I haven’t and don’t take The Huffington Post too seriously. It’s a large blog/opinion conglomerate that tilts about 89 degrees to the left - but that’s not significant. I read regularly more than a few sites that slant one way or the other because there is worthwhile content on both sides, even if you do have to dig for it patiently.
I discount HuffPo because it is uniquely comfortable with some of the least sensible, most vile commentary on the internet. It’s so heinous, ill-reasoned and ridiculous - in the literal sense - that any self-respecting writer would do well to avoid it, and that includes some of the notables in the education world.
Consider this piece by Peter Mehlman, sportswriter-turned-comedy producer [Seinfeld] who suggests that the Bush Administration is worse than all the genocidal dictators in history because at least the Hitlers, Stalins and Pol Pots meant well:
“You could argue that even the world’s worst fascist dictators at least meant well. They honestly thought were doing good things for their countries by suppressing blacks/eliminating Jews/eradicating free enterprise/repressing individual thought/killing off rivals/invading neighbors, etc. Only the Saudi royal family is driven by the same motives as Bush, but they were already entrenched. Bush set a new precedent. He came into office with the attitude of “I’m so tired of the public good. What about my good? What about my rich friends’ good?”
How can anyone not see it? It’s not that their policies have been misguided or haven’t played out right. They. Don’t. Even. Mean. Well.”
Well. Noted. Peter. The Onion may have been a better outlet for your piece, though they may have required that you capitalize the SERIOUS words for EMPHASIS and also strikethrough the most obnoxious charming highlights to ram home your worthless point.
The Huffington Post simply doesn’t care about publishing such base, shameful opinions. And why would it? Its readership is notoriously hateful, which is why HuffPo itself turns off comments on news stories that inspire outrageous reactions [ie., a news story about Dick Cheney's blood clot that generated comments begging for his painful, miserable death].
This disgusting pattern doesn’t stop some of the more notable ed-writers from contributing to HuffPo. Just think, Mr. Russo - if you posted less often on HuffPo, you could devote more time to hard-hitting analysis of “Power Couples” in the education world or pulling Jerry Springer duty here and there.
To Russo and the rest of the education world: muster up some dignity and integrity and stop posting there.
Some takes on this piece across the blogosphere, in no particular order:
- The Moderate Voice : Over the Edge
- BlueStar Chronicles : Hitler Meant Well
- Conservative Thoughts : At Least Hitler Meant Well
- WizBang! : Bush Derangement Syndrome Reaches Fevered Pitch
- The New Editor : George Bush Worse than Fascist Dictators
UPDATE at 6/25/07, 9.10pm:
Listen to John Gibson’s interview with Peter Mehlman - Gibson exposes him as illogical, non-thinking and completely unhinged.
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