Althouse: "The Tea Party is a Frankenstein movement — an odd collection of factions, loosely stitched together, where the head, to the extent that it exists, fails to control the body."

May 8, 2010

"The Tea Party is a Frankenstein movement — an odd collection of factions, loosely stitched together, where the head, to the extent that it exists, fails to control the body."

Says Charles M. Blow, apparently longing for political parties with powerful leaders who tell all the little people what to do. Grassroots democracy is a monstrous thing... to Blow.

Oh, and also, per Blow, you're a big bunch of racists.

89 comments:

chickelit said...: What an unfortunate name.; 5/8/10, 3:10 PM
J.R. said...: I started into the column, and quickly realized, that even though Blow agrees their is no evidence, he was going to conclude Tea Partiers are just a bunch of racist. I didn't even finish the asinine thing.

I should have known since the NY Times published it.; 5/8/10, 3:14 PM
traditionalguy said...: The Republican thieves and the Socialist-democrat thieves have always had one thing in common: they both stole everything they could from the middleclass Americans who have know woken up and want some revenge.Blow is an asshole shaking in his boots.; 5/8/10, 3:15 PM
Big Mike said...: I got to the end of the 3rd paragraph and gave up.

In my opinion Mr Blow ... sucks.; 5/8/10, 3:15 PM
Ron said...: I wonder if the Times realizes the irony of assigning a guy named Blow to a piece that sucks.; 5/8/10, 3:17 PM
Ron said...: This thread reminds me of the old Playboy cartoon with the guy getting oral sex and the caption reading,
"Suck, Mildred, suck! Blow is just a figure of speech!"

Maybe our political involvement is a figure of speech...; 5/8/10, 3:24 PM
tim maguire said...: you're a big bunch of racists.

That about sums up everything Blow has ever written for the NYT.

He's a regular Saturday guy and I generally do a quick glance at his column, but never read it. I don't have to. The quick glance is all I need to confirm that he has only ever written one column for the Times, they just reprint it every week.

The question is, why does anybody comment on his work? Blow doesn't matter. Even the Times knows he's a nobody--he's a Saturday guy.

Either Blow has compromising pictures or he's somebody's son-in-law. Plus he probably works for free, which is about what they can afford to pay these days.; 5/8/10, 3:26 PM
rhhardin said...: Frank Rich's spot as former theater critic is no longer safe.; 5/8/10, 3:26 PM
Adam said...: Do you suppose that Mr. Blow's nickname is "Chunks?"; 5/8/10, 3:28 PM
The Drill SGT said...: Leftist spin built on top of leftist spin

The NYT writer says:

About 61 percent of tea party opponents say racism has a lot to do with the movement, a view held by just 7 percent of tea party supporters.”

and links to the underlying WaPo poll. It's like doing a reduction sauce. The WaPo can only say:

In a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, most Americans see the movement as motivated by distrust of government, opposition to the policies of Obama and the Democratic Party, and broad concern about the economy. But nearly three in 10 see racial prejudice as underlying the tea party.

so 30% of American's think that the Tea Party types are racist. Given that those talking points have been the basis of the DNC, the WH and the MSM for 12 months, it's no surprise that the left of the Dem's will spout that back to anybody that asks.

and the 70% of America that doesn't think that the Tea Party is racist? They aren't mentioned.; 5/8/10, 3:28 PM
Xmas said...: Shorter Blow, "Even though the leadership and the followers denounce racism, they hold views on racial issues that differ from mine, so, therefore, they must be racist."; 5/8/10, 3:29 PM
Anonymous said...: He must really miss the days when the movement was controlled by Roger Ailes.; 5/8/10, 3:30 PM
Meade said...: Racist. Democratic Party. Are those separate concepts or a single one? Depends on who you ask.

Racist. Barack Obama. Are those separate concepts or a single one? Depends on who you ask.

Racist. New York Times. Are those separate concepts or a single one? Depends on who you ask.

Racist. Charles M. Blow. Are those separate concepts or a single one? Depends on who you ask.

