Althouse: "Althouse approaches all of this with a childlike demeanor, a perpetual sense of wonder as if she were discovering something fascinating for the first time."

December 23, 2018

"Althouse approaches all of this with a childlike demeanor, a perpetual sense of wonder as if she were discovering something fascinating for the first time."

"In a child - and sometimes even in adults - that's not a bad thing. But you'd expect more from a 67-year-old woman masquerading as a political pundit."

I'm reading comments about me over at Instapundit.

82 comments:

The Bergall said...: Oh good grief..............; 12/23/18, 7:27 AM
gilbar said...: At least they're talking about you!
As Oscar Wilde said...
The only thing in the world worse than being talked about, is being sued for defamation; 12/23/18, 7:29 AM
rhhardin said...: If life hands you masques, make masquerade.; 12/23/18, 7:29 AM
Darrell said...: You can't please everyone so you've got to please yourself.
Never read comments or reviews. Besides here, of course.; 12/23/18, 7:30 AM
Terry di Tufo said...: It looks like all the comments are from Ed Driscoll.; 12/23/18, 7:32 AM
Ann Althouse said...: Someone else wrote, "She is a commie elitist who lives in a white enclave. But she is a drunk who married her gardener, so there is that."

If only people in my elite enclave would believe I'm a commie, I'd have more friends in my non-virtual world.; 12/23/18, 7:33 AM
Sprezzatura said...: This blog is known to be a vortex, but no child or rabbit. Just Meade. And wine in boxes.

IMHO.; 12/23/18, 7:38 AM
Darrell said...: If only people in my elite enclave would believe I'm a commie

Cookie should be able to help. He is the sole arbiter for matters like that.; 12/23/18, 7:40 AM
JackWayne said...: I think it was jealousy. After all, Lady Chatterly is the elite who had a relationship with her gardener.....; 12/23/18, 7:43 AM
Sprezzatura said...: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bniqiT9vECE; 12/23/18, 7:45 AM
BUMBLE BEE said...: Your trolls are highly mobile.; 12/23/18, 7:45 AM
Lucid-Ideas said...: "She is a commie elitist who lives in a white enclave." I have instant dislike of her:(

"But she is a drunk who married her gardener, so there is that." Turns out she's one of us after all. All is forgiven!; 12/23/18, 7:49 AM
traditionalguy said...: We see you differently, Professor. To us you are the last of the super intelligent , cute and loving , independent women .; 12/23/18, 7:49 AM
Meade said...: Terry Vance said...
"It looks like all the comments are from Ed Driscoll."

LOL; 12/23/18, 7:50 AM
Mr. Groovington said...: None of those comments mention that for a 67 year old woman, Ann is extremely hot.; 12/23/18, 7:51 AM
Meade said...: "But she is a drunk who married her gardener, so there is that."

Once again praised with faint damning. Thank you.; 12/23/18, 7:52 AM
Meade said...: And Merry Christmas to all!; 12/23/18, 7:54 AM
Mr. Groovington said...: Lady Chatterley was being rodgered by the gardener, I imagine millions are.; 12/23/18, 7:56 AM
tcrosse said...: Being childlike is a misdemeanor.; 12/23/18, 7:57 AM
Henry said...: ...you'd expect more...

Confirmation bias is a harsh mistress.; 12/23/18, 8:08 AM
sinz52 said...: Yes, Ann,
it's too bad that you just aren't as embittered, cynical, and either snarky or outraged like political bloggers are supposed to be.

You're too cool and composed for today's perpetual rage machine.; 12/23/18, 8:11 AM
Laslo Spatula said...: "If only people in my elite enclave would believe I'm a commie, I'd have more friends in my non-virtual world."

This is an interesting dialectic that Althouse is living.

Many of the 'real world' people -- the people she interacts with, the people who can see her in their shared physical environment -- disassociate from her, it seems.

The people who know her primarily as an ongoing collection of thoughts and perceptions on the internet are mostly drawn to her, respect her, even feel protective of her.

She is living in two distinct realities: the same person, perceived in radically different ways.

And -- ironically? -- the ones who would seem to be the closest to her, both in physical form and in worldview -- are the ones who pull away.

The ones who share so much cannot countenance the slightest variation from the herd; the ones who have less in common are the ones who hunger for intellectual overlap.

Bob Dylan's Mr. Jones would not know what to make of this.

