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Go Home Living Specimen Of Liberal Caricature Found

JONATHAN CHAIT JUNE 28, 2011

Living Specimen Of Liberal Caricature Found

BY JONATHAN CHAIT

Call me naive, but I have never before seen the kind of unvarnished East Coast snobbery displayed by New York Times media reporter David Carr here:

That's actually repugnant. I don't actually think the sentiment reflects the general view of the Times, but I do think the Times deserves to be held accountable. If the newspaper lets reporter pop off on a talk show, then his opinions are going to represent the Times.

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21 comments

And your clip is from Breitbart TV! How nice that even you are now echoing conservative television. At least, the reporter had the decency to be embarassed and show some regret at what he had said.

- AllanL5

June 28, 2011 at 10:51am

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When a remark is beyond the pale, it shouldn't matter what the source that conveys it is. And more laughter is showing regret?

- liberalref

June 28, 2011 at 10:57am

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Yeah, its repugnant. But then those of us living in the northeast have grown somewhat accustomed to being negatively stereotyped as well. Note to the conservative media: "East Coast", "Liberal" and "Elite" are not naturally mutually inclusive, like "ice", "cold" and "beer". Still, somewhat at the Times should stomp all over Mr Carr. Hard.

- Tristan

June 28, 2011 at 11:02am

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"someone". Ugh. When are we all transitioning to thought-activated typing, again?

- Tristan

June 28, 2011 at 11:04am

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Arrogance toward cultural differences is part of our culture. I was enlightened by Reverend Wright's sermon about the pronounciation of ask as "aks," which used to grate on me when I heard it and seemed to reflect on the intelligence of the speaker when used. Although difficult for me to embrace the concept at first, Wright attributed it to an accent and gave examples of how the accents of many modern presidents caused various words to sound completely unlike they were spelled.

- Nusholtz

June 28, 2011 at 11:30am

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oh I disagree with everyone. He knew he stepped over the line, he was trying to be funny and came off like a clod and said so and people laughed at his lack of his inner filter. I also don't find it actually offensive. I am from Pa. and if he said it about Pa. I would not have been the least bit offended. I found it more like a school yard taunt, as in "your state sucks, everyone there is stupid." And be honest, would anyone really be offended, or would they roll their eyes and make fun of him?

- blackton

June 28, 2011 at 11:35am

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No, see, he's a liberal, on a liberal outlet. So when HE says something condemning of all Kansas, he's supposed to properly feel ashamed, and apologize, and then get fired. If he was a conservative, railing about the "Eastern Elite", "Eggheads", "Bleeding-heart-liberals", or even "Inside the Beltway Socialists", then he's supposed to feel proud he's stood up to the Liberal Elite. It's a bit of a double standard, you see, but that's how you provide "Balance".

- AllanL5

June 28, 2011 at 12:04pm

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David Carr's from Minnesota, where he was an overweight crackhead for many years. His job with the Times does not automatically place him in the East Coast Liberal Elite mold. I'm not sure I see the problem here.

- macphail

June 28, 2011 at 12:06pm

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Minnisota is pretty liberal. That's where Lake Woebegon is, after all. And in 1984, they were the only state NOT to vote for Reagan.

- AllanL5

June 28, 2011 at 12:09pm

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Oh, I forgot, if you're a conservative you can even call Obama a "Nazi", and you don't even have to apologize for it.

- AllanL5

June 28, 2011 at 12:09pm

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But, even if you're a conservative, you can't ask another conservative if they're viewed as "a flake", even if you're trying to give them an opportunity to slam those who've called you a flake. Because THAT is insulting.

- AllanL5

June 28, 2011 at 12:11pm

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It also bequeathed to us Bachmann and Pawlenty -- and Franken. It's a schizophrenic state. I guess my point is that you can make the case that Carr is not necessarily "East Coast," nor "Elite," just because he writes for the Times. He didn't get an internship there right out of an Ivy, he isn't a Sulzberger, etc. I'm guessing he actually knows people from the Midwest. Maybe he's just a good, liberal writer who is tactless on talk shows.

- macphail

June 28, 2011 at 12:20pm

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Wait...David Carr saying "If it's Kansas or Missouri, it's the dance of low sloping foreheads" is not East Coast Liberal Snobbery. Jon's protestations come off a bit disingenuous with his ongoing Life in Ohio series which implies more than a dance of low sloping foreheads. For chrisssakes, David Carr is not an East Cost Elite. He was a former crackhead that lived in the lower depths of white-trash hell before sobering up. If anything, the guy would know a low-sloping forehead when he saw one. And Lib...because that clip comes from Brietbart TV's selective editing of a Bill Mahrer show, one has to wonder what the entire context of the conversation was that prompted David to make him say his thought balloon aloud. I find the inter-state, tribal parochialism entertaining sometimes. It's even more entertaining when folks have to defend New Jersey as a really nice place to be born and raised.

- singlspeed

June 28, 2011 at 12:32pm

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What Allan said (x5), except I much prefer that we progressives maintain the high ground and avoid impeachable behavior & speech, so. . . what Mr. Chait said, too.

- Konstantin

June 28, 2011 at 12:34pm

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What blackton and AllanL5 said. Also: a blind squirrel (Breitbart) finding an acorn (Weiner's cock) doesn't magically make him credible. His dishonest ACORN coverage still isn't true, and this allegedly OUTRAGEOUS!!!! EXAMPLE OF CORROSIVE LIBERAL ELITISM isn't even remotely important or telling. You can hear worse things said about Dems and libs by turning Fox News on for two minutes. But hey, sure -- pox on both houses, blah blah etc. yadda yadda.

- W_Bombay

June 28, 2011 at 12:36pm

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New Jersey smells bad, the road signs are impossible, no one knows how to drive, and even the football teams that play there won't put New Jersey in their names. I could almost root for the Jersey Giants. I cannot support a team that falsely puts New York in its name. But its a nice place to pass through on the way to Philadelphia or Chait's beloved Ohio.

- roidubouloi

June 28, 2011 at 12:48pm

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Shaq is from New Jersey, and Shaq is awesome.

- Konstantin

June 28, 2011 at 1:04pm

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Has anyone heard Ann Coulter on Maher's show over the years? Gimme an effing break!

- ironyroad

June 28, 2011 at 1:23pm

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I thought the rule was that if you grew up in a place and had to endure the company of the people there during your formative years and afterwards, you got a pass on talking about them for the rest of your days. I sure hope that's the rule, because I grew up in Mississippi, and having permission to talk about rock-stupid racist peckerwoods is the only thing I'm ever going to have to show for that.

- PhilNugent

June 28, 2011 at 6:52pm

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But does Shaq live in NJ?

- roidubouloi

June 28, 2011 at 7:33pm

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Go right ahead, Phil.

- roidubouloi

June 28, 2011 at 7:33pm

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