The Megan McArdle Hot Take: Mother Teresa, Come On Down!

More tweets for your edification:

I have no dog in the Mother Theresa fight, but most of the “indictments” argue the Church shouldn’t canonize her b/c… she was too Catholic.

— (((Megan McArdle))) (@asymmetricinfo) September 5, 2016

This is typical of McArdle's arguments. She claims to be impartial before giving her opinion. She makes a sweeping statement that she does not back up with any evidence. She does not name names and she does not explain her statement. True, Twitter is severely limited, but we know this little tweet follows a much bigger pattern. Fortunately for us, McArdle explains her thought.

@asymmetricinfo You need to read Chris Hitchens on MT.

— AnonIsMyName (@anonismynameec) September 5, 2016

@anonismynameec I am in fact thinking of Chris Hitchens, who complains that she opposed abortion and thought suffering could sanctify.

— (((Megan McArdle))) (@asymmetricinfo) September 5, 2016

Now we know McArdle read one article by right-wing frenemy Christopher Hitchens and knee-jerked a tweet in response. Typically, McArdle ignored any Hitchens nuance and made a false accusation based on willful misreading of the article. (McArdle's reading comprehension is poor but not that poor.) 

Hitchens didn't "complain" that Mother Teresa opposed abortion; he said one expects Catholics to believe Catholic teachings. He criticized her fundamentalist fanaticism, for which he had plenty of evidence. McArdle ignored the evidence given and was far too idle and self-assured to actually check to see if she was right.

The idea that suffering sanctifies people is horrific, something that a person with McArdle's moral maturity can't even begin to understand. Suffering is pain, but some Catholics believe that since Jesus was good and Jesus suffered, it's good for people (usually other people) to suffer. Mother Teresa was criticized for glorifying suffering, instead of using her fame and considerable donations to eradicating the causes of poverty, as Hitchens stated. Eradicating poverty begins with women gaining control over their lives, which begins with birth control.

To top off the whole sorry picture, she defended a rapist priest who went on to rape more children. Not that McArdle cares. Some of her friends are conservative Catholic so she defends Mother Teresa on Twitter. They're in the same tribe and nobody wants to think badly of their group.

And that is how America became stupid. When thinking becomes painful, people stop thinking. Well, some people do.

@asymmetricinfo He also criticised her actual work, not just her religious belief, and also her personal hypocrisy.

— AnonIsMyName (@anonismynameec) September 5, 2016

 At this point McArdle abandoned the discussion. It wasn't about money so it wasn't worth doubling and tripling down.


(Another reminder that if you want the truth about someone famous, find a devoted admirer. And critics, of course.)