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You are here: Home / Politics / Glibertarianism / My Review of Megan McCardle’s Upcoming Opus (Further to the Megan McCardle Is Always Wrong chronicles)

My Review of Megan McCardle’s Upcoming Opus (Further to the Megan McCardle Is Always Wrong chronicles)

by Tom Levenson|  January 13, 20143:48 pm| 65 Comments

This post is in: Glibertarianism, Going Galt, Our Failed Media Experiment

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My many enablers in DPM’s thread have noted that news of McArdle’s upcoming volume might be “worth” reviewing.  One even suggested a basic format.
First:  you all are horrible people, wishing upon me or anyone the evils of (a) reading McArdle at book-length and (b) spending the time it would take to disembowel the work honorably.

Second: I’ve already completed my review, along the precise lines recommended within that last comment thread:

Please suggest other one line/haiku McArdle reviews, and/or jabber among yourselves

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Previous Post: « Aloha, Lizard
Next Post: Mr & Mrs Keller Convene A Death Panel »

Reader Interactions

65Comments

  1. 1.

    chrome agnomen

    January 13, 2014 at 3:51 pm

    had to take the bait, didn’t you?

  2. 2.

    ranchandsyrup

    January 13, 2014 at 3:54 pm

    Hard out there for a
    contrarian Koch-bros pimp
    I blame Obama.

  3. 3.

    dollared

    January 13, 2014 at 3:55 pm

    I look forward to further posts on this subject, Tom. Really. But I have to tell you that Betty, the Lizard and the Ukelele have won the day already.

  4. 4.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 13, 2014 at 3:57 pm

    It sucks worse than Pink Himalayan salted donkey dicks.

  5. 5.

    jeffreyw

    January 13, 2014 at 3:59 pm

    Yelling upsets puppeh!

  6. 6.

    JPL

    January 13, 2014 at 4:02 pm

    Let me apologize if per chance, I might have mentioned your name. If I did, it was only because I value your fine analysis.

  7. 7.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 13, 2014 at 4:02 pm

    @jeffreyw:

    That poor puppy…subjected to Chris Christie’s press conference.

    The ASPCA should be notified. At once!

  8. 8.

    Roger Moore

    January 13, 2014 at 4:03 pm

    McMegan’s advice:
    Don’t worry about success
    Just fail upward

  9. 9.

    Anoniminous

    January 13, 2014 at 4:03 pm

    Is McMegan the anorexic one or the one with the Bearnaise machine?

    [So many wingnuts, so little time.]

  10. 10.

    ranchandsyrup

    January 13, 2014 at 4:05 pm

    @Anoniminous: The latter.

  11. 11.

    ? Martin

    January 13, 2014 at 4:05 pm

    I had prepared for a thorough review, but I have gastritis. Or perhaps I am just being stupid. Any any rate, this book would be better with less regulation.

  12. 12.

    Anoniminous

    January 13, 2014 at 4:07 pm

    @ranchandsyrup:

    Thanks.

  13. 13.

    scav

    January 13, 2014 at 4:08 pm

    “Perfectly digestible once given a whirl through a sufficiently high-end blender that can also provide the gentle yet thorough warming required to compensate for any half-baked ingredients.”

  14. 14.

    Gin & Tonic

    January 13, 2014 at 4:08 pm

    @Anoniminous: It’s Bechamel, not Bearnaise.

  15. 15.

    Ruckus

    January 13, 2014 at 4:09 pm

    Tom

    Most accurate book review ever.

    Short, pithy and every word true.

  16. 16.

    jeffreyw

    January 13, 2014 at 4:10 pm

    I was going to review it myself but someone needed a tummy rub.

  17. 17.

    Pogonip

    January 13, 2014 at 4:11 pm

    @jeffreyw: He doesn’t LOOK upset. Looks pretty cozy.

  18. 18.

    Tommy

    January 13, 2014 at 4:13 pm

    @jeffreyw: Are those wonderful little guys/gals yours?

    My cat has been looking at me, as she often does, wondering when I will get off my computer and come pet her. She needs at least 3+ hours of “lap” time a day. No really.

  19. 19.

    Omnes Omnibus

    January 13, 2014 at 4:14 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: Don’t be saucy with me, Bearnaise.

  20. 20.

    The Dangerman

    January 13, 2014 at 4:15 pm

    I suppose that review came out the optimal body cavity; I was fearing more of a plop than a scream.

  21. 21.

    Karen in GA

    January 13, 2014 at 4:15 pm

    @ranchandsyrup: Oooh. Not bad at all.

  22. 22.

    srv

    January 13, 2014 at 4:16 pm

    Gastritous math hard
    Libruls have no new ideas
    I get no Koch check

  23. 23.