I am Laslo.; 12/23/18, 8:13 AM
Kevin said...: What is this, a crossover episode? /mrpeanutbutter off; 12/23/18, 8:19 AM
Henry said...: A perpetual sense of wonder is a gift.; 12/23/18, 8:21 AM
mockturtle said...: Althouse does not pretend to be a political pundit and has often said as much. Anyone--and I do mean anyone--can be a political pundit. Has any one of you heard anything from a 'pundit' that you could not, yourself, have said? Althouse does, however, have the best blog around and her clever writing on manifold topics keeps it interesting. As do the commenters.; 12/23/18, 8:28 AM
mockturtle said...: sodal ye asserts: Lady Chatterley was being rodgered by the gardener, I imagine millions are.

Mellors was actually the gamekeeper.; 12/23/18, 8:30 AM
iowan2 said...: "She is a commie elitist who lives in a white enclave. But she is a drunk who married her gardener, so there is that."

This is an example of what I posted earlier. Personal smears, no pretext of a philosophical differences. To attempt something reality based, is to expose their ire, as irrational rantings.; 12/23/18, 8:48 AM
narciso said...: That's way harsh, our host has a socratic way of presentation, anyways that's how I chose to look at it.; 12/23/18, 8:53 AM
Sally said...: We love you (and Meade) just the way you are, a little contrarian.; 12/23/18, 9:39 AM
Kevin said...: Althouse is writing a blog for herself but also to generate discussion and revenues.

To believe she doesn’t leave some space for others to fill in is to misunderstand what she’s doing.; 12/23/18, 9:48 AM
dustbunny said...: I am rather defensive of this blog as it is the favorite place on my increasingly smaller internet world. Why is Ed Driscoll such an unhappy person?; 12/23/18, 9:58 AM
Lash LaRue said...: I don’t care what they say about me as long as they spell my name right.; 12/23/18, 10:15 AM
Leslie Graves said...: Some of those commenters over there are tasteless and mean. Icky combination.

I wouldn't say that Ms. Althouse exhibits "a perpetual sense of wonder".

She does become intrigued and engaged by events and people and sentences and turns of phrases and attitudes and lines of thought.

I wouldn't have characterized that gift she has as having a sense of wonder but rather having the knack of seeing what is so truly interesting about the world around us.

But whatever it is, I just love it.; 12/23/18, 10:18 AM
Sebastian said...: "If only people in my elite enclave would believe I'm a commie, I'd have more friends in my non-virtual world."

I invite everyone to think deeply about this.

What does it tell us about the American left? What does it tell us about the American elite? What does it tell us about the exclusion practiced by the lefty elite? What does it tell us about friendship in this age of all-out prog politicization? Could anyone make a similar "if only" statement about being viewed as a paleoconservative?; 12/23/18, 10:22 AM
Original Mike said...: Althouse and Instapundit are the only two blogs I regularly read. Over here, I read the comments sections on topics I am interested in and get a lot from them. Over there, I read the posts and follow some links and get a lot out of that, but the comments section over there is a wasteland.; 12/23/18, 10:22 AM
mccullough said...: When did enclaves become white? They used to be WASP enclaves. The Irish and Italians and Germans and other non-WASP had neighborhoods or areas.

The WASPs had enclaves.

And Meade is a landscape artist.; 12/23/18, 10:59 AM
mccullough said...: Some incel over there called us commenters dilettantes who liked irony.; 12/23/18, 11:04 AM
Bill Peschel said...: Oh for fuck's sake. Ed is fine when he's talking about music and home recording, but his expertise doesn't translate and he doesn't realize it.

He doesn't seem to know the difference between adopting a rhetorical pose and a person's true nature.

And although I've been on this site for years, I wouldn't presume to define Althouse by her posts. The exception would be those commenters who delight more in ad hominum attacks than advancing an argument.; 12/23/18, 11:09 AM
Birkel said...: The open threads on Instapundit are worth reviewing.
They have lots of great memes and .gifs.

The comments here are the only comments on the web worth reading on a regular basis.; 12/23/18, 11:10 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: Ha! "Never read the comments!" someone once wrote to me.; 12/23/18, 11:18 AM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: “If only people in my elite enclave would believe I'm a commie, I'd have more friends in my non-virtual world.”

Meh, who wants to be friends with commies? Maybe a middle of the road liberal or even moderate conservative, but commie, even Madison doesn’t love commies, half assed socialist...maybe.; 12/23/18, 11:30 AM
tcrosse said...: "If only people in my elite enclave would believe I'm a commie, I'd have more friends in my non-virtual world."

I lived in Madison in the 1960's and 70.s, albeit in a less fashionable part of town. I doesn't seem to have changed. Moins ça change....; 12/23/18, 11:31 AM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: “Over there, I read the posts and follow some links and get a lot out of that, but the comments section over there is a wasteland.”

