Open letters are the hissy fits of our times, petulant and tedious expressions of collective outrage. It is also by some considerable measure the laziest form of protest.
In other words, the terminally aggrieved could take to the barricades but that would mean having to walk all the way to the barricades, standing around, feeling uncomfortable and what if it rained? It’s much easier to simply put names to a letter someone else had written in strident agreement with its contents.
There is one particularly egregious example of the open letter that caught my eye last night. It comes from the Columbia Journalism Review and is allegedly an open letter from the American press corps to President-elect Donald Trump.
As if journalists weren’t despised enough by the community, along comes this haughty expression of well … a journalist’s basic job description albeit dripping in sanctimony and self-importance. It even includes the grammatical venal sin of writing ‘you’re’ as ‘your’. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Full column here.
darren says:
January 25, 2017 at 4:35 am
Holy shit, bassman, you easily broke my record there.
I’m not so sure, Daz. I remember having hair when I started reading one of your old ones! I think this new one page format can be advantageous to the looong poster. On the plus side when Bassman is writing his novella’s you know he’s not rooting around doing other stuff!
John O’Hagan – if you get around to finding my recent reply to you I trust you know the “=” was a typo, thus my thought not yours.
Oz day tomorrow. Has anyone got a Pauline Hanson effigy (someone threw 2 perfectly good Abbott ones in my front yard a while back) and an Oz flag? Im not happy with the date of the ‘cellarbration” and am thinking of having some old fashioned fun by democratically expressing myself. Cate Blanchett’s number would be handy too. If that fails, perennial standbys, Wendy Harmer and Catherine Deveny wouldn’t pass up the opportunity. oi oi oi, burn burn burn. Death to the Colonialist oppressors!
True…Dazza has had longer ones than this. He has not been around for a while though.
Agree mine was a bit over the top.
There is a growing movement to change Straya to the most Australian day, MAAAATE. You know it makes sense.
Yvonne 02:58pm.
Yes he can create a disturbance at times this character at large.
The postie delivering cds and dvds here on a scooter, was curious pulling me up one day , asking me, whats with this name Rodent Ratcliff Chipping Norton ? I told him the story who it was giving me this name being a mate , he just rode off shaking his head.
Goodness me Mr Insider the Donald is moving at breakneck speed announcing the building of the Mexican Wall, a ban on Refugees, construction of a Pipeline or two, just to name a few and we read re the Wall “President Trump on Wednesday will order the construction of a Mexican border wall — the first in a series of actions this week to crack down on immigrants and bolster national security”. One wonders has Mexico agreed already to fund the cost of this Great Wall? Meanwhile back in Australia PM Turnbull is feeling dizzy with the pace of developments and has gone for a Bex and a good lie down!
http://tinyurl.com/hjsoxcj
Sort of reminiscent of the Berlin Wall , HB. When they tear it down they can sell the chips as souvenirs. I still have a piece of the Berlin Wall. Was there when it came crashing down.
Certainly exciting times ahead Yvonne under POTUS Trump possibly the likes we have never seen before.
Mexico has certainly not agreed to anything! My understanding is that Trump plans to withhold aid to Mexico in the amount required to build the “wall”. This may not be such a big deal, as even before the election it was conceded to be more a fence-type thing, and now the election is past, we may be looking at a bit of chicken-wire and few star-pickets.
Even so, family connections in Mexico say that the atmosphere there is such that if Mr Trump ever visits, he is unlikely to be doing any impromptu town-square meet-and-greets.
I doubt the Donald will give two squirts if duckshit if the Mexicans love him or not. I imagine the cancellation by Ford of the new plant has already shown them what he’s about and they won’t be happy.
20% levy on all Mexican goods is how he plans to recover the costs, JOH. All sorts of ramifications from that move. One assumes he has done the maths.
Jean Baptiste
January 25, 2017 at 8:24 am
Asks: ” ……. surely you have reached the stage in life where you can understand the official narrative is and always has been chook food …… ”
I sure have and I sure do JB, I’ve been reading your narrative for years.
And seeing as you’re in such a jocular mood may I ask ; Why did the chook walk half way across the road?
