Dr. Bob Clutches His Pearls On The Fainting Couch

In another of his lectures from on high, the Perfesser decides to tell us all what is racist and what is simply vulgar.  He fails miserably, of course, but this bit of tawdry arrogance is at least entertaining.  He cluck-clucks at Jodi Rave, Missoulian reporter for Native America affairs,  for writing an article in which the headline refers to a racist letter as racist.  But Dr. Bob's deeper point is that the letter is "vulgar and ill-mannered", and, after giving us all his permission to make up our own minds, he tells us the writing was not racist.  So much for making up our own minds in Bob-world.

First things first, the writer of the letter put a picture at the top of an Indian woman.  Not Native American, Indian, as in that big-ass country south of the Himalayas.   I can't be the only one who noticed the bindi.  If this letter writing asshat can't tell the difference between an Indian and an American Indian, that's pretty good evidence of a degree of racial ignorance (intolerance) right there.

Second, claiming that everybody on a reservation get's things for free, after claiming that you shouldn't care about reservation news if you ain't on one?  Rephrased, that's "I don't care about them except through the envy of my ignorant bias."  That Dr. Bob doesn't see racism in that is a pretty good tell that he's either really dim or lying.  I don't think he's really dim, so ...

Third, anyone who claims a racial kinship with the majority and then claims to speak for that majority is pretty much the textbook definition of a racist.  'Most Missoulians don't care about that crap, and it's silly.  Shut up.'  Yup, that's a racist letter.

But lets be serious here.  Bob didn't want to admit the racist nature of the letter because that would stand against his mighty point of liberal bias in the Missoulian.

And it is indisputably true that the Missoulian coverage of Indian affairs has been extremely heavy recently — far heavier than the attention given to other Montana ethnic, economic, and social groups.

Yet he later says:

But you don’t have to rely on my subjective impressions of bias.

So which is it, Bob, indisputable or your subjective impressions?  I'll be the first to admit that I hold lawyers to a higher standard of logic, especially lawyers who teach lawyering.  What Bob spewed is the worst kind of sophistry.  'What I say is indisputably true because it is my opinion, and you must accept it.'  Not so much.  No, not at all.  If the Missoulian, during an arbitrary time frame of reference posts more articles concerning Natives than during a previous definitive yet unspecified time frame of reference, there could be many reasons for it that have nothing to do with bias.  It could be the reporter assigned to the task is simply better at their job.

And do notice Bobby's slight of hand.  He implies bias for reporting among a racial group that is unequaled in reporting among other "ethnic, economic, and social groups".  Apparently to Bob, Natives are a distinct "economic" or "social" group.  In other words, he is dismissing the word "race", entirely, while claiming it is a focus of bias.  And, as he does that, he is lying.  I defy Rob Natelson to prove that more inches of the Missoulian over the last year, say, have been devoted to Native Americans than have been devoted to Whites.  He did say ethnic group.  Whites are an ethnic group (but also considered a race).  If anyone is to take Dr. Bob seriously, he will put his case on a solid foundation of evidence.  He won't, trust me.

What initially set me off about this condescending little Natelson trope was his beginning.  'The topic is too hot to handle but I can because I'm part Native'.

This is probably too radioactive to handle, but I’m part Indian (only a small part, unfortunately), so I’ll tackle it.

Such a claim of privilage is precisely hypocritical.  Not to mention, vulgar.  I just call it pretty assholish.

What really set me off was this:

Letter-writers, like bloggers, should never be vulgar or racist.

On what does Bobby base this claim?  He's been a blogger for what, 5 months?  So, obviously, it ain't longevity.   Does he understand blogging better than those of us who've been doing the vulgar and nasty for 5 plus years, or those who've been doing it for 9 like that ill-mannered vulgar dirty fucking hippy Atrios?  Obviously, not.

Bloggers are what they are.  Some of them are vulgar, and some of them are racists ... and some of each are very successful.  So, exactly where does Wilting Lily Natelson get off telling us how we should behave, especially after he has just behaved like a lying little toad?  One does wonder.