Yes, because there probably isn’t even one liberal who comments regularly.; 12/23/18, 11:33 AM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: “Many of the 'real world' people -- the people she interacts with, the people who can see her in their shared physical environment -- disassociate from her, it seems.”

Maybe she disassociates from them.; 12/23/18, 11:37 AM
Original Mike said...: "Yes, because there probably isn’t even one liberal who comments regularly."

I wish there were insightful liberal commenters here. Cookie is the only one that comes to mind.; 12/23/18, 11:40 AM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: I wish there were insightful Trumpist commenters here.; 12/23/18, 11:42 AM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: OM, you live in Madison, why don’t you and your family invite Althouse for Christmas dinner, so she wouldn’t feel so alone in Madison. That would be a kind loving thing to do.; 12/23/18, 11:44 AM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: And Meade too, of course.; 12/23/18, 11:44 AM
Jaq said...: Another year gone by when Hillary wasn’t president. Sweet.; 12/23/18, 11:54 AM
Openidname said...: "As far as I can tell that blog is for dilettantes who put great stock in things such as irony."

Describes me perfectly!; 12/23/18, 12:04 PM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: "the ones who would seem to be the closest to her, both in physical form and in worldview -- are the ones who pull away."

And then there's Chuck the stalker. He knows where she lives.; 12/23/18, 1:02 PM
Original Mike said...: "And then there's Chuck the stalker. He knows where she lives."

Yes, but she's safe because Chuck can't swim (apparently).; 12/23/18, 1:10 PM
Birkel said...: Royal ass Inga: "Maybe she disassociates from them."

This is counter factual as reported by Althouse so you're kind of an ass hole for calling her first-hand reporting into question with your third-hand conjecture.

Maybe don't be like that.; 12/23/18, 1:35 PM
Chuck said...: Blogger Ann Althouse said...
Someone else wrote, "She is a commie elitist who lives in a white enclave. But she is a drunk who married her gardener, so there is that."

If only people in my elite enclave would believe I'm a commie, I'd have more friends in my non-virtual world.

There are dozens of such comments aimed at me on your blog’s comments pages every day.

And of course I get what you are doing with this blog. Doing mere observations about emotions and emotional messaging in current politics. Occasional criticism about the mainstream media elites’ misuse of language. And of course other cultural observations, most of which are fascinating and sometimes brilliant.

I thought that if you wanted to avoid being called a “commie,” Althouse, you could declare (if it were true) that you voted for Trump. Or if you wanted to answer your critics who say that you are a crypto-Trumpists and a right-winger (I feel certain that you are not a Republican or a conservative, taking you at your word), you could tell them that you voted for Hillary just as you voted for Obama. I would not expect you to lie about the latter, as I have not lied about my casting a most reluctant for Trump in 2016.

But it won’t surprise you when I tell you to expect disappointment from the Trump side in that. I’ve said honestly who I voted for and yet you have commenters who claim that I am lying about that. You have commenters who regularly and repeatedly claim that it is false for me to say that I have a law degree and a bar admission.

Now I see commenters who accuse me of being a “stalker.” Of you.

So yes; there are sick, twisted commenters at “Instapundit.” And at Althouse.blogspot.com.; 12/23/18, 2:00 PM
FullMoon said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 12/23/18, 2:07 PM
FullMoon said...: Huck brags
"There are dozens of such comments aimed at me on your blog’s comments pages every day."; 12/23/18, 2:09 PM
Donatello Nobody said...: Original Mike at 10:22 nailed it.; 12/23/18, 2:18 PM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 12/23/18, 2:20 PM
Donatello Nobody said...: Chuck, nobody worries about you being a stalker, we just think you're a self-centered bore. Your TDS renders everything you say predictable and dreary.; 12/23/18, 2:22 PM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: “Inga disses AA over there also.”

Huh? Where? I never dissed Althouse anywhere and if I have anything negative to say I say it here. I’ve defended ( from you folks) Althouse more than I’ve ever said anything negative about her.

I’ve never commented at Instapundit, I’ve gone over there to read it on occasion, only when directed to from a link here.; 12/23/18, 2:29 PM
FullMoon said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 12/23/18, 2:37 PM
FullMoon said...: Typical:

"Inga said...

And Trump posts 22 tweets this weekend, the goddamn President Althouse loves so much.

LOL. What a dumb bitch you are Althouse. I’ve been restraining myself from saying that for a long time. How’s that for lack of restraint?"; 12/23/18, 2:50 PM
langford peel said...: I seem to remember Inga calling Althouse a bitch before flouncing off promising never to return.

