OK, the title’s a small exaggeration, maybe. But you can see for yourself — “Palinoia, the Destroyer: What’s behind the left’s deranged hatred by James Taranto.
Obviously, Taranto is attempting to fan the dying embers of Sarah Palin’s public career by assuring the faithful that the Left still hates her. And we don’t just hate her, he says. We are unhinged by hatred. The mere mention of the Quitter in Chief sends us into paroxysms of hatred that cause us to drive our hybrid BMWs off cliffs and drown in our hot tubs.
Well, not that I’ve noticed. The thing is, because the Right is so unhinged with hatred about so many things, they seems to confuse “taking notice of” with “deranged hatred.” Because, you know, why else would somebody comment on something if they weren’t driven mad with hatred of it?
Over the years, I’ve noticed even fairly innocuous commentaries about this or that figure of the Right will be dismissed by righties as “[figure of the Right] derangement syndrome.” I guess that’s so they don’t have to confront the ugly truths about such figures.
And, you know, in the minds of righties a public figure can have no higher value than an ability to enrage the Left. It’s all that really matters to them.
Still, I was going to give the Taranto piece a pass until I ran into this about halfway down —
For many liberal women, Palin threatens their sexual identity, which is bound up with their politics in a way that it is not for any other group (possibly excepting gays, though that is unrelated to today’s topic).
One wonders how unhinged someone has to be to actually think that.
My own interest in Palin is less about Palin herself than about why this, um, person could draw such fierce loyalty from at least one segment of our population. I wrote about this almost a year ago, in “Why Sarah Palin Is a Goddess.”
But more recently I only write about her when something puts her in the news, and I think that goes for most of us on the leftie blogosphere. We write about stuff in the news, whether we hate it or not.
Anyway, I didn’t get past the sentence about sexual identity, which inspired in me a deep sense of why do I even bother? If anyone has the stomach to go further, let me know if he let loose any other significant farts.
[Update: This is what unhinged actually looks like.]
Elsewhere — Murphy at The Beast has published The Fifty Most Loathesome Americans in 2010. I don’t agree 100 percent with his choices, but anyone who calls David Brooks “the Bernie Madoff of American letters” is OK in my book. Brooks makes me feel far more deranged than Palin ever did, and I doubt my sexual identity has much to do with that.
It’s the usual crap. Conservative man is always right and anyone else that does not agree with him is wrong.
He gets into the worn out conservative claptrap of liberal men are weak and passive, liberal women are viscious haters all because Taranto loves Palin and most people do not.
[Comment edited by maha. We don’t like the “c” word here in reference to anybody. Clean up your language. — maha]
To Sarah “Pain” and “Pain Lovers”
From the book “__ ________ _____(1)”
Nevertheless, our world is not exempt from pain, particularly mental pain. The singular characteristics of our world demand from the individuals specific behaviors that often produce dissatisfaction and discontent, like going up and down the ladder of knowledge without apparent results. Many individuals use pain to achieve a certain level of satisfaction, running a marathon, or tattooing themselves in absence of a clear purpose, probably as a reminder of a not too distant past when our bodies received pain without asking for it. For some, pain and suffering may be the objective, unconsciously reflecting cruelty to themselves in order to achieve some degree of gratification. For other persons, pain and suffering could be the only characterization of their cruel circumstances.
The reason that they love her so much is that they think we hate her so much.
They confuse tears of rightious anger, hatred, and indignation, with tears of laughter.
Generally, we find her amusing. She’s a bad joke. And the way she speaks. Kind of like a female Norm Crosby, just nowhere near as smart or funny. And only slightly better looking as she ages in front our very eyes, seemingly every day – as if the painting of her in the attic is starting to crack, too.
Yes, she amuses us. Except when she incites her lemming-like followers with the word-turds she drops into her endless TV, radio, and twitter appearances, which don’t have any real meaning for her outside of being told that’ll they’ll piss off the Liberals. She is completely unaware of what she says and any consequences.
