This will be my last post here. I will still do some posting on Bluesky and if I have a project that I think the community here might be interested in, I’ll make a short post about it, but that’s it.
I want to thank John for the opportunity to write whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, with zero interference and a lot of encouragement.
I also want to thank DougJ for recommending me so many years ago. And, all the front pagers who have been collegial and encouraging. WaterGirl has always been helpful. I also appreciate Kay’s work in the comments, especially when we disagreed.
That all said, I’ve been contacted by numerous commenters via email, people lamenting the rigid orthodoxies of the comments and the nasty accusations that take hold there. The accusations of racism, the inability to brook even the tiniest criticism of local heroes, and the intolerance of any opinion that deviates from the self-appointed, prolific and often wrong commenters. I agree with that assessment. And I’ve decided that my time is better spent elsewhere.
I sincerely appreciate everyone who read my posts (there are thousands by now) and everyone who commented thoughtfully even if we disagreed.
Vaya con Dios.
Spanky
Sigh.
Fair Winds, Mistermix!
Suzanne
This sucks. You will be missed.
WereBear
ALWAYS enjoyed your takes and your music references.
Meyerman
Aw, fuck. Thanks for everything. I’m just a lurker, so I guess it’s not my fault?
Spanky
@Meyerman: Mistermix knows what you did.
swiftfox
My condolences. You were the most grounded political commentator writing for the blog.
Ohio Mom
You are entitled to take a break but please leave open the possibility of coming back. You are an important voice here.
Princess
That sucks. I’m sorry you have been driven out. Some people only want to live in a echo chamber I guess.
Lily
It’s been my privilege to read you. I learned so much.
Tom
Enjoyed reading you and will miss your takes. Wish we weren’t a circular firing squad so often these days when the enemy seems to be united in pursuit of fascism. We need as many as possible under our tent even if we don’t agree with everything one another says at all times. Best wishes and keep fighting the good fight wherever you go.
E.
god damn it one more thing I treasure going to shit.
Renie
So sorry to see you go. I always enjoyed reading your posts and never appreciated those posters ganging up on you. Too many commenters believe their opinion is always the correct one. This is one of the reasons I rarely comment; just not worth debating with people like that.
Much happiness to you in your new adventures.
CaseyL
As someone who pulled back involvement here for much the same reasons, let me say I’m very sorry to see you go. I didn’t always agree with you, but enjoyed the debate.
Fair winds to you!
MCat
Please give some thought to coming back later. I have always loved reading your opinions. You have contributed so much here. I wish you the very best.
SC54HI
Wow. So sorry to see this. I hope that you consider returning, at least occasionally. You do excellent & needed work.
oldster
Wow. I guess I don’t spend enough time here to know all of the inside details. It sounds highly unpleasant.
Anyhow, I have always liked your posts, and I hope you’ll keep us up to date on your new projects. Good luck!
Almost Retired
I am so sorry that you’re leaving. I hope you’ll reconsider, but I understand your decision.
eclare
Oh no! I’ll miss reading your posts. Best of luck to you on your next adventure.
Another Scott
I’m sorry MM. I appreciated your work here. I hope to see you around in the future.
Best wishes,
Scott.
YY_Sima Qian
@Ohio Mom: +1
Not the direction I want to see for this community.
I too hope you reconsider MM.
Suzanne
@Ohio Mom: Agree. We need more voices, and Mistermix’s has been an important one.
The toxicity he describes is real.
Citizen Dave
What oldster said at #19. Thanks for all the contributions and helping me in the battle to be a sane citizen.
MomSense
Damn, I’m so sorry. I only started commenting again because of you. I hope I will see you on BlueSky. My best to you and your family.
pieceofpeace
Well, this is an unwelcome surprise. Your political commentary was always excellent, in my opinion, and I liked your straight-up viewpoints, with appreciation for the research and compositions. Best of fortune to you.
Damn, you’re going to be greatly missed. This isn’t good.
Stella
God, I just looked up the comments fussing at you about Jeffries’ book. The commenter’s are right, it’s not a kids book. It’s actually a vacuous resistance picture book for no one. The fact they thought that was better is somehow sadder. What’s there to discuss on the road, it’s the liberal version of a bunch of Hang In There posters.