Of course being a progressive nincampoop she lied as usual.; 12/23/18, 2:51 PM
langford peel said...: Sorry Full Moon found the quote first. Good show Sir!; 12/23/18, 2:53 PM
FullMoon said...: Langford peel said...

I seem to remember Inga calling Althouse a bitch before flouncing off promising never to return.

Then she snuck back with diff name. Easily recognizable hate and bile revealed her true ID in short time. Then she retrieved the Inga moniker, all the while still denying being "Inga", but "might as well use the name since everyone thinks I am her"
Apparently she had a drinking problem at the time.; 12/23/18, 3:11 PM
Phil 314 said...: Blogger Original Mike said...
Althouse and Instapundit are the only two blogs I regularly read. Over here, I read the comments sections on topics I am interested in and get a lot from them. Over there, I read the posts and follow some links and get a lot out of that, but the comments section over there is a wasteland.

My sentiments exactly.; 12/23/18, 4:55 PM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: “Langford peel said...

“I seem to remember Inga calling Althouse a bitch before flouncing off promising never to return.”

Nope didn’t happen. I did call her a bitch, but I never said I wouldn’t still be commenting.

“Then she snuck back with diff name. Easily recognizable hate and bile revealed her true ID in short time. Then she retrieved the Inga moniker, all the while still denying being "Inga", but "might as well use the name since everyone thinks I am her"
Apparently she had a drinking problem at the time.”

What? Never happened, what a liar. I didn’t stop using my name Inga after calling her a bitch. Apparently you, chickenlittle and and your buddy Trooper York, aka Langford Peel, have a coo coo for Cocoa Puffs problem.; 12/23/18, 5:32 PM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: You two bosom buddies, Trooper, aka Langford Peel, and Full Moon, aka Chickenlittle have been acting like the blog’s old gossips for quite some time, worse than my old grandma was in her hay day. Put on your babushkas.; 12/23/18, 5:35 PM
FullMoon said...: Inga explains:
What? Never happened, what a liar. I didn’t stop using my name Inga after calling her a bitch.

Good one. It was before you called her a bitch. Nice try, though.; 12/23/18, 5:54 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: oh FFS!
An elitist, Commie, racist, hypogamous, childlike Drunk !?!?

To Our Most Gracious Host,
Our Lady Of The Blogosphere,
Ann, the patron saint of Those With No Bad Habits.
The Professor...

dont let the bastards grind you down, in Latin.; 12/23/18, 6:14 PM
FullMoon said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 12/23/18, 6:23 PM
langford peel said...: Not content with creating imaginary children Inga has to create imaginary identities for people who post here.

Her imagination is only matched by her idiocy.; 12/23/18, 6:25 PM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: Who is Maxine Weiss?

Chickie, are you bored today?; 12/23/18, 6:42 PM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: I think you’re missing Ritmo kicking your ass, huh?; 12/23/18, 6:43 PM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: Langford Peel wears his wife’s bras.; 12/23/18, 6:44 PM
FullMoon said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 12/23/18, 6:46 PM
FullMoon said...: Inga...Allie Oop said...

I think you’re missing Ritmo kicking your ass, huh?

12/23/18, 6:43 PM

Haha!
I love triggering that goofy genius. All I gotta do is say "Weather sure is nice today, no AGW anymore"; 12/23/18, 6:48 PM
FullMoon said...: langford peel said...

Not content with creating imaginary children Inga has to create imaginary identities for people who post here.

Yeah, she figgered it all out a couple months ago. She was gonna post the 'evidence'.

She back on the bottle.; 12/23/18, 6:51 PM
Original Mike said...: "Once upon a time many years ago there was commenter called Maxine Weiss who had many sock puppets and filled the role that others have taken up here."

Lucky Oldson, right? And Bucky something...; 12/23/18, 8:00 PM
DeepRunner said...: As someone who hangs out at both watering holes, I think Althouse and Instapundit are great sites. Instapundit is a conservative site (sorta wish only Professor Reynolds ran it, but not my call); Althouse is moderate. The takes by the auteurs on each site are good. You can enjoy both. Why not?; 12/24/18, 12:55 AM
Earnest Prole said...: Fuck 'em.; 12/24/18, 2:09 AM
robother said...: When did Anne start masquerading as a political pundit? I never would've come to this site if I thought she was another political pundit. I don't like political pundits. Or is Anne's masquerade donned for the purpose of making political pundits look like fools?

What she does with her gardener is of no concern as long as it doesn't frighten the horses.; 12/24/18, 1:09 PM