On Jul 10, 2008, at 2:20 PM, Dwayne Monroe wrote:
> I have to admit that this performance reinforced my growing impression
> of the two as very smart, but half-assed. For me, the scales were
> tipped towards the weary side by what seemed like Moe's 10,000th post
> on sorta-politics and maybe-feminism -- distractedly touching on this
> and that (China = sweatshop, Middle East = Burka, 'Dudes' = bad,
> except when it doesn't, Phila = burning warehouse fires, except when
> it doesn't because of all the cool people I know there, etc) with a
> curious combination of youthful know-it-all-ism, self deprecating
> boasting, apology-free apologia and almost wholesale acceptance
> (though in a snarky, 'I'm not a sucker' way) of mainstream media
> relayed stories. (I know Chavez is a threat: MSNC told me).
>
> There may be some larger point here, something to do with the Clash of
> Feminist Waves or ageism or the misuses of alcohol.
>
> No, probably not.
I dunno, maybe the effect of the Internet on political/cultural discourse? Bourdieu argued that TV favored "fast thinkers" - that it by its very nature made considered thought and commentary impossible. The publication schedule of print tolerated-to-encouraged slower thinking. Even having 24 hours between newspapers allowed some time for editorial reflection. Weeklies and monthlies allowed even more. Now everything's instant - and, in Jezebel's case (like the rest of Gawker Media), writers are paid by the pageview. So pump it out, the more sensational the better.
Moe's really smart, but she's not doing herself any favors being on constant display. Now we get to watch people break down in near-real- time. At least Lindsay Lohan's found love to arrest her decay.
Doug