The old love letters reminded me of when some of Obama’s old love letters to a long ago girlfriend got published. They had to be the most serious intellectually rigorous love letters ever written. Made me feel a bit sorry for Michele ( this guy is not very romantic) but great for the country.
Ew, I hope no one saved my old love letters from my co-dependent, before-therapy days! I lived it once and have no interest in reliving it. Have none of you grown beyond who you were? As for the editorial opinion pages, I didn’t find the Tribune all that brilliant and persuasive, given their obvious bias for the Republican party perspective. This was especially evident when they could ‘t bring themselves to endorse Hillary in 2016 when her credentials and expertise was so obvious and her opponent was Donald Trump.
I've been an avid reader of op-eds for over 40 years and never worried about being "lectured at". That was the point. It's up to me to decide what I'll agree with or not. But I have lowered my consumption for many of the reasons you outline.
* Everyone feels compelled to comment on a few national issues. How about more "Chicago" in the Chicago Tribune? At least the content would be unique. Today's guest column on the structure of city government is a good example of what I'd gladly read.
* There are too many columns full of anodyne platitudes playing on emotions or creating strawmen to knock down. We need more specifics and less distortion of the real problems at issue. I think your point-counterpoint idea is worthwhile. Your debate with Austin Berg on the proposed Illinois Constitutional amendment sharpened the focus on the issue and forced both of you to address the other side's arguments.
Obvious in social media is people responding to headlines vs articles - factual or opinion. At times - I will read a headline and go to the comments, then read the article - seeing that most respond without knowing what the article said or didn't say. If I see a trending subject, I can click on it and see multiple headlines - some with identical source content, use a headline that sways the reader a certain direction.
I love op-eds. And Steve Chapman. In addition to the points raised, I want op-eds that address local issues, not just hot-button national ones, and for these you need local writers, not nationally syndicated ones. And, I like that op-eds create a space for things that are not hot-button issues. They can be a space to reflect on important things that aren't necessarily news, things that aren't urgent, things that might be too boring or arcane but still have an impact on society, space to be expansive, reflective, anticipatory, or provide perspective. I don't like op-eds that are vacuous (even if written by a famous columnist ... I'm looking at that guy from the Hoover Institute who degrades Standford's brand every time he writes), but good ones make me think in ways that no news story ever does. The editorial page is the one thing I assuredly do read every time I look at the newspaper.
I agree with everything Eric said about pundits. Punditry on national and global issues isn't going away, it is just migrating to different venues. I think the main challenge is making those venues conveniently accessible and non-threatening, in order to attract the most readers. I would love to have an opinion aggregation site that provided opposing opinions grouped by topic. A bonus would be some kind of stridency flag or filter that would allow me to find those offering ideas without rancor. The area needing the most attention is lack of good editors. News media from all venues have created the problem of obvious bias in reporting; conflating entertainment, prediction, and framing with news; and not clearly grouping opinion and advocacy articles separately. Finally, local opinion is essential, in part because it frequently enlightens us on how local politics works.
Great content, as always, Eric; just a couple of comments. I’m old school, but the dearth of independent opinion columnists is what I miss most about American newspapers. Sadly, today we receive far too much opinion baked into the content of supposed news stories, especially from sources like the Associated Press. Second, judging all Republicans (or any party member) by the acts or words of an irresponsible few is similar to the long-standing complaint of Black Americans that too many white people judge all Blacks by the worst actors who happen to be Black. In the future, let’s try not to stereotype.
So, we already agreed on ranked choice voting that would reduce the reward of dramatic, fringe appeals. But the return of political rationality and some party discipline would also help. There are six candidates in the race with Greitens, with the top three above 18% and the bottom three with a total of 13%. A strong party and rational candidates would reduce the field to the top three, if not two, and ensure that someone like Greitens would lose. I don't understand why this isn't happening in either party. On the PBS Newshour 'Politics Monday' segment last night Amy Walter and Tamara Keith agreed that the state parties for both Dems and GOP were weak and overly influenced by fringe members.
Greitens is reprehensible. But his latest ad is merely the next step along the path of 'politics as combat' metaphor that has become the norm. Fighting, attacking, seizing, defending, targeting, assaulting, stealing, invading, killing, murdering, etc. are all standard language from candidates of both parties to describe what the other side is doing or what has to be done to stop it. Military and revolutionary metaphors are all very common - call to arms, battles, revolution, overthrow, take to the streets (or barricades), drive out, etc. It seems that political operators are constantly looking for ways to up the ante in search of attention and generating enthusiasm. I have no idea how to correct this sorry slide. Our only salvation is the good sense and civil behavior of the vast majority, and we can only hope that the actual violent actor remains rare.