Racist. People who write "depends on whom you ask." Are those separate concepts or a single one? Depends on who you ask.

See how that works?; 5/8/10, 3:45 PM
ricpic said...: The bitterness of Blow, though well hidden,
Is Vesuvius to bitter clingers pittance.; 5/8/10, 3:48 PM
Opus One Media said...: To the extent that there is an actual head is perhaps the point. There is really very little difference between the Tea Party and a mob out to find the monster.

That there is perhaps one central theme (ridding the village of the monster) is eclipsed by a number of wannabe leaders intent on moving the mob in a different direction, each wanting not so much to find the object of desire but to be perceived as the rulers - however temporary.; 5/8/10, 3:54 PM
ricpic said...: Like all Obamoids who ever were
Blow is a smirk wrapped around a cur.; 5/8/10, 3:57 PM
ricpic said...: Ridding a village of a monster mobster is legitimate and very urgent business.; 5/8/10, 3:59 PM
Adam said...: There is a leader of the Tea Party--James Madison.; 5/8/10, 4:02 PM
LonewackoDotCom said...: It would be helpful for partiers to read, re-read, re-re-read, re-re-re-read and try to learn from my post where I explain why the tea parties keep getting called racist and why they're unable to do anything about it.

That would be the smart thing to do. However, because tea partiers are absolute idiots, I don't expect them to do that. In fact, I expect one of their defenders (acting in the role of an enabler) will come along and call me names and pretend that the partiers are the real opposition to BHO when the opposite is true: the partiers help Obama.

If the partiers took my advice, they could oppose those on the opposite side from them in much smarter, much more effective ways.

Instead - because they're complete idiots - they'll continue to think that acting like little children is the way to go, despite the fact that by acting like little children they're helping BHO.

P.S. For a sampling of what I've been covering in thousands of posts since 2002, here's my list of immigration advocacy groups, with each number in parens being the number of posts involving that group. Compare that to those who simply encourage you to go throw tantrums and wave loopy signs.; 5/8/10, 4:04 PM
Unknown said...: The Tea Partiers have a group of powerful core beliefs, not unlike the Continental Congress and the Committees of Correspondence. We know where that led and, I suspect, it's what scares - and frustrates - the Demos and the Assistant Democrats.

If there were a leader, they could smear and destroy him/her. It must be frustrating.; 5/8/10, 4:19 PM
TosaGuy said...: If they are indeed a coalition of loose factions, then the Dems would be better off addressing issues that will peel away those factions rather than yielding to their base impulse of branding everyone who disagrees with them as racist. Such meritless attacks only strengthen the stitching that holds the movement together.; 5/8/10, 4:34 PM
Wince said...: Funny, I read Blow's piece as a rather transparent equivalent of a Bomb Damage Assessment.

To wit, how's our smear of Tea Party movement working so far?; 5/8/10, 4:37 PM
marklewin said...: Althouse writes - 'Oh, and also, per Blow, you're a big bunch of racists.'

Althouse promotes and trades in sweeping generalizations the way a pornographer exploits sexually explict material.; 5/8/10, 4:39 PM
Anonymous said...: "About 61 percent of tea party opponents say racism has a lot to do with the movement, a view held by just 7 percent of tea party supporters. This gulf of perception has left Tea Party organizers struggling to scrub the stain of racism from its image ..."

In other words, since opponents of the Tea Party believe they're racist, then that leaves the Tea Party organizers to struggle with the stain of racism.

Actual racism isn't required.

All that is required, in this stupid cocksucker's warped mind, is an enemy willing to call you a racist and - voila - you have the stain of racism on you that you must work to rub off.

I wish the New York Times would just bring back Jason Blair.

At least he was a somewhat honest New York Times token.

The NY Times is America's leading enemy institution. When al Queda eventually succeeds in erasing New York off the map - and the New York Times will help them them build the bomb to do it - it will be difficult for me to shed a single tear for Charles M. Blow and his friends.

