alicu blog

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Thursday, February 21, 2013

WARNING: TRUST THE SHORTER, JAMES TARANTO EDITION

Posted on 6:56 PM by dimple
Shorter James Taranto: James Fallows was punked by an internet joke about Fox News being dumb, and admitted it. Ben Shapiro was punked by an internet joke about Chuck Hagel belonging to a fictional pro-Hamas group, and refuses to admit he was punked or even that it was a joke. If you've ever read my bullshit before, you can guess which one I'm siding with here.

UPDATE. Taranato thinks I have a reading comprehension problem. I guess I'm supposed to pay closer attention to his more-in-sorrow-than-anger, both-sides-do-it tone than to his argument, such as it is:
The difference is that whereas the Fox joke [Fallows fell for] could easily be confirmed as a joke merely by checking out the Zombie Rainbow page that was its source, the "Friends of Hamas" joke [Shapiro fell for] came from a reporter for a major newspaper--that is, somebody whose job involves trading on his own reputation for credibility.
Except Shapiro himself disputes this in his bizarre, belligerent response to being caught out, in which he claims his real source says he has other sources for the story besides the reporter ("Our Senate source denies that Friedman is the source of this information. 'I have received this information from three separate sources, none of whom was Friedman,' the source said"). Talk about an uncooperative client!

Taranto spends the rest of his item explaining that, while Mistakes Were Made, Shapiro made a harmless slip that merely led to the uncorrected smearing of Hagel, whereas Fallows thought a joke about Fox News was real, which is why such errors will henceforth be known by people who talk rightwing code to one another as "the Fallows Principle." What am I missing?
Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to Facebook
Posted in | No comments
Newer Post Older Post Home

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • SCAMDAL.
    Conservatives are all rushing forward with their dollies, showing where Big Gummint gave them bad touch. Among my favorites is Stanley Kurtz...
  • (no title)
    NEW VOICE COLUMN UP , about the news that the U.S. birth rate is way down and how rightbloggers have reacted to it. Short version: This is...
  • EXTREMISM IN DEFENSE OF FREEBIES IS NO VICE.
    When I wrote last weekend about the Bundy Ranch situation -- in which Sagebrush Rebels threatened U.S. federal officers with violence -- I ...
  • ATTENTION CONSERVATIVES WHO WERE OUTRAGED OVER BRENDAN EICH:
    If you thought it was liberal fascism for the Mozilla board to oust its CEO for an anti-gay contribution , now's your chance to show us ...
  • ADVICE TO CONSERVATIVES (OFFERED NOT IN KINDNESS, BUT BECAUSE THEY'RE TOO STUPID TO TAKE IT).
    Don't use "orphanage" in a headline. It reminds people of why they hate you. (See also "widows.")   Geraghty goes on...
  • NEW VILLAGE VOICE COLUMN UP...
    ...about all the impeachment bullshit and I have to say, I think I found something new to say about it -- but you tell me. UPDATE. In comm...
  • THE HUSTLER.
    OK, so you're a former Bush Administration factotum and now National Review 's foremost torture enthusiast . You like to keep abreas...

Blog Archive

  • ►  2014 (179)
    • ►  August (2)
    • ►  July (28)
    • ►  June (25)
    • ►  May (24)
    • ►  April (25)
    • ►  March (24)
    • ►  February (23)
    • ►  January (28)
  • ▼  2013 (286)
    • ►  December (23)
    • ►  November (24)
    • ►  October (23)
    • ►  September (22)
    • ►  August (20)
    • ►  July (24)
    • ►  June (24)
    • ►  May (24)
    • ►  April (28)
    • ►  March (23)
    • ▼  February (23)
      • MAN BOOB.
      • WHOA, NELLIE.
      • THEY EAT THEIR OWN.
      • QUI TRANTULIT SUSTINET.
      • NEW VOICE COLUMN UP...
      • I CAN'T GO ON OSCAR PREDICTING; I'LL GO ON OSCAR P...
      • WARNING: TRUST THE SHORTER, JAMES TARANTO EDITION
      • THERE'S RICH, AND THEN THERE'S HANSON RICH.
      • CULTURE CLUBBED.
      • POE'S LAW WINS AGAIN.
      • NEW VOICE COLUMN UP...
      • ANNALS OF THE CULTURE WAR, PERSECUTION MANIA EDITION.
      • ANNALS OF THE CULTURE WAR, CONT.
      • THANK YOU FOR THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER.
      • THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT.
      • NEW VOICE COLUMN UP...
      • ...THAN SCHMUCK FOR A LIFETIME.
      • MARTYR COMPLEX.
      • WELCOME HOME, BROTHER, WE WILL KILL THE FATTED CALF.
      • THE CONSERVATIVE COMEBACK, PART 102,833.
      • NEW VOICE COLUMN UP...
      • A CLASSIC CASE.
      • ED KOCH 1924-2013.
    • ►  January (28)
  • ►  2012 (35)
    • ►  December (25)
    • ►  November (10)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

dimple
View my complete profile