Eric - thank you for your excellent overview of the movement to remove the opinion page from daily newspapers. You did an awesome job of talking through each of the considerations involved, and that is the classic Zorn logic and reason that I love reading!
As a conservative, I am mortified that a slime ball like Greitens has any following whatsoever. He is a total embarrassment to the Republican party and conservatives, and it will be a disaster if he comes through the primary against the splintered opposition. Let's pray not.
EZ wrote that the past "can be quite rich, entertaining and useful to revisit". For people who agree with that I have no criticism and am probably a bit envious. But for others, it may be best to leave the stones of the past unturned as the memories may not be so great. The couple of times I've tried something along the lines of returning old letters it did not go well.
The 2016 and 2020 elections made me wonder if we would see the rise of one or more new parties. It seems to me that there is plenty of room for a center left and a center right party that would be able to isolate the fringes. Or maybe a single independent party that had both liberal and conservative wings. A Libertarian party with a clear social liberal, fiscal conservative message might be a model. Or maybe a Green Party that emphasized climate and the economy. I can imagine MAGA and Progressives hiving off (or purging their parties) in search of ideological purity, and they have momentum but would leave the majority a very limited set of choices. I guess the problem is lack of strong leaders, money, and the short-term risk of electoral losses.
We live in two worlds - my sister lives in Missouri (The Belly of the Beast) and told me the Eric Greitens ad was very popular in her area for two reasons - it got the Democrats in a huff and it resulted in big bucks going to Eric. He now has a bigger campaign chest than any of the other candidates.
Also I asked her about any gay pride parades - she laughed. We have NEVER had a gay pride parade in Osage Beach (and environs). Folks here fight diversity not celebrate it,
Finally Juneteenth?..My sister replied - not celebrated and likely to be ignored in the future.
When the national news discusses gay pride parades and Juneteenth, folks laugh at the fake news and keep their dials tuned to fox news 24/7.
The old love letters reminded me of when some of Obama’s old love letters to a long ago girlfriend got published. They had to be the most serious intellectually rigorous love letters ever written. Made me feel a bit sorry for Michele ( this guy is not very romantic) but great for the country.
Ew, I hope no one saved my old love letters from my co-dependent, before-therapy days! I lived it once and have no interest in reliving it. Have none of you grown beyond who you were? As for the editorial opinion pages, I didn’t find the Tribune all that brilliant and persuasive, given their obvious bias for the Republican party perspective. This was especially evident when they could ‘t bring themselves to endorse Hillary in 2016 when her credentials and expertise was so obvious and her opponent was Donald Trump.
I've been an avid reader of op-eds for over 40 years and never worried about being "lectured at". That was the point. It's up to me to decide what I'll agree with or not. But I have lowered my consumption for many of the reasons you outline.
* Everyone feels compelled to comment on a few national issues. How about more "Chicago" in the Chicago Tribune? At least the content would be unique. Today's guest column on the structure of city government is a good example of what I'd gladly read.
* There are too many columns full of anodyne platitudes playing on emotions or creating strawmen to knock down. We need more specifics and less distortion of the real problems at issue. I think your point-counterpoint idea is worthwhile. Your debate with Austin Berg on the proposed Illinois Constitutional amendment sharpened the focus on the issue and forced both of you to address the other side's arguments.
Obvious in social media is people responding to headlines vs articles - factual or opinion. At times - I will read a headline and go to the comments, then read the article - seeing that most respond without knowing what the article said or didn't say. If I see a trending subject, I can click on it and see multiple headlines - some with identical source content, use a headline that sways the reader a certain direction.
I love op-eds. And Steve Chapman. In addition to the points raised, I want op-eds that address local issues, not just hot-button national ones, and for these you need local writers, not nationally syndicated ones. And, I like that op-eds create a space for things that are not hot-button issues. They can be a space to reflect on important things that aren't necessarily news, things that aren't urgent, things that might be too boring or arcane but still have an impact on society, space to be expansive, reflective, anticipatory, or provide perspective. I don't like op-eds that are vacuous (even if written by a famous columnist ... I'm looking at that guy from the Hoover Institute who degrades Standford's brand every time he writes), but good ones make me think in ways that no news story ever does. The editorial page is the one thing I assuredly do read every time I look at the newspaper.