They won't be missed, nor mourned.; 5/8/10, 5:04 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Its so funny that here are people practicing the virtue of equality to the letter of the meaning of the idea and being attacked for violating it.

Its really galling.; 5/8/10, 5:33 PM
mariner said...: ... where the head, to the extent that it exists, fails to control the body.

Many, if not most Tea Partiers consider this a feature, not a bug.; 5/8/10, 5:43 PM
Joe said...: Unfortunately, this attitude runs below the surface of most politicians, conservative and liberal. Look at Bob Bennett who now spouts off about how the political environment is "toxic." His interviews this week here in Utah have been condescending and offensive to democracy; I'm glad he's been voted out.

A few weeks ago Orrin Hatch lost his temper in a local town hall meeting and basically told the electorate that they were idiots for not respecting what he did for them. (IIRC, this was soon after he publicly chastised Rep. Chafetz for promising to not do earmarks.)

In reality, it is the incumbents that have become Frankenstein's monster.; 5/8/10, 5:51 PM
Ritmo Re-Animated said...: Nice mischaracterization.

He didn't say that "grassroots democracy" is a monstrous thing. He said that an unorganized collection of groups with disparate agendas is a monstrous thing.

But, whatever helps you misconstrue another's report into a story of your own, animating the mixture of selective facts and opinions into... oh well.; 5/8/10, 5:56 PM
Moira Breen said...: marklewin: Althouse writes - 'Oh, and also, per Blow, you're a big bunch of racists.'

Althouse promotes and trades in sweeping generalizations the way a pornographer exploits sexually explict material.

How can you generalize about an individual?; 5/8/10, 6:09 PM
Anonymous said...: However, because tea partiers are absolute idiots,

Those absolute idiots just figured out how to unseat an incumbent Senator in Utah.; 5/8/10, 6:15 PM
marklewin said...: How can you generalize about an individual?

By 'Althouse' I am referring solely to her blog.; 5/8/10, 6:16 PM
chickelit said...: He said that an unorganized collection of groups with disparate agendas is a monstrous thing.

Blow must have thought that unorganized collections of communities with disparate agendas were monstrous things-at least until an organizer came along.

What Blow must fear the most is if the Tea Partiers were to organize as a community.; 5/8/10, 6:20 PM
Steve M. Galbraith said...: Althouse promotes and trades in sweeping generalizations the way a pornographer exploits sexually explict material.

My guess is that it's the accuracy of her generalizations that you dislike, not the fact that she engages in them.

Anyway, bloggers aren't known for their finely detailed portraits.; 5/8/10, 6:20 PM
Anonymous said...: Ok, Blow sucks.

But he must swallow.

Otherwise, how to explain the NYT wasting a perfectly good AA hire on such an shallow, bigoted tool?...

Oh. Wait. It's the NYT.

Nevermind.; 5/8/10, 6:21 PM
A.G. said...: Geez, where do I even begin? How 'bout:

"About 61 percent of tea party opponents say racism has a lot to do with the movement, a view held by just 7 percent of tea party supporters. This gulf of perception has left Tea Party organizers struggling to scrub the stain of racism from its image"

Well, I guess racism from tea partiers is a fact then. I saw a similar poll once from Berlin, 1933: "75% of Germans feel that the Jews are the cause of all wickedness in the world, a view held by just 2% of Jews. This gulf of perception has left the Jews struggling to scrub the stain of wickedness from their image.". So by golly, I guess their "wickedness" was a fact then by Mr. Blow's "logic", wasn't it? {:-o.....

And if I hear the argument that the Tea Parties are racist because they are largely white one more time, I'll...calmly point out the fact that blacks voting Democrat is equally "racist" because 94% vote that way. Hopefully, they can scrub the "stain of their racism from their image" someday. :-); 5/8/10, 6:25 PM
Alex said...: He didn't say that "grassroots democracy" is a monstrous thing. He said that an unorganized collection of groups with disparate agendas is a monstrous thing.

