It seems the big blogosphere flare-up of the past week has been competing guest columns in a Colorado newspaper (who says the old media is dead!) from Paul Campos and the Instapundit. Today’s installment is at the other Glenn’s.
My only comments on the whole spectacle:
1.) I pray to the little baby jesus (who, no doubt, is sittin’ in his crib watchin the Baby Einstein video) that the term ‘beclowned’ does not catch on. I fear, quite legitimately, that every hack right-winger will immediately incorporate it into their vocabularly. The term is hereby banned at Balloon Juice. Ricky Bobby quotes, however, are encouraged.
2.) Campos actually correctly used Godwin’s Law in the following quote:
the subsequent citation of “authorities” of whose existence the author was unaware ten minutes earlier; or the inevitable if rather surreal violation of Godwin’s Law (we bombed the Nazis so what’s wrong with assassinating Iranian civilians?).
Many are under the impression that Godwin’s Law means that any mention of Nazi’s (or Hitler) constitutes an immediate loss of the argument, when, in fact, the correct definition of Godwin’s Law is as follows:
“As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one.”
If nothing else, this public squabble has provided the online community with an appropriate usage of Godwin’s Law. For that, I am eternally grateful.
demimondian
I don’t know — I kind of like the image evoked by the phrase “the BJuice comments section is completely beclowned today.” It’s so thoroughly polite and unshrill!
Pb
demimondian,
Maybe it’s time for you to join up with the Pajamadeen instead of John here–after all, it’s their Word of the Year (so far).
Andrew
There were so many right wingers masturbating furiously to Reynold’s half-wit neologism that the internet tubes almost got clogged yesterday. If I ever meet these people in real life, it will take a good deal of self-control not to besmack their asses into next week.
Bubblegum Tate
Funny, I just finished reading that Campos/Greenwald piece. It was a thorough ass-kicking delivered quite expertly. Unfortunately, one has to be tethered to, you know, “facts” and “reality” and “honesty” and whatnot to see that…and Glenn Reynolds is under no such constraints.
To honor Ricky Bobby, however, I would point Reynolds to the Campos/Greenwald piece, and then inform him, “That just happened!”
dreggas
Reynolds seems to just want to continue to prove the old saying “Those who don’t know, teach”.
They love to hear themselves talk, assign THEIR books as course material and in general refuse to see anything outside their own worldview. One reason I am glad I did not go to college especially in my field. Though I will say my current supervisor was a college prof who KNEW his stuff so he is at least one exception to the above rule.
Steve
I don’t understand how it “violates” Godwin’s Law to bring up the Nazis. Shouldn’t we say Reynolds CONFIRMED Godwin’s Law?
Brian
With those two entirely frivolous points, you have, I’m afraid, beclowned yourself.
RSA
Steve’s right about Godwin’s law. Reynolds didn’t violate it; it’s just another piece of confirming evidence.
It was fun to see one law professor eviscerate another. Way to put that training to good use.
Krista
OT, but I had to laugh last night at “Little Mosque on the Prairie” when one of the Muslim characters was trying to figure out Christian holidays, and when getting to Good Friday asks, “Is that when the Baby Jesus sees his own shadow?”
Zifnab
Eviscerating each other is pretty much what law professors get paid to do. I can’t think of any other good use for them. Honestly, I’m waiting for Colbert to hijack ‘beclowned’ in “Tonight’s Word”, and totally turn it on its ear.
demimondian
3…2…1…
Lee
From wiki on Godwin’s Law usage
Dug Jay
As Ace or some such put it, Campos and Greenwald are merely pandering to their base, namely the clinically insane.
Blue Neponset
Under Tenessee law I believe Reynolds’ argument is correct. The President of Tenessee can assassinate anyone he wants. Maybe that is where all the confusion is coming from.
cd6
I like to think of Glenn Reynolds as a micheivous badger.
The craziest part of this whole thing is that Instaputz wants to take out Iranian mullahs because he thinks they are inciting war against Israel/the US. By this logic, the Iranians would be justified in assassinating US civilians who are calling for war against Iran. US civilians like… Glenn Reynolds
*head explodes
Justin Slotman
Awesome post, cd6. In a just world we’d all be talking about micheivous badgers and not something useless like “beclowned.”
Andrew
I’m a Kentucky Colonel. What can I do? Can I punch children?
Joel
But Volokh pointed out that “beclowned” is in fact a very old word, which fell out of regular English usage a century or so ago but has now been resurrected. Not the same as a neologism.
dreggas
No, but you can continue to guard the secret of the 11 herbs and spices and make some pretty tasty chicken :)
jaime
Not only has Dan Riehl done that, he’s already created variations on it.
Ellison, Ellensburg, Ellers, and Lambchop
You can play Artis Gilmore at center, Maurice Lucas at four, and have Louis Dampier shooting threes.
Zifnab
No kidding. I think he’s managed to work it into ever post since he found out the word was supposed to be popular.
I’m beginning to think Republicans just have a think for motorcycles, water tanks, and sharks.
Teak111
If glen had inserted the phrase, “I wish we could just” assasinate bla bla bla, this whole blogsphere skirmish would not have happened. After all, if we were a dictatorship, or a highly corrupt government, we would think of such things. Hell, we’ve killed leaders before, and sniping Saddam would sure have saved us a lot of trouble. But I like to think we have improved as a people, women’s rights, civil rights, seperation of church and state, excersizing power by the rules. Glen and his GOP friends pine for a time when we thought killing our enemies this way was fine, and this is a major trait of the rightwing, harping back to a time in the past, when men were men and we did such things. They seems to want to go back, while the left wants to move forward.
dreggas
why does this remind me of kids in elementary school learning some new word on the playground that one of their friends used to “insult” someone and begin using it to apply to anyone they want to insult…oh wait it is just such a situation with the exception that the “children” are stuck in the bodies of Adults.