I appreciate knowing what some columnists thinks, but I must respect what they usually opine.
I agree with everything Eric said about pundits. Punditry on national and global issues isn't going away, it is just migrating to different venues. I think the main challenge is making those venues conveniently accessible and non-threatening, in order to attract the most readers. I would love to have an opinion aggregation site that provided opposing opinions grouped by topic. A bonus would be some kind of stridency flag or filter that would allow me to find those offering ideas without rancor. The area needing the most attention is lack of good editors. News media from all venues have created the problem of obvious bias in reporting; conflating entertainment, prediction, and framing with news; and not clearly grouping opinion and advocacy articles separately. Finally, local opinion is essential, in part because it frequently enlightens us on how local politics works.
Great content, as always, Eric; just a couple of comments. I’m old school, but the dearth of independent opinion columnists is what I miss most about American newspapers. Sadly, today we receive far too much opinion baked into the content of supposed news stories, especially from sources like the Associated Press. Second, judging all Republicans (or any party member) by the acts or words of an irresponsible few is similar to the long-standing complaint of Black Americans that too many white people judge all Blacks by the worst actors who happen to be Black. In the future, let’s try not to stereotype.
So, we already agreed on ranked choice voting that would reduce the reward of dramatic, fringe appeals. But the return of political rationality and some party discipline would also help. There are six candidates in the race with Greitens, with the top three above 18% and the bottom three with a total of 13%. A strong party and rational candidates would reduce the field to the top three, if not two, and ensure that someone like Greitens would lose. I don't understand why this isn't happening in either party. On the PBS Newshour 'Politics Monday' segment last night Amy Walter and Tamara Keith agreed that the state parties for both Dems and GOP were weak and overly influenced by fringe members.
Greitens is reprehensible. But his latest ad is merely the next step along the path of 'politics as combat' metaphor that has become the norm. Fighting, attacking, seizing, defending, targeting, assaulting, stealing, invading, killing, murdering, etc. are all standard language from candidates of both parties to describe what the other side is doing or what has to be done to stop it. Military and revolutionary metaphors are all very common - call to arms, battles, revolution, overthrow, take to the streets (or barricades), drive out, etc. It seems that political operators are constantly looking for ways to up the ante in search of attention and generating enthusiasm. I have no idea how to correct this sorry slide. Our only salvation is the good sense and civil behavior of the vast majority, and we can only hope that the actual violent actor remains rare.
Eric - thank you for your excellent overview of the movement to remove the opinion page from daily newspapers. You did an awesome job of talking through each of the considerations involved, and that is the classic Zorn logic and reason that I love reading!
As a conservative, I am mortified that a slime ball like Greitens has any following whatsoever. He is a total embarrassment to the Republican party and conservatives, and it will be a disaster if he comes through the primary against the splintered opposition. Let's pray not.
EZ wrote that the past "can be quite rich, entertaining and useful to revisit". For people who agree with that I have no criticism and am probably a bit envious. But for others, it may be best to leave the stones of the past unturned as the memories may not be so great. The couple of times I've tried something along the lines of returning old letters it did not go well.
The 2016 and 2020 elections made me wonder if we would see the rise of one or more new parties. It seems to me that there is plenty of room for a center left and a center right party that would be able to isolate the fringes. Or maybe a single independent party that had both liberal and conservative wings. A Libertarian party with a clear social liberal, fiscal conservative message might be a model. Or maybe a Green Party that emphasized climate and the economy. I can imagine MAGA and Progressives hiving off (or purging their parties) in search of ideological purity, and they have momentum but would leave the majority a very limited set of choices. I guess the problem is lack of strong leaders, money, and the short-term risk of electoral losses.
We live in two worlds - my sister lives in Missouri (The Belly of the Beast) and told me the Eric Greitens ad was very popular in her area for two reasons - it got the Democrats in a huff and it resulted in big bucks going to Eric. He now has a bigger campaign chest than any of the other candidates.
Also I asked her about any gay pride parades - she laughed. We have NEVER had a gay pride parade in Osage Beach (and environs). Folks here fight diversity not celebrate it,
Finally Juneteenth?..My sister replied - not celebrated and likely to be ignored in the future.
When the national news discusses gay pride parades and Juneteenth, folks laugh at the fake news and keep their dials tuned to fox news 24/7.
We live in different worlds.