I thought unorganized = weak. Leave it to a lefty to say it's "monstrous". Let's face it. Every day it's a 2-minute hate on anyone who's not a lefty.; 5/8/10, 6:26 PM
Alex said...: A.G. -

I'll...calmly point out the fact that blacks voting Democrat is equally "racist" because 94% vote that way.

Except blacks always vote 94% Democrat. It's not the race of the candidate, it's the handout policies they keep supporting.; 5/8/10, 6:30 PM
GMay said...: "It would be helpful for partiers to read, re-read, re-re-read, re-re-re-read and try to learn from my post..."

I'm no tea partier, but I stopped reading right there FWIW.; 5/8/10, 6:34 PM
Alex said...: BTW, I do agree that it seems that most tea-partiers are mentally unstable-types. Thus, I have been wavering on actually attending any. I wouldn't want to tarnish myself. I need to associate with secular, hip-tea partiers.; 5/8/10, 6:45 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Charles Blow, an affimative action hire aka Bob Herbert Jr.,would not be able to make a living unless there was perceived racism.

That is obvious to everyone but Charles Blow and Bob Herbert.; 5/8/10, 6:49 PM
Opus One Media said...: edutcher said...
"The Tea Partiers have a group of powerful core beliefs, not unlike the Continental Congress...."

hey braindead...when is "gimme gimme gimme i want mine i want mine a core belief in sympathy with the Continental Congress.

Putz.; 5/8/10, 6:58 PM
marklewin said...: My guess is that it's the accuracy of her generalizations that you dislike, not the fact that she engages in them.

Anyway, bloggers aren't known for their finely detailed portraits.

I really can't speak to the accuracy or inaccuracy of her generalizations...and my comment was not necessarily meant as a criticism. More an observation. For all I know, she may view her endeavors to highlight and evoke these generalizations as her 'schtick', a major and provocative feature of her blog, and embrace the effort.; 5/8/10, 6:59 PM
GMay said...: Wow, I actually read through Blow's whole piece AND even checked out his source.

The guy makes broad generalizations based mainly on what "other" people are saying, then relies on only one piece of real "evidence", which has to be one of the most poorly worded, poorly analyzed jumbles of data I've seen in awhile.

What modern liberals/leftists can't seem to grasp is that their philosophies aren't mainstream and that tea partiers are a bit more maintream than they are.; 5/8/10, 7:07 PM
Michael said...: Blow is a graduate of Grambling, a shit African American school noted for its football and marching band. He is too young for civil rights and too old to writing nonsense but like many blacks of his generation he is a bit wistful for a racist past he did not suffer.; 5/8/10, 7:32 PM
Dale said...: Charles Blow is what Chris Rock would call a cultured n***er.; 5/8/10, 8:23 PM
Phil 314 said...: Well when you get a bunch of angry white folks together of course they're racists

Res ipsa loquitur; 5/8/10, 8:37 PM
Anonymous said...: "Blow is a graduate of Grambling, a shit African American school noted for its football and marching band."

The only reason Grambling University exists is so black people have a place where they don't have to compete against white people.

Grambling University should be closed. It is a racist institution white people are actively discouraged from attending.

It's a "historically black college." Racist Code for: "Whitey Ain't Wanted."; 5/8/10, 8:37 PM
Anonymous said...: One more point re:Gramling.

Go look here:

http://www.gram.edu/

Imagine the uproar if any reputable college in America ONLY put pictures of white people on its website home page.

Grambling State University is a racist institution.; 5/8/10, 8:40 PM
LYNNDH said...: I have stopped reading or watching anything comming from the Coasts by so-called experts. Just drips.; 5/8/10, 8:40 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Blow blows.; 5/8/10, 9:03 PM
Anonymous said...: I guess if he says "racist" enough it will be true?; 5/8/10, 9:07 PM
Anonymous said...: So Blow is a ramblin' Gramblin' man? I bet Bob Seger neither rambles nor gambles.; 5/8/10, 9:19 PM
Penny said...: Not a tea partier here, but I do wonder why any group who aligns as loosely as they do, would ever consider making statements that racists would not be welcome?