I will now commence with a string of pointless cursing and foul verbiage, just to prove the point to the weak Dr. Bob that bloggers can be whatever they want to be and he has no say whatsoever in their conduct.

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No I won't.  And that will prove the same point.  Hizzoner won't understand it either way.

Comments

[problembear]

i cannot even imagine how many schoolyard beatings this little shithead took to turn into such an annoying little jerk.

[Wulfgar]

Many. ... Many.

[jhwygirl]

Just what I needed to get myself going this morning - one fine piece of blogging from a master of the art.

{{applause}}

[Larry Kralj, Environmental Rangers!]

It's what Wulfgar does best, using logic like a rapier to flay the nutty pervessor. Nasalsound has had a free ride for much too long. Before the internet, the nutty perv could spout crap without fear of an asswhoopin' rebuttal. Now, when he does so, he lifts his trench coat of self-righteousness to show the world just what a little weeny he really is! I for one thank Wulfgar for staying on this guy. He has the patience of Job.

[klemz]

Obviously a racist letter. And while I think there's some justice in printing the historically-marginalized native story, I also tend to agree that people don't really read that stuff.

Every once and a while, something interesting happens, but as for those "First Nations meet to discuss..." headlines, I see people passing over on the bus or in the bar all the time. You'd be fooling yourself if you think we don't watch what people read. Or, more importantly, what they don't.

But, then again, small market daily papers are typically chock full of honkeys doing boring stuff and nobody complains.

[Pete Talbot]

Those damned newspapers, giving all that ink to Indians. Even if it were true, kinda makes up for the decades that the media ignored indigenous people, or just painted them as drunks and criminals.

As for Natelson, always good to see him standing up for hate-mongers.

[Binky Griptight]

What about the Missoulian coverage of issues on Native American reservation? I think it might be less because of the behavior of folks like Natelson - he gives blogging and scholarship a bad name.

[Larry Kralj, Environmental Rangers!]

If you read Bobby's comments in the thread, he's all concerned that everyone get equal coverage in the Zoolian. He mentions of course business, and even his nutty tax protestor group. But, bobby, (i know the moron would never appear here and i've been banned there), if you REALLY want equality, WHERE IS THE UNION PAGE, pal? Thaas right, pervessor, why no union page? If you're gonna wet your legal pants about your tax protestors, how bout a union page?

[Larry Kralj, Environmental Rangers!]

Binky, he gives COWARDS a bad name! Look, the only place he'll post crap is behind gee guy's skirts. Everyone else posts on hostile sites, and they take what they get. But not rob. What kind of example is he for his students? I mean, really, he teaches constitutional law?? And yet, he FAILS to fully engage in the amendment that the Founding Fathers thought important enough to qualify as the First? And He considers himself to be somewhat an authority on history also. Does he not remember the heated debates among the Founders? He's a sad case. But I would ask Pervessor Nasalsound a simple question, probably MUCH too simple for his brilliant mind. He claims that he wants all sides represented in the Zoolian, including his nuttcake tax protestor party. So, Robby, the Zoolian has a business page. WHY NO UNION PAGE, PERV? Yes, that's right, robby. In your damned lying claims for equal time, you conviently forgot the most important counterbalance to the business page, the union. Why is that? The equal time pervessor didn't include a union page.

[Wulfgar]

He has the patience of Job.

I would like to point out, Larry, until God himself granted a reprieve from Satan's trials (after whacking Job with just how powerful he really was BEHEMOTH!@!!) Job was really unhappy. I don't want to be that guy. Seriously.

And I would respectfully request that you not refer to Natelson as a "perv". That implies things that neither I nor you can support. I've already been threatened with legal action multiple times. It's not that fun. So let's not go quite that far (though his wingnuttyness could be seen as "perverse" in itself.)

Oh wait, was that bad to admit?