Answer: Because she wanted to lay it on the line.
But then, you already knew that me old rooster, eh.
Why did the punk rocker cross the road Carl?
If Carl doesn’t know will you tell us, sweet Jean?
btw, have you got your Holden decked out in full oz regalia, cobber? got your good Jackie Howe, stubbies and oz flag thongs all lined up ready to hit the longnecks, snags and backyard cricket, me old china? havabloodygoodone digger.
MODERATION ALERT!
“Because he had a chicken stapled to his d*ck.”
I knew another version…….it involved unatural acts with the chicken.
Cross which road JB, Abbey Road or the one near the poultry farm?
….see what I mean? Obsession with terrorism gone crazy!!
Fred Nile denied visa for Donald Trump inauguration, deemed a ‘security threat’
I’d also be nervous of Fred!
Fred Niles not Fred nurk
Whatever the reason, smart move by the yanks
I couldn’t understand that one myself. Maybe, given the photo, that the face would curdle all the cream in the USA?
Bassy:
Hey, Bassy, can you explain the ”AVON” bit – which is presume means me? I don’t understand it and don’t see the relevance. If it’s a joke from some bygone age I’m afraid it’s lost on me anyway.
Let’s have a detailed explanation, so we can have a laugh – otherwise the name’s Yvonne!
Yvonne, he’s been referring to to me as “TOASTER” for years. A psychologist would probably say its intended to be a disparagement. But I think he’s unwittingly having a gentle, harmless little tug with his own mind, if you get what I mean.
Oh okay then. But I really would like to know what it’s all about! I see Dismayed has latched on to using it – so I have no doubt it must be some sort of disparagement! I’m curious that’s all. It’s quite funny really I presume these are grown men?
In body but not in wisdom
I think its because “Toaster” kind of rhymes with “Coaster”, Carl. You may be overthinking this a little…
Have you never heard of rhyming slang or strine slang?
darren 04:42am.
I feel sorry for you darren having low education standards not tuned into all this economic posts bloggers engage in.
You have a history of confusion coming from other bloggers setting them questioning you, Remember?
I would date back on your posts where you tangled yourself right up before worrying about others.
No worries, EE…
Very interesting discussion on the need for company tax cuts btw. Amanda Vanstone and Grace Collyer. Especially in light of Trump’s pledge to cut tax to 15% and lure funds back with an even less rate (10%) imposed.
Her argument in favour of company tax cuts is logical – I’d say we will have a problem with the migration of business to the US in the coming year or two – if he indeed does what he says he will.
As Collyer pointed out, Trump has made all sorts of pledges – and he will certainly follow through. He is not the sort pf politician, or man, that says one thing and then waters it down and down and down until it becomes meaningless. Which seems to happen on a regular basis here these days!
This is not a ”pro Trump” comment. It is reality.
Somebody lease take this one. I cant handle the victim status it will set off. Collyer logical? Vanstone? Balanced these 2 are NOT. Now I understand why you continually tell people you are not dumb. You are trying to convince someone that is for sure.
Piss off Dismayed. I have asked you to leave me alone. Go off and get your jollies elsewhere.
He cant someone took his marbles away
He’s lost them, Robin.
She knows the difference from an official site and a Getup paid for reachtel poll. Where does that leave you?
Even if tax cut eventuates it will be at a huge cost to the budget for very little gain. The growth reward would be 1 per cent over 10 years when the economy has just shrunk 0.5 per cent in three months. This mob’s economic mismanagement is putting Labor’s hard-won AAA credit rating at risk. The projected deficit for this financial year has tripled, while the deficit for 2015-16 was a whopping eight times higher than when the Looters took office. Don’t forget the Looters are putting $300billion into Defence over the next 10years as well….where is this money coming from? MORE LOOTING from our grandchildren.
Bassy, if you’re replying to my comment about Grace Collier’s radio interview, she was actually talking about Trump’s plans to cut taxes. not Australia’s. Did either of you actually listen to the interview before I was labelled ”dumb” by the silly blinkered Dismayed, I wonder?