    WereBear

    January 13, 2014 at 4:16 pm

    Failing yet rising
    my Bechamel dreams weep pink
    Himalayan tears

  24. 24.

    cokane

    January 13, 2014 at 4:18 pm

    You really should do it. You’ve brought this on yourself

  25. 25.

    Valdivia

    January 13, 2014 at 4:19 pm

    full of win Tom. Best book review ever. :)

  26. 26.

    Wag

    January 13, 2014 at 4:20 pm

    There once was a girl named McArdle
    Whose mind was all argle bargle
    She wrote far too long
    Her words were all wrong
    And she made my mind turn to garble.

  27. 27.

    carolannie1949

    January 13, 2014 at 4:22 pm

    What the hell is a Bearnaise machine?

  28. 28.

    Yatsuno

    January 13, 2014 at 4:24 pm

    @jeffreyw: PUPPEH!!! SQUEE!!!

  29. 29.

    ranchandsyrup

    January 13, 2014 at 4:25 pm

    @carolannie1949: A thermomix Megan wants to be a discount Martha Steward or even shittier Gwyneth Paltrow and tells the little people to get a machine to make their sauces and the like.

  30. 30.

    srv

    January 13, 2014 at 4:25 pm

    Oh they are so right
    Invisible Kochs slap world
    Rise, I do, through mime

  31. 31.

    Anton Sirius

    January 13, 2014 at 4:32 pm

    Two hundred thumbs down. Or two thousand. Whatever, there’s no real difference.

  32. 32.

    jl

    January 13, 2014 at 4:32 pm

    Since this seems to be a joke thread, thought I would mention what I hope is the next one. One potential benefit of the Christie BridghaziWhackaLaneGate, is that the ‘Christie + any possible hint of scandal = news’ meme will be ‘out there’.

    So, early this morning I thought I heard a brief bit on the news about feds looking at maybe how Christie paid more for disaster public service ads than he had to in order to turn them into Christie-palooza public service ads. But wasn’t sure I hear it right, since cooking breakfast was the center of my attention.

    But, behold!

    Chris Christie Spent Extra $2.2M To Ensure Sandy Recovery Ads Featured NJ’s #1 Tourist Attraction Chris Christie

    http://wonkette.com/538957/chris-christie-spent-extra-2-2m-to-ensure-sandy-recovery-ads-featured-njs-1-tourist-attraction-chris-christie

  33. 33.

    jeffreyw

    January 13, 2014 at 4:38 pm

    @Tommy: Nope, they’re at the shelter Mrs J volunteers for. She takes 99% of the various doggie/kitteh pictures.

  34. 34.

    WereBear

    January 13, 2014 at 4:40 pm

    @jeffreyw: And she is great at it! These are the kinds of pictures that get them adopted.

  35. 35.

    aimai

    January 13, 2014 at 4:40 pm

    Looking at my Bechemel
    Through A Pink Salt
    Haze
    Everyone
    Fails

  36. 36.

    Mnemosyne

    January 13, 2014 at 4:42 pm

    @jeffreyw:

    I keep telling Tommy that he needs to have you and Mrs. W choose a puppy for him since you’re all downstate, but he doesn’t listen to me. ;-)

  37. 37.

    Mark S.

    January 13, 2014 at 4:43 pm

    The screaming sheep is kind of hypnotic.

  38. 38.

    Mnemosyne

    January 13, 2014 at 4:44 pm

    @ranchandsyrup:

    I can’t remember the exact brand, but there’s a funny commercial running on the Food Network of a woman who wins every cooking contest in town thanks to her secret weapon — her blender. I’m pretty sure it’s a Thermomix.

    If it is them, at least the makers of the Thermomix have a better sense of humor than McMeghan does.

  39. 39.

    srv

    January 13, 2014 at 4:45 pm

    Why don’t we all buy a copy and sync our Amazon reviews?

  40. 40.

    Certified Mutant Enemy

    January 13, 2014 at 4:47 pm

    Megan McArdle’s new book has brought the word “bad” to new levels of badness. This book just oozed rottenness from every bad page… Simply bad beyond all infinite dimensions of possible badness.

    (apologies to Bloom County)

  41. 41.

    Anoniminous

    January 13, 2014 at 4:52 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Ack.

    [So many sauces, so little time.]

    @carolannie1949:

    A machine that make Bernaise sauce. Except it wasn’t Bernaise but Bechamel (see op. cit and, possibly, off site)

  42. 42.

    ranchandsyrup

    January 13, 2014 at 4:56 pm

    @Mnemosyne: I think I’ve seen that one for the Vitamix. If you own a $400+ blender, you’d better win.

  43. 43.

    Anoniminous

    January 13, 2014 at 5:01 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    commercial running on the Food Network of a woman who wins every cooking contest in town thanks to her secret weapon — her blender.

    Winning every cooking contest in town thanks to knowing how to cook is too bizarre for Food Channel watchers?

  44. 44.