From all I read, tea partiers want LESS government intervention and MORE fiscal restraint.

Keep it simple, tp'ers. Don't muss your message with "except for's".

Racists come in all colors, register as both Republican and Democrat, and are everybody's problem. No party sets out to be the party of fringe thinkers, for cripes sakes.

Tell us ONLY what you WANT.

Then see how many of us regular folks come to stand with you on what you WANT.; 5/8/10, 9:54 PM
bagoh20 said...: How dare those citizens go around citizenizing all over the place, demanding sensible limited government. Who do they think they are having personal opinions? Next thing you know they'll be voting their own minds. That's just messy.; 5/8/10, 10:02 PM
bagoh20 said...: The movement is an ideology without a party, as opposed to the parties devoid of ideology which we have been enduring for some time. Parties have leaders, ideologies have followers. T.P.ers are simply people who share ideology on specific functions of government. They don't need a leader, they just need an election.; 5/8/10, 10:13 PM
paul a'barge said...: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism

Charles Blow == Joseph McCarthy; 5/8/10, 10:43 PM
Methadras said...: Shallow thinking leftard strikes again. Idiocy at 11.; 5/8/10, 11:02 PM
AST said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/8/10, 11:21 PM
richard mcenroe said...: "Ridding a village of a monster mobster is legitimate and very urgent business."

As long as we keep the monster in sight, I don't care who wants to run in front of the villagers.; 5/8/10, 11:52 PM
Unknown said...: I should have known-- the NY Times. Like my giddy aunt, we care what it says... why?; 5/8/10, 11:53 PM
Nate Whilk said...: LonewackoDotCom said, It would be helpful for partiers to read, re-read, re-re-read, re-re-re-read and try to learn from my post where I explain why the tea parties keep getting called racist and why they're unable to do anything about it.

I read the post. It's brief. I re-read it. In fact, the post is no help at all. It doesn't explain a damn thing.

That would be the smart thing to do.

Now that I've read the post, I can say the smart thing to do would've been not to read it at all.

However, because tea partiers are absolute idiots, I don't expect them to do that.

So as to save the rest of you time and trouble, there isn't much more than that to his post.

This guy is definitely wacko, but unfortunately he isn't alone.; 5/9/10, 12:08 AM
Anonymous said...: Nate -- Wacko spends a lot of beckoning tea partiers to follow him and listen to him with his siren call of shouting at them they are morons.

I don't understand why nobody listens to Wacko. Truly, it's a mystery.; 5/9/10, 4:33 AM
Anonymous said...: He didn't say that "grassroots democracy" is a monstrous thing. He said that an unorganized collection of groups with disparate agendas is a monstrous thing.

So, according to Ritmo Urban Legend, "grassroots democracy" should be people marching in lockstep. Because, that's what grassroots democracy is, right? A bunch of people listening to a single leader and speaking with one voice, preferably with a large union or communist group holding the puppet strings.

Ahh, Sweet November...; 5/9/10, 4:36 AM
Instugator said...: Thanks Ann, for giving us the blow by Blow.; 5/9/10, 5:50 AM
stoqboy said...: For instance, one could legitimately ask: to what degree is African-American support of the president motivated by racial pride, and when does that pride cross over into prejudice?

There are no easy answers, but blanket accusations and denials are worthless and disingenuous.; 5/9/10, 6:22 AM
Teki Setsu said...: Step 1) Call them astroturf people controlled by the Republican Party (or whatever scapegoat you want to pick).

Oops!

Step 2) Call them a Frankenstein movement without a leader. Like grass growing from a vast number of different roots. Yeah, that's it: we'll call them yucky Grass Roots.; 5/9/10, 7:04 AM
SDN said...: HDHouse either has projection raised to an art form or knows NOTHING about the Tea Parties. Or both.

Sorry, but only a room temperature IQ could twist "Give me Liberty, NOT a Bailout" into a selfish desire for government goodies.; 5/9/10, 7:24 AM
Paco Wové said...: "He said that an unorganized collection of groups with disparate agendas is a monstrous thing."