Ned F
As a regular reader but not much of a poster, I’ve always enjoyed your input. Most of us will surely miss you. Sorry to see you go and hope you’ll visit occasionally.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
I started commenting after a million years of lurking to push back for that very reason and it’s always “interesting” to see the cognitive dissonance involved in such framing by what I call the “topic trolls” (‘toxic’, ‘purity pony’, ‘don’t argue with us now, we’re fighting facism!’, etc) and it was nice to have a FPer not following much of the “bullshit orthodoxy” (neoliberal) that’s crept into the commentariat over the last 7-8 years.
Hope you’ll come back, it’ll be lonely in here. ;)
Chris
Frankly, I increasingly agree and am heading in that direction myself. This blog was a nice relief for a year and some change after LGM turned so utterly rancid I started pulling back from it. But it’s been spiraling in the same direction ever since the election, and I don’t see it getting better.
I already quit this place for several years back in the late 2010s/early 2020s and came back. Who knows, maybe it’ll happen again. But the way things are going, I don’t think I’m going to be here much longer either, other than maybe the Medium Cool threads.
Best of luck on your future endeavors and thanks for everything you’ve done.
Ohio Mom
@Suzanne: There is a lot of anxiety floating about right now (for good and obvious reasons) and it’s getting directed scattershot, coming out as hostility.
I see it here, I see it in Ohio Family’s interactions, and if I hadn’t spent the last two weeks in bed with Flu Type A, I’d probably be seeing it elsewhere.
This must be why we have so many myths about solidarity, because clearly camaraderie is one of the first things to crumble under great stress. So we have myths and legends to try to remind us that another way is possible.
Lobo
I too hope you reconsider. You have more support than you realize. We are just not as loud and posty. Did I always agree with you, no. But hell, I don’t always agree with myself. I appreciated your posts. Thank you!
Ebony
I know sucks to be demonized. That is how I feel when you demonize people who went to coding boot camps to enter the tech field as “coding boot camp incels”, for the actions of a few admittedly powerful staffers at the Doge agency. It also sucks when you demonize all people in the tech industry as a whole. It sucks even more when I know all the evil conservatives are not in the tech industry. There are plenty of lawyers, business people, politicians, military, police, academics doing evil, fascist things, but I don’t see you condemning those professions as a whole.
Lastly personally, I don’t like how you and others condemn people who never be in a relationship as evil by saying Elon is an incels when he has multiple kids. If we use your logic since Elon is a parent and he is evil then all parents are evil.
OlFroth
I’m sorry to see you go, I always enjoyed your writing.
Suzanne
@Chris: I appreciate your comments, and I’d like to see you stay. But I understand if it doesn’t work for you.
@CaseyL: You too.
Melancholy Jaques
I can’t tell you what to do, but this is no way to respond to people who criticize you. What does your leaving accomplish? Take a break for a while if you feel you have to, then come back.
matt
like your posts. sorry about whatever drama it is that’s causing you to stop posting.
Professor Bigfoot
It’s a wise move that, when you can’t take the heat, you leave the kitchen.
Best of luck to you in your future endeavors.
Stella
@Melancholy Jaques: He doesn’t owe anyone content. If he doesn’t feel this is a environment welcoming his material, it’s not his job to keep doing it out of some nebulous obligation.
matt
@Ebony: counterpoint – you’re a baby. stop whining.
Suzanne
@Ohio Mom: Agreed. That anxiety seems to have created a strong desire to control this place and drive commenters away and police one another in a way that I don’t think is appropriate or liberal. I don’t get it. If you dislike a commenter, or you disagree with their viewpoint, you can not engage with them, or you can debate the viewpoint politely.
Hoodie
Sorry to see you go, fair winds and all that. I guess I’ll stick around at least until Cole releases the inevitable “you fucking guys” post. That should be at least mildly entertaining. I feel like we’re a football team that’s in the locker room after getting owned in the first half, except we’re actually only trailing by a field goal.
Ebony
@matt: If I’m a baby the so is mistermix. If my feelings don’t matter than neither does his.
El Cruzado
Didn’t realize there was something wrong with the comments but then again I never read them these days.
