The idea that someone who stumbled into a sound bite can be published, and charge $24.95 for said words, makes so many real writers think the world is unfair.
Ah, the eloquence of The New York Times. Timothy Egan, of said Times, wrote said words – uh, the quote above, that is – referring to Joe the Plumber. Timothy has a publisher, and he’s concerned that Joe may also find one.
No, the world is not fair. Timothy is finding that out. And Timothy assures us that there are also some real writers who think the world is unfair.
This little diatribe against the First Amendment proves that The New York Times is developing a flair for comedy as it enters its death throes. Humor and death seem to be natural companions. For example, Paul Simms packed a lot of humor into this account of his near-death experience, and Allen Klein wrote a book on humor and death, noting that humor gives one the pleasure of taming Death and fraternizing with him.
If humor is a suitable response to the realization that death is imminent for humans, why shouldn’t that apply to newspapers as well? Egan and the Times are certainly fraternizing with a position that, if taken seriously, would mean death to writers – even real ones.
Tim Blair dissects the inanity of Egan in greater detail here.
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