Being 'into politics '

craner

Beast of Burden
But just to play devil's advocate, she used to write the gossip column, now she writes a political sketch thing, maybe not the place or person to be looking to for detailed political scrutiny and far reaching analysis?

There's a few things wrong with this.

1. The conservative assumptions behind her satire are totally at odds with the apparent bite of the jokes.
2. The position taken is one of omniscience: as if she is privy to the real facts and correct perspective which is a particular vice of liberal satire that adopts for itself a spurious moral elevation.
3. The targets are always the easiest ones.
4. The front she puts up is steely but in reality very brittle: it crumbles if one of her media mates is attacked.
5. The tone and style of her wit lends itself to easy recycling: it simply reinforces rather than challenges the comfortable positions of her readers.
6. The ultimate effect of this is to have absolutely no impact on her targets at all.
7. Which makes the smug presumption that she is doing something dangerous and radical that is baked into her paltry barbs even more insufferable, and, therefore
8. makes her more lazy and more sloppy as her profile increases and the more she is flattered (see, "brutal take down!", "genius!", etc.).
9. Just don't you dare be mean to Caitlin Moran!
 

john eden

male pale and stale
But just to play devil's advocate, she used to write the gossip column, now she writes a political sketch thing, maybe not the place or person to be looking to for detailed political scrutiny and far reaching analysis?
And Duel is Jaws with a truck kinda isn't it?
I don't blame her for doing what she does. Her elevation in some quarters as the cutting edge of commentary and satire is a depressing example of how bad things have got though.
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
2. The position taken is one of omniscience: as if she is privy to the real facts and correct perspective which is a particular vice of liberal satire that adopts for itself a spurious moral elevation.
Doesn't everyone do this, though?
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
There's a few things wrong with this.

1. The conservative assumptions behind her satire are totally at odds with the apparent bite of the jokes.
2. The position taken is one of omniscience: as if she is privy to the real facts and correct perspective which is a particular vice of liberal satire that adopts for itself a spurious moral elevation.
3. The targets are always the easiest ones.
4. The front she puts up is steely but in reality very brittle: it crumbles if one of her media mates is attacked.
5. The tone and style of her wit lends itself to easy recycling: it simply reinforces rather than challenges the comfortable positions of her readers.
6. The ultimate effect of this is to have absolutely no impact on her targets at all.
7. Which makes the smug presumption that she is doing something dangerous and radical that is baked into her paltry barbs even more insufferable, and, therefore
8. makes her more lazy and more sloppy as her profile increases and the more she is flattered (see, "brutal take down!", "genius!", etc.).
9. Just don't you dare be mean to Caitlin Moran!
Well some of that I agree with and some I don't... or don't see as a negative. Can you explain point one to me though?
 

craner

Beast of Burden
Well some of that I agree with and some I don't... or don't see as a negative. Can you explain point one to me though?

Yeah, I'm not saying that she votes conservative. But her humor presents itself as subversive, exposing and undermining the hypocrisies and crimes of the ruling classes, but its motivation and its underlying assumptions are fundamentally protective of the status quo. Far from being subversive they are essentially conservative.

This is not to be confused with being a liberal satirist, which is more directly linked to her actual politics and explains the fatuous moral authority she reserves for herself and that we have to assume she has earned.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
So what are those underlying assumptions and motivations? Genuine questions, not trying to catch you out.
 
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Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Yeah, I'm not saying that she votes conservative. But her humor presents itself as subversive, exposing and undermining the hypocrisies and crimes of the ruling classes, but its motivation and its underlying assumptions are fundamentally protective of the status quo. Far from being subversive they are essentially conservative.
Maybe you're using the word "conservative" in a somewhat technical sense here, or it's to do with the distinction between "conservative" meaning tending towards stasis, and "conservative" meaning right-wing. I mean, an aspect of the status quo in this country is that the NHS currently exists, but I don't think opposing moves to get rid of it are therefore "conservative", as I would use the word.
 

boxedjoy

Well-known member
these columns write themselves, don't they. "ooh that Boris, he's such a baddie! And such silly hair amirite?" it's playing to the gallery, says nothing insightful, just reinforces established positions while adding nothing to them, and does so with such an obvious lack of flair and charisma.
 

WashYourHands

Cat Malogen
Meanwhile Dorian Lynskey tweeted, "can anyone think of a Spielberg film that is like Jaws but isn't Jaws? It's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't quite place it. It's for 'a thing'..."

Ian Dunt replied, "How about Duel? It's Jaws with a truck!"

"That's perfect," Dorian replied, "thanks."

E.T.
 

DannyL

Wild Horses
If you look at the TL of Ian Dunt he doesn't have anything interesting or original to say about anything, but (of course) because he's the editor of politics.co.uk
He has written that book about liberalism which I do fancy reading - more because of huge gaps in my own general political knowledge rather than anything else. I can lend it to Thirdform when I'm done with it.
 

DannyL

Wild Horses
Did you see Hyde's piece about being shouted at in the street by some random POS bloke? The day after the Sarah Everard vigil while picking up her kid. That had more bite than normal.
 
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