The way they work isn’t really conducive to good conversation anyway, and upgrading to something that would is probably out of scope for this website.
You’ll be missed either way.
John Cole
@Hoodie: I’m just disgusted. That entire fucking post and a couple of loudmouths sieze on whether it’s a children’s book or not.
ReneeW
Noooooooooo! This is terrible, terrible news! I’m pretty much a lurker but looked forward to each and every one of your posts. This makes me less likely to continue visiting the blog I have been a faithful reader of for ~20 years now. Also will need to reconsider my financial support. Why can’t people just be nice? One can’t win every single argument — agree to disagree, for Pete’s sake, and then move on. This is why we can’t have nice things, goddamnit!
Professor Bigfoot
@John Cole: No, we siezed on the fact that it was another microagression that snidely pushed the inadequacy and incompetence of Jeffries; when a short look would have shown that it was not. Further, did he ever back off the assertion that it was a “childrens book?” If he did, I haven’t seen it.
oldster
@Ebony:
Oh! So this is the kind of thing that MM is referring to.
Thanks for your comment! You have helped me to understand his decision.
RandomMonster
Though I read here multiple times a day, I guess I don’t read closely enough to be aware of all the contentious exchanges. But I will say it will suck without your posts, MM. Please let us know where else we can find you, if you’re so inclined.
Azhrie139
@Stella: Co-sign this assessment as a lurker. Also noticed at least half of the complainers were just using this as an excuse to not actually engage with the main content of post. MM you will be missed, I will continue to follow on blue sky.
Stella
@Professor Bigfoot: John, you have to admit the 48 pages of illustrations with searing pages like “Knowledge over kangaroo courts” is a deep well of insight that requires a lot of discussion to appreciate.
Percysowner
I’ll miss your articles. I admit, I don’t often have time to read all the comments, so I have avoided many of the issues you note. Godspeed and I wish you a happy life.
xephyr
I love your posts. Totally sucks that you’re leaving BJ. Be seeing you on Bluesky…
ShadeTail
@Professor Bigfoot: And other people are seizing on the fact that:
1) You are splitting hairs at best.
2) Who fucking cares about the book? It’s a molehill that you whiny ass titty babies decided to turn into a mountain.
Stop being a toxic asshole.
Lurker #42
Disagreements are healthy, personal attacks aren’t. I think sometimes the discourse and disagreement trends too much toward this, but when we lose voices, this place is made less because of it.
I read posts more than comments though, and basically never comment, so I’m not qualified to weigh in much, outside of supporting the blog now since I’ve moved some of my news $ from the msm.
Hope you reconsider MM.
Professor Bigfoot
@Stella: That’s not the fucking point.
The point is to remind readers of what we’ve been through over the last 100 years in this country and how hard we’ve had to work and fight to get to where we are; and we’re watching conservative white people work assiduously to undo it all.
Not, of course, that most folk here would actually GET that, since their rights have never been under fire in this country.
Unlike ours.
ellie
I don’t blame you, MM. Some of these commentators are exhausting.
Good luck with your next venture!
Professor Bigfoot
@ShadeTail: Yassuh, massa white man, I’s gonna shut up now.
Betty Cracker
Well, this fucking sucks. MM, I’ve always enjoyed your posts and commentary, but you’ve absolutely been on fire lately, what with the galloping fascism and all. We needed that energy here.
Goddamn it.
Ebony
@oldster: What? Why Am I called in to be nice to MM when he is rude to people like me? I am sick of the hypocrisy. Fuck being nice. I always held things in to be nice, but not anymore.
TBone
Goddamnit my sweet summer inner child was hoping this was just an ugly rumor.
A deguello for you, M.M.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=8TkpolQKie8
You will be missed. Don’t eat the salted peanuts out the can.
humanadverb
Sorry to see you go. Proud of you for practicing good self care and boundaries.
Pretty weird throw-away line for people to turn into *this*. I guess the friendly fire is inevitable when things are this scary—I keep screaming at people who I 99% agree with.
But I feel bad about it when I do that. I hope people feel bad for chasing you off (and I’m disappointed to see that many of them don’t).