And we marvel at the constant need for attention, and the bottomless pit of ignorance, the wounded vanity, the victimhood, the ability to make every critisism directed towards her seem like an attack on the Virgin Mary, that is Sarah Palin, “The Whore of Babblin’ On.”
But most of all, we’re tired of her. Snooki on ‘Jersey Shore’ might be amusing to some. For awhile. But even she’s not on 24X7X365. But to be constantly bombarded with Alaska’s SnowMachine Snooki every single day, from every available medium, makes one wish that radio and TV had never been invented, let alone Twitter and e-mails.
We want her to go away. We want to the media to stop covering every one of this twit’s tweet’s like some prophet’s words of wisdom. We beg the MSM to stop feeding the infinite maw that is her need for attention. If you’re that hooked on her, go to a 12 step program, and leave us the Hell alone.
NEVER UNDERSTIMAT THE CRUELTY OF REPUBLICANS – just when we thought that water-boarding as torture was as bad as they could get, they bring us the endless drip, drip, drip of the ‘Palin Media Torture.’ Directed at us. The rest of humanity.
ALL RIGHT! WE’LL CONFESS! Just, please, dear God Almighty, make it stop, make it stop, make it stop, make it stop, make it stop…
A month or two ago, I read a set of year end predictions, one of which stated that Sarah Palin was going to fall off the radar. I didn’t really believe it at the time, but son of a moose huntin gun, it looks like it really is happening.
I couldn’t bring myself to read Tranto’s dreck, but it sure sounds like an attempt to ignite dying passion in the faithful by reminding them that “Libruls are Evil”. I can’t even compute “for many liberal women, Palin threatens their sexual identity”. Huh?
Given SP’s amazing self marketing extravaganza these last few months, it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that Taranto was actually receiving a kickback for this piece. After all, she’s gotta do something to salvage all that expensive marketing.
There was a cartoon I wish I could link to, that featured one of SP’s books (the title is not important (not even in real life), it had her face on the cover). There was a succession of markdown stickers: $12.98, $9.98, $7.98, $4.98 – and finally “Free – We’re Giving It Away”.
[Comment edited by maha. We don’t like the “c” word here in reference to anybody. Clean up your language. — maha]
You’re a shameless liar for implying that I used that language. But I knew that already. And the really disgusting part is that I’m sure you do too, but the ends justify the means for people like you, right? Immoral scumbag.
It was in your post. But you’re the one being a shameless liar by implying that because (I assume) someone made up some Cafepress T-shirts calling Sarah Palin by the “c” word, that means all of us on the Left are deranged Palin haters.
As one of yours famously said — get a brain, moran.
My message to you is that assuming such T-shirts exist (I’ve never seen one) I am offended by the T-shirt and refuse to be associated with it. And if that’s the best refutation you can find for what I wrote in the post — let’s try not to be so pathetic in the future, OK? Thanks much.
The only thing I can think about all these Right remarks is maybe they are just in need of mental health care. My family used to be Republican, some still are, but they recoil from this sort of hyperbole.
popcorneater,
Now in fairness, I never saw your now deceased, diseased, comment.
But, “Immoral scumbag?” That’s a bit harsh for the host who’s deleted the word-turd you seemed to have dropped into the conversation.
“Immoral?” Why, do you have some claim on morality? Who the “f” are you? Kernel Jesus H. Christ in a ‘Jiffy-Pop’ bag?
And, if you are some sort of a conservative troll, why the name? Shouldn’t you, like all great followers of Jesus, Galt, Ronnie and Little Boot’s, be a ‘popcorn’freemarketer?” or ‘maker?’
I mean, to eat is to consume. And to consume is to not be a builer, a provider – you’re one of the poor, consuming masses. So, you’re basically saying by your monicker that you make and manufacture nothing, you merely consume. For shame!
Get thee to a microwave!!!