    The Tragically Flip

    January 13, 2014 at 5:03 pm

    Yes, very funny
    mock the stupid book until
    Jon Stewart books her

  45. 45.

    Roger Moore

    January 13, 2014 at 5:07 pm

    @Anoniminous:

    Winning every cooking contest in town thanks to knowing how to cook is too bizarre for Food Channel watchers?

    It’s certainly not the kind of thing that pleases companies advertizing expensive kitchen gadgets, and that’s who’s paying the bills.

  46. 46.

    Violet

    January 13, 2014 at 5:10 pm

    @WereBear: I love this!

  47. 47.

    Comrade Jake

    January 13, 2014 at 5:10 pm

    So the subtitle is “Why Failing Well is the Key to Success” ?

    This is the same lady who suggested we teach youngsters to bum-rush shooters, right?

  48. 48.

    Anoniminous

    January 13, 2014 at 5:15 pm

    @Roger Moore:

    That kicks it back a step. Advertisers go to great effort to match ads to the viewers “Buy” triggers.

  49. 49.

    Comrade Jake

    January 13, 2014 at 5:15 pm

    May her book fail
    so she can succeed
    in making her point.

  50. 50.

    Just One More Canuck

    January 13, 2014 at 5:16 pm

    @? Martin: It would be better with fewer words

  51. 51.

    The Tragically Flip

    January 13, 2014 at 5:19 pm

    @Comrade Jake:

    I sense a Regency bulk-buy to ensure continued trajectory of success through failure.

    But sadly, there seem to be ample opportunities for know-nothings who use big words. She can replace David Brooks when he retires.

  52. 52.

    ranchandsyrup

    January 13, 2014 at 5:21 pm

    @Comrade Jake: And that some New Yorker should have taken a 2×4 to war protesters after 9/11.

  53. 53.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 13, 2014 at 5:22 pm

    @Wag:

    Oh, that’s good!

  54. 54.

    WereBear

    January 13, 2014 at 5:34 pm

    @Violet: Thanks!

  55. 55.

    p.a.

    January 13, 2014 at 5:34 pm

    Thermomix chopper
    Insatiable insensate
    Mind numbing whine

  56. 56.

    R. Johnston

    January 13, 2014 at 5:35 pm

    Megan McArdle
    The great evangelist of
    innumeracy

    Unemployable
    Absent excess demand for
    Useful idiots

    McCardle’s new book
    Holds technical falsehoods and
    Collective nonsense

    Her name and portrait
    On the book’s outside jacket
    translate clearly

    They serve well to act
    As a warning to the wise
    “Read at your own risk

    If you value your
    Faith in humanity
    Put this book down now”

  57. 57.

    Violet

    January 13, 2014 at 5:36 pm

    There are no reviews on Amazon because it hasn’t yet been released. I wonder if it’ll turn into another Three Wolf Shirt or Tuscan Whole Milk. I sense it has a lot of potential.

  58. 58.

    Runt

    January 13, 2014 at 5:37 pm

    Rather than a haiku, I offer the explanation I gave when I cancelled my subscription to The Atlantic:

    “There’s only so much Megan McArdle a man can take.”

  59. 59.

    R. Johnston

    January 13, 2014 at 5:42 pm

    @R. Johnston:

    If you value your
    Faith in humanity please
    Put this book down now

    Argh. Caught my editing mistake right as the edit button expired.

  60. 60.

    Barney

    January 13, 2014 at 5:45 pm

    In Mrs. Suderman’s own words: ‘Marriage Makes You Rich and Stupid’.

    Or ‘Noisy and Uncertain’.

  61. 61.

    Manyakitty

    January 13, 2014 at 5:56 pm

    Best book review EVER.

  62. 62.

    Bob2

    January 13, 2014 at 6:22 pm

    Oh god the amazon review bombing that is going to be forthcoming.

    The hardcover edition of this book was better than a 2′ x 4′ for beating off protestors.

  63. 63.

    gratuitous

    January 13, 2014 at 7:17 pm

    You could do it along the lines of Charlie Pierce’s Evening Jemmy or Morning Dooley, maybe a Matinee McArglebargle. Open the review copy of her “book” to any random page, scan it quickly for something eye-rollingly, gut-wrenchingly awful (it won’t take long), then quote the excerpt with your response.

    You’d get months of hilarious posts, readers would get lots of laughs, and thanks to not having to sample too muchly of Ms. McArdle’s prose, your sanity wouldn’t peg the meter.

  64. 64.

    Yam

    January 13, 2014 at 7:24 pm

    I’ll leave it to these guys

  65. 65.

    SFAW

    January 13, 2014 at 9:52 pm

    Just like “Jane Galt” McArdle
    I’m innumerate
    And can’t count syllables right

    Tom Boggioni’s
    Review might be “Mumia
    sweatshirt” 2. I hope!

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