Stella
@Professor Bigfoot: I’m trans and MM’s mom is Mexican, I think we get the whole rights thing. Maybe we can actually just disagree with you?
Professor Bigfoot
Deleted, because again, *fuck this shit.
Nukular Biskits
MM2, I really hope you reconsider.
I enjoyed reading your posts here and the receipts you brought along with them.
Please consider remaining a presence on Bluesky.
v/r
Bo
Ella in New Mexico
I know who you’re talking about I have had interactions with them as well. Love it when I get told that as a white woman I’m actually a racist POS responsible for every Republican white woman who voted for Trump because I’m so privileged and virtue signalling is my cover. I just don’t accept it and move on because I’m old enough and wise enough and have seen enough and know myself enough to know they just don’t understand.
But they’re angry, of course, and not only is this is a safe space to strike out, they’re obviously also feeling helpless. Blaming others, especially your friends, is the refuge of people who don’t know yet what they are going to do to make things better, to make the pain just STOP.
We know you got a lot on your plate right now, with a new baby and all. You’re probably feeling incredibly protective of how innocent and vulnerable she is and given the fire hose of hate and sadness and injustice and lawlessness going on in our own frigging country it has to be all you can do to sit down and write for us much less justify you’re own moral compass which is definitely in the right direction. I’m finding I have had to pull back a lot from the constant need to check in and see A. Did Trump/Musk finally succomb to a health emergency? and B. What the fuck kind of nightmare are they unleashing on an undeserving world today?
But PLEASE don’t disappear!! Being a warrior for cause right now is soul killing if you don’t protect yourself. Take a break, if you need to, a real break from the fire. Focus on enjoying love, family, friends, nature community. When you feel like your head is above water again, come back to us. We need you.
humanadverb
@Professor Bigfoot: Oh. Glad you cleared that up.
Cowgirl in the Sandi
I am so sorry that you’re leaving. I hope you’ll reconsider after taking a break. I always enjoyed your posts and was amazed that you could be so prolific. Take care of yourself and hope to see you back here someday.
Ella in New Mexico
George
“self-appointed, prolific and often wrong commenters.”
MM is riding out of town on his purity pony and leaving us with yet another smug (and autobiographical?) comment. Maybe at his next gig, he will focus on the real enemy and stop whingeing about allies, imperfect or otherwise. MM’s posts would rag on Democrats not doing enough, or whatever, without bothering to let us know what he proposed as a workable solution or strategy–something beyond “Democrats need to do something!!!” or “Senate Democrats are dumb because they aren’t voting in total lockstep 100 percent of the time not to confirm nominations that would pass the Senate anyway.”
That’s the thing, though. To propose a feasible strategy–not one that is founded on pure criticism of allies–is tough and it opens one up to critiques. It’s safer just to criticize allies and then play the victim when one gets called out in the comments for doing so. If the comment threads for his posts became exercises in pooh-flinging–and they did–he could have mitigated that by providing better-thought-out arguments. He chose not to.
Other front-pagers here are top-notch and understand that.
KSinMA
Sorry to see you go, MM. I’ll miss you.
Ella in New Mexico
@George: its an opinion. You don’t have to accept it and you certainly don’t have to make ad hominen attacks and project onto MM garbage motivations that simply are that, garbage.
Try being solution focused instead of attacking an ally.
K-Mo
Shit MM, that sucks. Thanks for all your thoughtful and informative content.
Papa Boyle
Mostly a lurker who’s enjoyed your posts for a long time and apparently taken them for granted. Please do walk away, and then please come back. There’s way more love for your posts that goes unsaid by a legion of lurkers than loud recriminations from a few.
And (sarcastic) yay for the people winning all the micro-battles and losing the war.
Mart
Not a big commenter around here but sure was impressed by how you reacted to El Duce the 2’nds threat, and how you increased your output here to try and stop it. I have learned more from you than any other front pager, especially about the rural folks. Thanks and good luck.
Stella
@George: I have never seen an attempt to explain the actual things people would like the Dems to do, and why that matters, actually get a single person like you to shift from this “you have no plans” argument.