The point of what she was saying is that Trump’s cuts are going to tempt a lot of companies to return to the USA – and he is offering generous incentives for them to do that. This has the potential to cause an exodus of companies back to the USA – from here, there and everywhere, with the resultant loss of tax revenue for Australia from those that decide to leave our shores. ( And they won’t be the first that have decided to quit and go offshore because it is too expensive to stay here and battle union demands…)
The US sharemarket is already getting excited. The US economy will be stimulated.
Trump is following through on his election promises with these strange decrees of his in rapid fire mode, and the world is going to have to deal with the fallout effects on their home economies. – or work out what they will be, for starters. Why stay here and pay high taxes if relocation to the US is feasible,
Turnbull may have to make some quick decisions himself.
RE:
Dismayed says:
January 24, 2017 at 11:05 pm
Dismayed,
You are so utterly predictable. You make an unsubstantiated assertion and when asked to
define’ or ‘explain’ you drop into your standard MOD – pathetic personal abuse, bluster and crab-walking away from your assertion.
Based on your assertion – Trump’s middle America must be only in the ‘Blue’ bits.
I am unsure whether you have lived in USA but as was who has I can assure you that ‘Middle America’ how ever defined is unlikely to be found in California or New York. New England maybe.
California is so socially, economically and politically different that it would as a political entity be aghast to think it was Middle America. Ditto New York.
How if Trump carried the ‘Red’ bits can you possibly assert he does NOT (your emphasis not mine) represent Middle America?
As for the abuse – water off a duck’s back!!!
Did you miss this or just decide to continue to misrepresent what I said. I made NO mention of any particular state or any blue/red statements. You did. You appear to be having a conversation with yourself and want to bring me into it. If you don’t like the answer that is your problem. I stand by my comment trump does NOT represent middle America as he purports to. Take your dishonesty somewhere else. There is enough of it allowed to go on here as it is. I said “It is a “colloquial” term used to describe people from small towns and suburbs mostly “middle class”. ” Not mention of dictates or colours. Your hypocrisy is a blatant as razor and yvonnes.
plmo, I empathise with your frustration. It reminds one of that old proverb -“There are none so bling as those who will not see.”
Correction ; “blind”
It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his NOT understanding it.
Haha. Rest assured you’re amongst good company, plmo. Welcome.
plmo = sadly it is a Sisyphean task, or more aptly its colloquial equivalent(s), that you are engaged in, plmo. Not to say it is not an enjoyable to watch, one sided and cruel blood sport! Interestingly, Dismayed bears more than a passing resemblance to Gerard Henderson when he also is up against the wall, in that he moves the goalposts and blurs the lines. Probably high praise, as I don’t mind a bit of Hendo when he is on song and in tune.
Ah yes ongoing cons groupthink. Sheep unable and unwilling to accept facts through fear of admitting you are wrong. Milton, where to start. As with the cons here you project your failings because you have nothing else. 7 out of 10 cons go along with the crowd knowing something is wrong out of fear of being left out of the group. These studies prove the cons are just weak.
So are you JB, JOH and Dazza engaged in groupthink?
Here’s an interesting paper that shows what can be done on dumps of unclassified and secret
information with a neural network https://arxiv.org/abs/1611.00356
Oh, and here’s some real info on improvements in the solar power world that may help some of you guys win more arguments http://spectrum.ieee.org/energy/renewables/can-smarter-solar-inverters-save-the-grid
Big fan of solar AG. It’s those bloody wind farms I just can’t abide.
All too late for either Razor. Nuclear is the solution .
Well, well, well.
No problems as long as it stands alone and pays its way.
3 holes in the ground…..coalmines……how green was my valley
and my planet
Three holes in the ground
The wheels go round and round.
http://witscience.org/study-summation-effects-wind-turbines-earths-rotation/
Very funny! Bunch of clowns.
http://realorsatire.com/witscience-org/
They are very good. http://witscience.org/first-scientific-proof-god-found/
It’s in your DNA.
Anyway, everyone knows its whales causing bad weather, crop circles and birth defects, just as surely as the French started The Troubles. The hated French! Bastards!