Emphasis Added

Friday, August 29, 2003

Who's Lying Now?

One of the more insight-free examples of criticism and analysis appeared on Wednesday over at Slate. Jack Shafer, in a column called "Liar Liar," attempted to survey the suddenly-crowded field of political tomes from the left that make the case against the honesty and forthrightness of the current Administration and its cadre of toadies and lickspiddles in the right-wing media. Shafer tries to be even-handed but instead comes across as witless and incapable of making a critical judgment (don't just take my word for it - the Daily Howler also tears this clown a new one). Since Shafer invited comment, I sent him the following little missive:

Hey Jack,

Your Liar-Liar piece was a great exercise in showing that a pound of gold indeed weighs the same as a pound of shit. Thanks for setting the record straight about that. You wrote:

I suppose that when consuming liar-liar books in pairs, say Sean Hannity�s versus Joe Conason�s the average reader might come within spitting distance of political reality.

I�m sorry, I must have missed the part about how Hannity�s screed contributes anything meaningful to anyone�s understanding of politics, except to prove the proposition that there is such as thing as a right-wing idiot. Conason, whatever you may think of his politics, doesn�t just bluster. He argues from real facts, as you acknowledge elsewhere in your article. So does Franken, for that matter, and he�s supposed to be writing a humor book.

As a journalist, you should understand the difference between a well-sourced, annotated, and researched position, and one that is based on deliberate distortion, rhetoric and wishful thinking. Even within a genre as inherently biased as polemics, it is possible to make distinctions between cogent arguments that demand consideration and groundless opinions.

Think of it this way: it is as if you have been presented two sides of a legal case by the defense and prosecution, where one argues using DNA, physical evidence and expert testimony, and the other relies on hearsay and demonstrable falsehoods. In your Liar, Liar piece, rather than come to any conclusions, you simply point out that both sides are, in fact, presenting a vigorous case for their sides (true, but so what?), and you suggest that it is the obligation of the defense to also argue the case for the prosecution in order to be taken seriously. (Heh. Nice one. Very �fair and balanced.�) You then conclude with the utterly fatuous argument that, because you are looking at two extreme positions, the �truth� must lie somewhere in between, when in fact one side has done nothing that a disinterested observer would recognize to establish a credible claim to the truth and the other has.

The inability of people to separate truth from falsehood � fact from fantasy � is rotting away the foundations of our democracy. Conason and Franken are doing their best to point that out, and they lay their cards on the table (in the form of verifiable data, sourced and cited, in context). Equating their intellectually honest and rigorous efforts with the rank bullshit and propaganda of Coulter, Hannity (and Michael Moore, by the way, who uses the same shabby research methods in service of a different agenda) ill serves your readership and demonstrates a weak commitment to your responsibilities as a critic and participant in the debate.

Keep up the good work.

1:17:54 PM

Emphasize This! []

One Year of Emphasis Added� and Counting

Pardon a brief break from the ranting to mark an important milestone � at least around these parts. Last year on this date, I took the plunge into the blogosphere as a way to finally do some writing that I care about. It took a while to find a voice, but I believe the exercise of posting four or five times a week and engaging with a small but engaged and supportive readership has pushed me to think better, write better and become part of a wider community of intellectually-engaged people.

It�s been a great ride so far � certainly one of the best things in my life in the last year, and I�d like to publicly thank many of the people who make it so rewarding. At the risk of sounding like an Oscar speech, my heartfelt gratitude goes out to:

Salon, for building us this pond to play in and even maintaining it once in a while.
MediaPlant for hosting services, and Andrew Lueck for design help with the new look.
Fellow bloggers Rayne, Jan the Secular Blasphemer, Pesky Susan, Kriselda at Different Strings, World-Saving Dave Pollard, Rich Pure and Simple, Patriotically Incorrect, Flitchyboy, FIONA, and our departed brother-in-spirit, The Raven (to name just a few) for their support, encouragement, and commitment to excellence on their own sites.
Mark Hoback, proprietor of Fried Green Al-Quaedas, deserves special mention for founding and editing the great webzine Virtual Occoquan, and seeing fit to include my stuff in it from time to time.
Also uber-bloggers Scott Rosenberg, Nathan Newman, Oliver Willis, James Taranto from OpinionJournal, and Jonathan Chait from the New Republic, who have all stopped by at one time or another and offered words of encouragement (and the occasional link!)
Readers who have taken the time to comment over the last year: Harald, Steve, Mepriser, Guy, Wilkins, Dave, Jimbo, Bruce, Mark and the others who have not only slogged through my prose day after day but often find something smart and useful to add that I hadn�t thought of.
Finally, big thanks to Duffy (who I know personally) and Matt DeLuca (who I don�t) and all their conservative buddies who take the time to consider a different point of view and who keep this site from becoming an �Amen corner� for frustrated lefties.

Sorry if this all sounds so serious and self-important, but sticking with this for a year was an important goal for me, and to the extent the experiment has been at all successful, I want to celebrate it and the people who made it so. So thanks everyone, and be sure to stick around for Year Two!

Notes of Encouragement

The following folks were kind enough to write a few words on the occasion of the one-year blogversary.

The Raven:

This is the voice of the Raven. In the several past months you've seen a number of new blogs emerge on Salon. Some of these have succeeded, and some have crashed and burned in a smoking justice as profound as the contempt in which they were held by a wise readership. Some notables have drifted away, yet while there's breath there's hope.

Emphasis Added remains a stalwart among the shining stars that form the Salon constellation of literary voices, and for good reason. Few writers can match Rob's consistency and fewer still can turn eloquent and persuasive arguments with the precision and authority that define the EA eye. In a world of punditry gone sadly wrong, that daily appears yet even more unbalanced and unfair, Emphasis Added makes the case for heartfelt compassion and reasoned analysis - commodities woefully short in supply and ever welcome in this, a parched and restless desert of shambling, attention-seeking dilettantes.

Our congrats on your first anniversary, Rob. We'll be here for the next.

Rayne Today:

Here�s to Rob Salkowitz on his first blogiversary!

Rob was one of my inspirations for taking up blogging; glad to see he�s slugged it out and gotten the first year under his belt. I�m grateful for his insightful writing, grateful for another lefty who doesn�t let the right get off lightly.

Wish you many more blogiversaries to come, Rob!

Brian Duffy:

Congrats on one fine year of EA. I have enjoyed the perspectives contained herein, and, while I most always disagree with those perspectives, it helps me to see what the obstacles to positive change are. I tend to be an optimist when it comes to the ability of humankind, perhaps here at EA is where I get a dose of reality. May we all enjoy Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness! If only I could get the libs out of the way, I would get there. And Rob, I sense that someday you will see the light, and I will welcome you with open arms. The intellectual truth will set you free!!!

Steve:

Happy Birthday to You Rob and to your primo Weblog. "Emphasis Added", better than many Sandwiches.

Rich Pure & Simple

The diversity expressed by blogs in the hereabouts is perhaps what keeps us all thinking, entertained and motivated to continue. In other words, blogs are many things to many people. Unequivocally you're looking at one of the best in EA folks. Rob combines an innate and amazing intelligence - which he actually uses before he blogs - together with a semi-formal and very eloquent writing style that makes him, in my opinion, one of the top five bloggers in Salon. Rob, I sincerely hope to continue to enjoy your almost daily musings and editorial essays - a first and "must" read. Now blow out the candles.

Thanks one and all! [OK, orgy of self-congratulation over - back to the ranting]

7:17:01 AM

Emphasize This! []