Althouse: That's not personal!

January 31, 2008

That's not personal!

In the email:

A Personal Note from Sean Hannity

Dear Fellow American....

27 comments:

Elliott A said...: Perhaps Sean believes that all people who identify themselves as "Americans" are his friends by default. It seems to me it is just an attention getting device to get you to read the e-mail, which if necessary to get you to read it, isn't worth your time. Clearly tacky.; 1/31/08, 11:54 AM
rhhardin said...: Dear Mrs., Mr., Miss, or Mr. And Mrs. (name): Words cannot express the deep personal grief I experienced when your husband, son, father, or brother was killed, wounded, or reported missing in action.

-- Catch 22; 1/31/08, 11:58 AM
Bissage said...: Sean Hannity's not my type, but I have from time to time hit the scan button in the car and heard some of his radio show.

I have to admit, there have been times when I've found it amusing to hear the weird game his callers play to see if he will great them with an effusive "YOU'RE A GREAT AMERICAN!"

I guess a lot of it depends on his mood.; 1/31/08, 12:04 PM
Bissage said...: And yes, Bissage let out a "HUZZAH!" when he made it onto the Althouse masthead. But then, Althouse is more my type. LOL!; 1/31/08, 12:07 PM
Maxine Weiss said...: Well, now that Hannity has sent the requisite email that Althouse requires from all Celebrities....doesn't that give him commenting privileges on this Blog?

Oh no, because it wasn't "personal" enough.

It's mind-boggling --the amount of rich and famous that would like to comment on the Althouse blog, but can't because they refuse to engage in the kind of "personal" email relationship that Althouse continually clamors for.; 1/31/08, 12:24 PM
MadisonMan said...: You need a better spam filter.; 1/31/08, 12:36 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Right, and McCain calling his opponent or those of us in the audience "my friend", doesn't make it so.

Also, when I hear the phrase "with all due respect", I know there is no respect and the opponent is going to be getting a verbal body slam.

My husband and I make fun of Hannity's constant use of "thoughts and prayers" and the persistent use of the word "here" as some sort of a verbal filler. Hilarious.; 1/31/08, 12:39 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Hewitt and now Hannity.

IMHO, both have jumped the shark by blatant pandering to their chosen candidates.; 1/31/08, 12:43 PM
babuilder said...: Dust Bunny Queen,

I have a limit of five "and by the way" inserts before I have to turn him off. Wouldn't you think he has a producer that notices these things too?; 1/31/08, 1:00 PM
Sheriff Cobb said...: You are obviously not aware of the drinking game called "You're a Great American." You are supposed to take a shot of Jaeger every time Hannity or one his callers sez the phrase until you get stinking drunk and then you call WFAN to talk to Steve Sommers. Jerry Sienfeld does it all the time.; 1/31/08, 1:20 PM
john said...: Did you post this email somewhere? I can't click on it.

By the way, I got personal phone calls from Hillary and John Mc. in one day, not too long ago.; 1/31/08, 1:57 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: I received the same email. Read it deleted it and moved on to the next "personal email" touting something.

Hey, Sheriff, I do not like Jaeger. I guess I can't play that game huh?; 1/31/08, 2:07 PM
From Inwood said...: I assume that this post is not about "Like Hannity"/"Hate Hannity" but about the impersonal personal letter. But let me just ask Eliot A: Do you find all uses of "American" tacky? Like when used by the ACLU or The American Prospect?

Anyway, let me note things I "never finish reading",

(1) The "Dear John M. Jones" letter rather than "Dear Mr. Jones".

(2) The “Dear Friend of [fill in the blank] letter.

(3) Any lengthy letter. Keep it pithy packed, guys.

And, I'm old enough to remember when mass mailers were first able to add a written signature to a mass letter, giving to some, for a brief moment, the sense that the President or some movie actor had actually signed the piece these folks were holding. I remember a friend of mine licking his finger & running it over the mechanical “signature” of Ike in front of his crestfallen father.

I do understand why I get personal appeals from outré rightwing organizations because I'm Right of center. It's probably good marketing. The mirror image happens to Left-of-center folks I know.

BTW, these letters, both Left & Right, often appeal to one’s patriotism & belief in American values. The Left ones especially use the term “Constitution” ad nauseam. Their Constitution; their American values. Hey, they can rally around the flag or any document if they want; just not snigger at Conservatives for using “America”.

I do know that my contribution to the Bronx Zoo is probably the reason that Greenpeace wastes tons of trees & writes me as "Dear Friend of Nature” or something like that.