The 2024 campaign was built upon trying to explain to people why they should be grateful and it failed, full stop. The average Democrat voter no longer believes in the party. This is a failure state, full stop. Telling voters that you’re powerless to do anything is not a winning message. Democrats have got to convince people they stand for something. They need a plan, they need to be operating under complete resistance, they have got to convince the average person they’re taking it as seriously as the average person is. This is a messaging problem, and they have got to actually be politicians and sell a message.
Nukular Biskits
@John Cole:
I’ve been here (mostly as a lurker until the last year or so) for probably at least fifteen years. Balloon Juice is one of my few go-to sources of information, analysis and, yes, entertainment.
I have noticed a trend here with a number of commenters who are unable to accept any criticism, warranted or not, of their Democratic/progressive/liberal heroes … and I’m not sure what anyone can do about it short of outright banning them, something I don’t condone unless they’re being outright trolls.
Unlike MM2 and other front-pagers, what I have to say here has little import. Having said that, however, I’ve gotten to the point I’ve had to add several people to the pie filter, not because I necessarily disagree with what they have to say, but because they’re singularly-focused and keep beating the dead horse into leather. It’s definitely affecting the “quality” of my time spent here.
Again, do I have any answers? No. But this can’t continue.
kalakal
Good fortune in the future. I’ve enjoyed your posts and comments and hope you reconsider at some point
BellaPea
MM, I am so sorry to see you go. I don’t post often, but I follow this blog on a daily basis and always looked forward to your insights and comments. I hope you will come back, there are people here who don’t agree with all of the nitpicking.
Rusty
Your leaving is a loss for the community but I also understand that you don’t need to put up with crap from certain commentators. I also appreciated your Rochester NY takes, we moved away 5 years ago but I liked the reminders. Peace be with you.
PaulWartenberg
I’m reminded of why TNC stopped doing the Open Threads at Noon for the Horde: the need to moderate discussions overwhelmed the people handling the threads with him. It’s sad a lot commentary sites collapse due to trolling and hotheads.
Denali5
Will miss your comments, MM. You added to the Mix! I think many of us are very upset and not reacting rationally for the obvious reasons. Hope things calm down soon.
PSpain
This is sad. You will be missed MM.
I rarely comment, but when you comment it is quite easy, you can disagree but dont be an asshole.
Ohio Mom
I went downstairs to move laundry and when I came back upstairs, Cole’s post is gone?
I might have said something insightful and now it’s gone! (Snark)
HinTN
@Suzanne: Or pie the bejabbers out of ’em.
greengoblin
I mostly lurk but want to say I always looked forward to your posts and loved when you posted often and on fire. I will miss you here. Good luckin all you choose to do. l follow you on Bluesky and will see you there!
Nukular Biskits
@Ohio Mom:
Yeah. I kinda don’t blame him either.
Ilieitz
Sorry I missed it. What was the post in question?
sentient ai from the future
The Cole “wtf” post is gone now, so there are happenings I think.
I hope mm stays but I understand either way
HinTN
@RandomMonster: If I don’t pie them I just skip the idiocy. I look for well reasoned discourse here. Whether I agree with it or not, it broadens my perspective.
Bupalos
Ooff. Gut punch. But yeah.
The reality is that online spaces tend to breed ever more polarized political identity and desire for unifying orthodoxy. The idea that maybe Bernie was 90% right in terms of what needed to happen with American politics then and 95% right now- and that in retrospect our rage at his insurgent urgency was just blindly wrong – isn’t something that spaces like this can really entertain. We’re not allowed to have been wrong on the internet.
America has been eroding democratically for decades. The educational experience of the majority of our kids, the ever increasing pressure on workers, the way every change in the economy was captured for the benefit of fewer and fewer. All of these things measurably degraded more rapidly under Clinton, Bush, and Obama even than under Trump I. Which isn’t to say we were to blame, just that we were entirely ineffective. Federal and state government did next to nothing to address the massive shift of wealth and power, and the centrist technocracy (including most dems) shrugged and found other things to talk about and just made sure to keep coloring inside the lines,
Waiting for the arc of history to deliver silently hollowed us out. Now the coalition mostly shrugs back. Many are happy enough to try one weird orange trick.
MobiusKlein
@PaulWartenberg: The paranoid / conspiracy side of me sees some hothead action as adversary activity. The cynic sees it that us humans are just rotten.
