Atlas Shrugged: The Mocking

Monday, July 7, 2008

Everyone Should Have a Goal

I just noticed Megan McArdle has a section on her blogs for quotes, called "Comment of the Week." She quotes Amanda Marcotte:

People don't think you're a feminist, because you don't give two shits about
feminist ideas outside of ideal thoughts about how women would be more equal to
men if we comically aped masculinity rituals like waving guns around. I don't
think you're anti-feminist so much as just too self-absorbed and an intellectual
lightweight to really be considered a feminist.


I am *so* jealous. I've said lots of interesting things about Megan but she's never quoted me. And it's not like I'm not quotable. Mr. Mark Steyn put up one of my comments about him on his front page. If Mr. Mark Steyn, the famous conservative intellectual leader and former disk jockey, thinks my insults are good enough for the front page, why doesn't Megan?

Is it because I'm an English major? No, Megan majored in English too. Is it because I'm a woman and therefore can't be accused of sexism? No, Ms. Marcotte is a woman too. Is it because I don't make up zippy little comments? Does "world's laziest econoblogger" count for nothing?

But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Megan is being kind to the little bloggers like me, not wanting to pick on small fry. Or maybe it's no fun to have little bloggers make fun of you. Nobody else feels sorry for you because they never heard of the person who insulted you. So she is forced to quote a big name blogger on her front page. That shows how important she is, since important bloggers are criticizing her.

Sigh. I guess I'll just have to try harder. Although I'm kind of busy right now, recording the strange tale of George Bush's drunken car crash and his rescue by K-Lo, his number one fan....

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

You'd probably stand a better chance at making the "comment of the week" if she actually updated it more often than once very other month. That's still better than her "gadget of the week," which I think has actually been updated around two times since she started writing at the Atlantic.

I suspect she chose Amanda's quote so she can show everyone how open and fair-minded she is to criticism, while she's very much the opposite. I'm half-surprised she didn't footnote the comment explaining that Amanada misunderstood her point.

Susan of Texas said...

Heh. I guess we're supposed to assume Amanda's wrong.

Your explanation is a good one. (And liberal bloggers put up quotes too, but they're usuallly funny.) It's hard to choose between self-pity and self-praise. (Although it could be both.)

Anonymous said...

From my first comment - "Once *every* other month," not "very." At least I'm not getting paid for my stupid editing and spelling mistakes...

Marcotte is one of those people that Megan and her ilk dismiss enough so as to take actual pride in her criticism. So, you're right. Posting that comment is probably more self-congratulatory than a fair display of contrary opinion. Megan's proven herself to be incapable of as much for years now.

Susan of Texas said...

I'm curious how McArdle got into writing. She would probably be much happier managing a heath food store and spouting off nonsense on a libertarian blog where nobody would expect her to back up what she says.

Anonymous said...

She started at blogspot, when she had some administrative job at the WTC disaster site while they were still doing the clean up. It was shortly after 9/11 and I suppose the initial attention was because she was writing live from Ground Zero (indeed, I think her blog was called "live from the WTC" or something). Her writing is just flowery and emotional enough to fool some people into thinking she's capable at it. She kissed enough upper-blogger ass and got horndogs like Instaperv to link to her enough, so she eventually landed a job at the Economist, then the Atlantic. That's why I have to laugh whenever she writes about "we journalists" and what constitutes "good journalism." Like she'd know what it takes to be a good journalist, given that 1) she isn't one and 2) she's had zero training at it.

Susan of Texas said...

She kissed enough upper-blogger ass and got horndogs like Instaperv to link to her enough, so she eventually landed a job at the Economist, then the Atlantic.

That reminds me of what Steve Gilliard said to someone who complained about not getting links: "Get off your knees." We all want links, but most of us are too proud to trawl for them.

Anonymous said...

And bloggers like Instaperv have egos just big enough that they respond to that kind of brown nosing. That, or if you're a chick, all you need to do to get a link from him is post a picture of yourself showing your cleavage. That guy really creeps me out.