Well, that's a pretty stupid thing to say.; 5/9/10, 7:38 AM
Paco Wové said...: You have to cut HD some slack. He's like the doddering old relative who dribbles into his food at dinner -- we all just pretend not to notice.; 5/9/10, 7:40 AM
Michael Haz said...: hey braindead...when is "gimme gimme gimme i want mine i want mine a core belief in sympathy with the Continental Congress.

HDHouse accidentally confuses his own party's agenda with the Tea Party.

Meanwhile, incisive and hard-hitting columns like Blow's help hurtle the NYT's circulations toward new lows.; 5/9/10, 8:56 AM
Fen said...: Charles blow is the racist.

The Tea-party accepts anyone into their ranks, regardless of skin color. So why aren't more blacks involved with the movement? Because blacks are the most racist demographic in America [see FBI hate crime stats].

But I love the comments page at the NYTs link. So many clueless libtards all under one roof.; 5/9/10, 9:20 AM
Anonymous said...: So many clueless libtards all under one roof.

I wonder if they realize how unsympathetic a target they're making New York City?

I mean, if al Queda attacks New York, we're supposed to feel bad.

Right?

The people in New York - Mr. Blow being the prime example - act in ways that make me wonder whether I'll actually feel bad the next time they're plunging from the 100th floor to escape their burning deaths.

I'm less and less inclined to every time New Yorkers call me a racist.; 5/9/10, 9:31 AM
Michael Haz said...: I wond3r whether Charles Blow considers the Congressional Black Caucus, which excludes all other races, to be a racist organization?

Or do they get a pass because they are Dems?

What would he think of a Congressional White Caucus? Or a group call the National Association for the Advancement of White People? Or the Miss White America pageant? Or whites-only dorms and clubs on university campuses?

Hmmm?; 5/9/10, 9:43 AM
damikesc said...: I read your post, wacko. "They are idiots and lunatics" isn't exactly going to get anybody to listen. Also, hard to respond to "criticism" when it primarily consists of slander. Can you name any legit criticisms of the movement? I note you didn't in your post.

Also, given Blows logic here, does that mean that the media is in Obamas back pocket? Larger number of supporters and opponents believe it is.; 5/9/10, 9:58 AM
Omaha1 said...: Well Mr. Blow's characterization is still kinder than Andrew Sullivan's, wherein he described Tea Partiers as "the decaying stench of the Republican corpse."

Link

Know Fear!; 5/9/10, 10:07 AM
jayne_cobb said...: damikesc,

Calling the TPers idiots has been LW's argument for why they should follow him for the better part of a year so I doubt he's going to change it now (in my case he said I was what is wrong with America).; 5/9/10, 10:17 AM
Dark Eden said...: "The charge of racism" is really losing its sting. When being against the vastly unpopular healthcare bill makes you a racist... and being against illegal immigration makes you a racist... and not voting for Obama makes you a racist... I mean basically everything makes you a racist. These days "racist" means "disagreed with a leftist about something."

Leftist: Its kind of cold out, I think I'll wear a coat.
Righty: Its not so bad I'm not gonna wear a coat.
Leftists (spasming): You Obama-damned RACIST NAZI!; 5/9/10, 10:26 AM
RebeccaH said...: I wonder if Attorney General Holder is enjoying the conversation about race that we cowardly Americans are having now.; 5/9/10, 11:40 AM
Alex said...: Either the TP is an astroturfed gang of criminals(truly monstrous) or an unorganized gang of criminals(again truly monstrous). You see how easy the Alinsky works?; 5/9/10, 11:42 AM
Patrick said...: It strikes me that absent any information whatsoever, Mr. Blow decided to assume the worst, and write about the Tea Party from that perspective. Well, from there, and from his moral high ground, a barnacle on the lowest point of a garbage scow's hull.