You know that the opinion is bad when he veers off in the FOURTH paragraph to sending nastygrams to the restaurant critic of the San Francisco Bay Guardian.
The quote that got me, though, was from the paragraphs by Jessica Faller: “giving controversial interviews without apology, basically driving in there, parking the car, and walking in like she owned the place.” That doesn’t sound like part of the reality-based community. If I recall correctly, after the interview with Katie Couric, she gave very few interviews to people who didn’t agree with her (or who would ask difficult questions.)
Chip Uni,
Relax, it’s not part of any reallity based community. It’s the same people and mindset who think that John Wayne was an actual war hero, and stormed the beaches of Iwo Jima. Only his death was faked for the movie.
And they see her appearances on Glenn, Radio Rushwanda, and Unibrow as ‘profiles in courage,’ where she does, indeed, got to park her car – in her parking space, and walk in like she owned the place – because, well, while she doesn’t own it, she IS employed there.
For Conservatives, she’s the new “Myth America.!
I just don’t like Palin’s personality. I have no respect of someone who tries to bullshit their way through. I think highly of sincerity, and Palin represent the antithesis of that quality. Her values are not Christian in regard to her spirit. And I think the most accurate title to describe her true nature/spirit was the title bestowed upon her by her classmates… a barracuda. She’s just not what she claims to be!
I’m in total agreement with Swami.
As far as the “C” word goes, it should never be used, period.
That said,Can we all agree she is a dick?
Oh, the irony…………..
Well, I ALMOST drowned in a hot tub once, it was in the winter of’82, in my newly installed hot tub, with 4 beautiful babes, not one tried to save me……
Thank goodness for my snorkel!
I think I’ve figured it all out. Having watched the video with the GOP congressman mocking people with pre-existing conditions and having read this article offering fealty to the Jack-booted moose woman, I believe I understand the relationship between the GOP politicians and their constitutents. It all goes back to the Marquis and Justine…..
erinyes…Speaking of Dicks…Have you seen the recent picture of Cheney? He looks like he’s getting ready for a interview with the Grim Reaper. He’s at that point where life’s shadow is cast to the east. It’s time for the harvest…. 🙂
If it weren’t for the push-up bras and FMPs I wouldn’t have noticed her in the herd at MalWarts. Leave her alone… no really I mean LEAVE HER ALONE. If you don’t I’ll hold my breath until my mascara runs.
Pass the popcorn.
Yeah, Swami; I just read an article that said he needs a heart, Big news flash…..
The horned one will have a blast with Dickie.(Oh, I don’t REALLY believe that)
Palin annoys me in the way that yellow-jackets hovering around my burger at a summer cook-out do, and I wish she’d go away. It bewilders me that so many see her as a sexual being, because, while I get that she fulfills a certain type of stereotypical attractiveness physically, her attitudes are so repulsive and self-centered that I find it overwhelming. Ick.
I do find Brooks very annoying also, though WAY smarter that Grifterella. I laughed really hard yesterday morning when I was listening to NPR’s Morning Edition and I heard Tina Brown say the phrase “David Brooks, the consummate intellectual thinker, “. Yeah, sure, he’s right up there with Foucault and Marcuse, all right. Hee-hee-hee.
Sometimes I think I’m living in Clown World.
while I get that she fulfills a certain type of stereotypical attractiveness physically, her attitudes are so repulsive and self-centered that I find it overwhelming. Ick.
AMEN! Any initial attractiveness she might possess goes right out the window the minute she opens her mouth. Her constant whining of victim-hood and no being understood is a huge turnoff. I remember her episode with the “stalker” journalist and how she had Todd throw up a low rent looking doubled tiered stockade fence to protect her from the terrible intrusion…It’s all about Sarah —the center of the universe…
“Sometimes I think I’m living in clown world”
Sarasota?
My 9th grade science teachers favorite saying was “If you want to be a clown, move to Sarasota”.
Actually a pretty cool town.
Yeah, Brooks is a real rocket scientist………..