anyway? I certainly don't. Not here on the web. But I do stay true to my gender. I think we owe those with whom we might exchange ideas that much at least.
--Alexandra Adams
(To reply, click here.)
As a regular reader, I would like to respond to the offhand comment about requests for jobs to the women staffers at Slate. As a young woman in her mid-20s, I am appalled at the similar sorts of responses I have gotten from people who, when asking me about my job(s), past and present, also ask me how they can get the same job, even as I am occupying said position. I suppose I should be taking it as a compliment, but at the same time, what do they think is the right way to respond to their question? Tell them that I sent in a resume, interviewed, and voila, got the job, just like most people?
Anyway, I'm just wondering if this comment has hit on a gender fault line. I wonder how many men have received such candidly acquisitive questioning at the mention of their own job titles--or more to the point, is there an openness desirable in "good" female professional behavior that also allows this line of etiquette?
--Theresa
(To reply, click here.)
[Tuesday notes from the Fray Editor: Well The Fray made its (very fruitful, thank you Ellena) suggestion about gender issues and the Breakfast Tablers went with it. Very proper, Interactive Slate. The Fray Editor would also like to say that when A.O.Scott started doing the Slate Book Club, one Frayfan of his said he loved seeing more of Scott, but was disappointed that a long-standing and enjoyable debate amongst his friends on the Scott gender had now been settled. And more about biblical Tamars here.]
Hi, Jodi!
Thanks for outing me. The issue of names is a never-endingly problematic one. Actually the worst problem I've ever had is being confused with Tom Shales. But those of us who were given difficult names by our parents have to live up to them. Those who don't like my advocacy of lower taxes have even said I didn't deserve to be called "amity" (friendship). This strikes me as low. And the last names? East European names, with their strange-seeming spellings, are a badge of cultural honor. It's our social and filial obligation to be hard to spell!
--Amity Shlaes
(To reply, click here.)
[Monday notes from the Fray Editor: Fray posters are, as always, right on top of the really important issues. BTC has the links for the Brad and Claire case, below, and we're sure WillV speaks for many. Oh, and if the Breakfast Tablers run out of things to talk about (what is there to say about sex scandals, really?) Ellena has a topic she wants to suggest (see above).]
You can follow the whole Brad & Claire saga in the [London] Daily Telegraph. Click here to start. This is the site running the on-line poll on whether Brad should keep his job. It also has links to other UK newspapers, including one that has details of what the e-mail included. Enjoy!
--BTC
(To reply, click here.)
Isn't it a sad commentary that we have to import a sex scandal from Britain? We're going to miss Bill Clinton more than we know.
--WillV
(To reply, click here.)
Addressing Jodi Kantor's concern about Cheney's health records.
A) You really don't need a great heart to attend funerals.
B) Where was your concern when Bill Clinton, who was actually the President, never released his medical records?
--Keith
(To reply, click here.)
Suellentrop is right about the infantilization of college students. A cynic might be tempted to conclude that when students threatened the lives--or at least dignity--of college administrators, they got a lot of freedoms that are now being taken away because they are behaving better.
Of course, campus alcohol policies are in fact a cause of alcohol-related deaths, which have been on the rise since these policies appeared. That's because instead of drinking beer at frat houses, with lots of people around, they're drinking Everclear in dorm rooms and choking on their own vomit. The increase of the drinking age, unsurprisingly, had a similar effect, moving students away from commercial establishments with lots of people around and into frat houses and dorm parties. When will the anti-alcohol crowd face up to the many deaths they've caused?
--A.G.Android
(To reply, click here.)