The bits of that article that don't blow, suck, and the bits that don't suck, blow.; 5/9/10, 1:18 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "'How can you generalize about an individual?' By 'Althouse' I am referring solely to her blog."

Ha. Your own language proves you're lying. I refer to the use of "her."; 5/9/10, 1:49 PM
Fen said...: The charge of racism" is really losing its sting.

Yup. And I called it back in the primaries when I warned against electing Obama - any criticism will be met with charges of racism.

So much for the post-racial Presidency. The Diversity Hire is filling EEO complaints against America.

[...]

Hey, Soros-funded LoneWacko troll: have you even been to a TEA Party?; 5/9/10, 3:01 PM
Trooper York said...: I thought Mr. Blow was a lot cooler when he was on Soul Train.; 5/9/10, 3:23 PM
LonewackoDotCom said...: I've repeatedly stated that I'm not funded by Soros nor anyone else, and a glance will show critical posts about him at my site going back several years.

It's hard to call what I wrote (read it here) "slander" as someone does above when the comments from teapartiers on this thread prove my point.

It's dumb to keep falsely accusing someone of being funded by Soros when a) that's not true, b) that's going to result in a lawsuit. That's pretty stupid, no?

It's also a demonstration of that "barely-hidden fascistic streak" I write about.

And, the comments above also help prove another one of my points: "they can't listen to constructive criticism".

What's going to happen is that one day they're going to end up not being useful to those who are pulling their strings, leaving the folks like some of those above holding the bag and wondering why they wasted all that time on something so useless.; 5/9/10, 10:01 PM
marklewin said...: "'How can you generalize about an individual?' By 'Althouse' I am referring solely to her blog."

Althouse added "Ha. Your own language proves you're lying. I refer to the use of "her.""

The blog (if you prefer I will use the terminology 'the blog' or 'Althouse' rather than the possessive terms 'your' or 'her", etc.) frequently engages in sweeping generalizations and speculations about groups and people. It's part of the blog's stock and trade. Moreover, It seems to me that 'Althouse' receives a good bit of attention, in part because of this tendency to generalize and to inspire others to engage in the same sort of activity. What am I lying about? I never claimed that I could or could not generalize about a person. That was someone else who made the comment. As to my use of the word "her", it was merely a possessive noun that refers to your 'ownership' of the blog. Am I wrong in assuming that you are a female? And this is your blog. I don't equate you the person with the Althouse blog. Besides, I've never met you, so I cannot comment on you as a person or individual. I've tracked the blog over the past two years and that was the basis for my observation. Then again, maybe the force behind the blog is not a female, or even one person. Bottom line, no matter the entity or entities behind this blog, I stand by my observation that the blog 'Althouse' frequently engages in generalizations and speculation about people and groups, which I believes contributes to its popularity.; 5/9/10, 10:32 PM
Anonymous said...: So we have a stalker generalizing about Althouse's generalization.

This is definitely a milestone of some kind.; 5/10/10, 12:09 AM
Anonymous said...: Wacko -- My guess is that you are funded by your job down at the meat processing plant.; 5/10/10, 12:10 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Am I wrong in assuming that you are a female?"

You are wrong in referring to the blog as a person.; 5/10/10, 12:57 PM
MnMark said...: The root of the "racism" accusations is the liberal conviction that it is immoral for whites, unlike all other peoples on earth, to have an ethnic/racial identity.

If you think of yourself as a white person, want to see white people, white culture, society, and civilization continue as they have in the past in one's own country, that makes you a racist. A latino or black thinking, feeling, and expressing the same thoughts regarding their racial identity would be viewed positively by liberals. A white person who does the same is venomously accused of being a "racist".

I think this ends in violence. Liberals are trying to intimidate a group of people, based on their race, into doing nothing to preserve their way of life. They are trying to guilt white people into believing that their ethnic/racial identity is meaningless or evil and that trying to preserve it is wrong. When you force people to choose between suicide and being accused of immorality, at some point the pressure builds up enough that they will angrily reject your morality and go too far the other way.; 5/10/10, 5:13 PM