BTW, Cedarford, I subscribe to Commentary & get lots of "personal" appeals from Jewish organizations (Dear Friend of Israel) & I'm Irish-American? What should I do? Oy vey! (My mailman, the yenta, is probably confused since I also subscribe to Catholic Eye & First Things.); 1/31/08, 2:07 PM
Astronaut Mike Dexter said...: One of the best ways to get me to do something is to send me a letter from Sean Hannity asking me not to do it.; 1/31/08, 3:24 PM
Ruth Anne Adams said...: As you're now living in "Hannity's America*," I suspect he can address you in any manner he wishes and deem it "personal."

*a wholly owned subsidiary of Murdock's World.; 1/31/08, 3:49 PM
KCFleming said...: And yes, Bissage let out a "HUZZAH!" when he made it onto the Althouse masthead.

Making it onto the Althouse masthead.

Best let that one go, Pogo.
Let it go.; 1/31/08, 5:44 PM
Bissage said...: Pogo, my comment was self-deprecating.

If you’ve got an insult at the ready, I’d like to hear it.; 1/31/08, 6:27 PM
Tell Sackett said...: Althouse doesn't give good masthead.; 1/31/08, 7:52 PM
Bissage said...: Pogo, please accept my apology and disregard my 6:27 comment.

I read From Inwood’s this and then Tell Sackett’s 7:52 and only then did I clue in.

Sometimes I’m an idiot.

Sorry.; 1/31/08, 8:57 PM
Bissage said...: See? I can't even link to a comment!

(It worked before . . . ggghfffft.); 1/31/08, 9:19 PM
Elliott A said...: To Inwood...

The use of "American" is only tacky when used disingenuously to imply that you, the reader are a member of an elite group of super patriots and fighters for the cause. He may not have Sens. Clinton, Kennedy or Obama on his list. It is similar to a few years ago when Pres. Bush sent "Holiday" cards to all individuals who had donated to the Republican party. If he truly had holiday wishes he would have sent them to everyone.

That all being said, I am both conservative and republican. I find politics most interesting when we do away with us vs. them. Hannity always tries to frame everything in that light. I enjoy this blog because most of the time we have an exchange of ideas instead of a pissing contest.; 1/31/08, 9:21 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: I had a girlfriend who took a good deal of careful time explaining to me the difference between a gift that's personal and one that is not. A frying pan that one uses every day and becomes singularly the most useful item in a person's life is not personal. A vacuum cleaner that a person said they needed is not personal. It got down to this simple formula. Something that's put directly on one's body or eaten is personal.

Scene two. Christmas present for housekeeper. Throughout the year, the one thing she said she wanted was a meat grinder. Which I got to show I'm paying attention (women like that) but that fell into the non-personal category and so doesn't count as a gift according to the girlfriend's cosmology. So I got a makeup kit that is advertised heavily. It was a risk because the housekeeper has never talked about anything like that. It might be offensive. The potential for disaster seemed grave. I followed the girlfriend's guidance and it worked out well. The housekeeper was delighted with a gift that was personal. That happened a month ago. Now she's showing up wearing makeup. Come to think of it, the whole cleaning thing is going downhill since then so I'm not recommending it, just saying, agreed, a mass mailing is nowise be personal no matter how heartfelt the inspiration. Oh, and you're in my thoughts and prayers. *secretly hopes God doesn't kill me for lying*; 2/1/08, 1:00 AM
KCFleming said...: Bissage

My apologies. My comment was so poorly written that it's meaning was lost completely.

I intended to make an oblique sexual connotation about "Althouse's masthead".

It came out opaque rather than oblique. My dad once told me the funniest jokes are the ones only you get. I never understood what the hell that meant, but I guess it makes me the funniest man on the planet.; 2/1/08, 6:40 AM
hdhouse said...: Ann's a great American for bringing this matter up. Sean is a great American for wriing her in the first place. But then again almost all bloggers on here are great American. I'm truly a great American for contributing and Ann is a great American for running the blog that people like Pogo (a great American, Ruth Anne (a great American), certainly Simon (a great American), gosh even Sloan (a great American)and MCG (a great American). We are all great Americans I guess and that is what makes America so great (great Americans).

I'm proud to be a great American and perhaps if I call Sean we can get into something of a bidding war of self justification....
You're a great American HDH.
No you are Sean.
What?
Your a great American Sean.
Well its always good to hear from a fellow great American.
Well you're the greater American Sean.
That's Great HDH, American wise I mean.
That leaves only Cheney who is not the greatest American so I guess second place isn't bad.; 2/1/08, 9:13 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Something that's put directly on one's body or eaten is personal."

Please do not put Sean Hannity directly on my body.; 2/1/08, 1:05 PM
From Inwood said...: Elliott A

Pace.

But I do think that anyone who is not a Giant fan is really not a true football fan!; 2/1/08, 6:16 PM
Roost on the Moon said...: Everything I know about Sean Hannity I learned from an Earth Ball.; 2/3/08, 6:46 PM