HyperIon
Krista, I am enjoying this program. (But I wish they would stick to a regular schedule.) It is so canadian. The humor is gentle but pointed. In my next life I hope to be born in canuckstan.
Otto Man
I’m still waiting for Reynolds to realize that if, as he asserts, we’ve been in an unbroken state of war with Iran since 1979, then the Reagan administration committed high treason by selling missiles to our Iranian enemies back in the mid-’80s.
Christ, what a moron.
jg
Wasn’t that actually the trade we made (on the downlow natually) to get the hostages out?
dreggas
I am beginning to believe Reynolds and his ilk are indeed aiding the terrorists.
After all given the numerous daily mentions of assassination, terrorism, killing political leaders, mass murder, bombings and other such references and the number of times many right wing bloggers and their sites can be cross referenced with these terms I am sure they show up daily on the screen of the poor schmuck in either the CIA, NSA or FBI tasked with monitoring potential online terrorist plots.
The end result, while these people are engaging in their latest round of mental masturbation about who should be killed next and who hates America more the real terrorists are plotting away on other web sites the “big brothers” haven’t gotten to yet because they are too busy pouring over the comments sections of these peoples blogs.
Andrew
It’s a retardism, in any case.
Krista
Wednesdays at 8 EST, with the re-run on the following Monday at 9. And if you want the privilege of being born here in your next life, you can start building up your karma now by not calling it Canuckstan or Canuckistan. :)
scarshapedstar
From the Jargon File:
RSA
Neologism, neoconservatism, . . . what other neo-ism can I dislike?
West Coast Libertarian
I know I’m getting to this late, but that line is Smothers Brothers circa 1969
demimondian
Krista’s right. If you really want to be born in Canada, you can should call it by an accurate name. I, personally, like the name ‘GodForsakenColdPlaceWithFuunySpeuliungs”.
r4d20
Ricky Bobby quotes, however, are encouraged.
Did Highlander really win the oscar for “Best Movie Ever Made”? LOL … I’ve just beclowned myself.
r4d20
GR is a brave network warrior who (literally) sacrifices his ass by sitting at his computer all day just to make sure that at least SOMEONE is talking sense on this series of tubes.
He knows that War is the most awesome reality TV ever invented and he “supports our troops” by trying keep them on his television for as many seasons of possible.
Seriously though, the first person to implement bitch-slaps over the internet is going to be very rich – and GR is going to be very sore.
Otto Man
Wasn’t that actually the trade we made (on the downlow natually) to get the hostages out?
Not really. The original Iranian hostages were all released at almost the very moment Reagan was inaugurated, as a nice fuck-you to Carter.
The Iran-Contra era sales were later, justified by the Reagan administration as a way to get Iran to apply pressure on other hostage takers — in Lebanon, I believe. Lebanon did release a few, but then others were immediately taken.
Darrell
Let’s see, on one side you have a leftist accuse Glenn Reynolds of being a fascist, and then he appeals to Glenn’s superiors to fire him. Greenwald chimes in screeching that Reynolds is guilty of “extreme barbarism and amorality”. Yet John Cole, principled conservative (TM) that he is, doesn’t bother to mention those details which are the very crux of the dispute.
There is no equivalence here, only leftwingnuts making outrageous smears, then taking it over the top further trying have Reynolds fired.. precisely the kind of behavior a real principled conservative would oppose.
Darrell
Eugene Volokh
jenniebee
Darrell wants equivalence, let’s give him equivalence:
Campos pointed out that the technical terms for what Reynolds was advocating are “murder” and “terrorism.” On the other hand, the technical terms for what Reynolds advocated are “murder” and “terrorism.” Campos asserted that published advocacy of murder and terrorism are on par with the published opinions of Ward Churchill, which eventually got Churchill drummed out out of his tenured University job. On the other hand, Reynolds’ publication is different on two counts: one, while Churchill was excusing terrorism after the fact, Reynolds is urging it as a near-future policy; and two, Churchill’s approbation was for other people’s terrorism, but Reynolds is advocating that the US government should become a sponsor of terrorism.
Glenn Greenwald said that Reynolds shows signs of “extreme barbarism and amorality.” Greenwald is, however, not an accredited expert on barbarism (far from it, reports are that he lives in a tastefully decorated Manhattan apartment). And although Greenwald is a lawyer, his expertise is in Constitutional law, so his experience with amorality has been more limited than one would expect from, for instance, a corporate lawyer. Greenwald’s opinion must therefore be read as only an opinion, and it is fair to acknowledge that Reynolds, far from being barbarically amoral, may only be displaying symptoms of either paranoid schizophrenia or garden variety sociopathy.
Fair and Balanced!
Hyperion
well, as i said: pointed and gentle humor.
how about “Great White North”?
Pb
Fixed.
dreggas
Hey I can at least spell C eh N eh D eh right!
Ellison, Ellensburg, Ellers, and Lambchop
If by “points out,” you mean “asserts without evidence,” well… yeah. But you gotta admit, that’s pretty easy to do.
Neither guy is covering himself with glory in this spat. At least Reynolds attempted to document that certain assassinations would be legal (the whole “Civilians who work within a military objective are at risk…” JAG memo thing, the past quotes from Dems on the possible legality of assassinations).
Campos seems to think that he need not document anything like some student — his own OUTRAGE! is his documentation. Sorry, but “take my word for it” just isn’t compelling evidence to thinking people. Where Campos shows some douchebagitude is his “I’m gonna tell your mommy!” appeal to Reynold’s bosses to put heat on him for being a wannabe “accessory to murder.” Because of a blog post. Way to stifle debate!
Kiva Oraibi
Maybe it should be considered a reologism.