HOME / the breakfast table: An e-mail conversation about the news of the day.

Slate staff members discuss the current crisis.

the breakfast table:
entries

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Tell Me the Rules

By Moira Redmond
Posted Thursday, Oct. 4, 2001, at 5:16 PM ET

I don't think it's sneering, I think it's asking questions, which is what Slate is good at.

RSS

I was already deeply familiar with "The Fray" comments you quote, and many others, but I did not accuse America of arrogance or bullying, so I don't feel obliged to answer Android (with whom, in other times, I am on the best of terms). He can find someone who actually made those claims to fight with. And to make his comments on Canadians to. About Quintus Slide: I do not think that writing a piece in a magazine is remotely comparable with visiting the bereaved, and the same rules do not apply. And you know what, Chris, I don't think you believe they apply either.

Related in Slate

Related on the Web

Thrasymachus actually does address the points I made, rather than some other idea of what I said, and very reasonably, too. But if you read his whole post, he does not say that I can't ask my questions--he just tried (very effectively) to give me another view. So did LT in another thoughtful piece that I found very interesting. I'll read those, and I'll think long about them. I'll listen to any reasonable arguments. But don't tell me to listen to people who attribute to me thoughts and sentiments that I never expressed and don't feel. (One of the posts you quote also has me saying: "Americans are nothing special ... Americans should suck it up and stop whining"--nope, I never said either of those.)

Chris, I don't believe you think a serious event means you can't ask questions; I think we'd both agree that that would be dangerous. So what is it? Timing? So when would it be OK to ask my questions? Is there a rule?

Moira

the breakfast table:
entries