Here’s to hoping we can aim our rhetoric at the right targets regardless.
oldster
@PaulWartenberg:
TNC and the Golden Horde!
One of my proudest moments in life was when he quoted a comment by me. Or maybe he posted an email from me. Anyhow, those were good times. Too bad people ruin stuff.
HinTN
@ShadeTail:
We are forever in debt to Atrios for this.
Jeffg166
I don’t hang out here day and night. I missed whatever drama there was.
I did see Cole’s post before he took it down.
p.a.
Chiming in that you will be missed, m.m.
Decisions can always be reversed, time changes things.
Maybe this is the push needed to get off my arse & join BSky to keep following you-among others.
ToocanAnj (Angela)
Damn. Long time lurker and very sad the shit has gotten to the point where you need to go.
I’m a firm believer in the right to leave any conversation when there’s no respect.
I’ll miss your wisdom and your writing.
LAC
wonkie
I think that the people who fall down the black hole of infighting and circular firing squads are doing exactly what the MAGGOTS and REthuglicans want us to do.
There are many, many ways to fight back. We all can get off the couch and take action of some kind. I write letters to the local paper, donate to the WI SC race, and write GOTV letters. ( I live in a blue district of the bluest part of a blue state).
We can all help by no engaging in behavior that helps the enemy: no fucking with traffic, no violence and please focus all the rage outwards and not at each other.
Thank you
Betty
That is very disappointing. I appreciate all you have brought to this blog and regret that you feel the need to leave.
Spanish Moss
Oh no! Please don’t go. I have enjoyed your posts immensely and we need voices like yours in times like these. I agree with that assessment, sometimes the comments are hard to stomach and a pie filter won’t help when significant parts of the discussion start going sideways. The fact that some “self-appointed, prolific and often wrong commenters” have driven you to leave makes me sick. Please consider making it just a break, I look forward to your posts every single day.
Melancholy Jaques
@Hoodie:
Agree, except I think it’s more like we lost The Big Game by a field goal.
AliceBlue
I’ve always appreciated your posts MM. You’ve been on fire lately and I’m going to miss that.
Please consider doing a guest post now and then–your voice is very much needed.
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
So sorry to read you are leaving,MM. I appreciate and thank you for all your posts and all the time and thought that goes into them. Please come back if you can,when you can.
Mai Naem mobil
I’m sorry to see you leave. I hope you come back after taking a short break. I just think the November loss was so shocking in many different ways that different people still haven’t processed it. And tfg’s relentless tennis ball bomb deliveries make it even harder to deal with stuff. Even I have to look away nowadays. It’s just too much to handle.
BigJimSlade
Thanks for everything!
dm
Sorry to see you go, MM. I was surprised your lack of orthodoxy survived as long as it did, but I’ve tended to avoid the comments, primarily through lack of time.
But, you know, “the narcissism of narrow differences” demands its pound of flesh.
dnfree
@oldster: I too had an actual comment and response from TNC— I even remember that it was about a Bob Dylan song. Those were the days—but unsustainable for moderation.
People posting as front-pagers here are unpaid volunteers. I appreciate the efforts of all whether I agree 100% with them or not. Their perspectives are all worthwhile.
laura
The People’s Front of Judea battling it out with the Judean People’s Front is the best way to battle fascism.
Sourmash
I loved your work here, along with all the FP’ers. Please consider coming back when things are a bit calmer. Thank you for haring your prodigious talent here. I hope you return.
TurnItOffAndOnAgain
For context, this was Mix’s last post.
Ha Nguyen
Darn it all to heck! I may not always agree with you, midterms, but I always appreciate the reminder that good people do not have to be in lockstep to fight the good fight.
I hate that liberals are turning into conservatives and can’t agree to disagree.
Nukular Biskits
@TurnItOffAndOnAgain:
Thanks.
I had read MM2’s post yesterday and commented on it. That line about Hakeem Jeffries and his book tour did not strike me at the time as being off-color or otherwise controversial and it still does not.
geg6
This totally sucks. I’m furious over it. Dude, you will be missed. You’ve done great work here (even if I don’t always agree), especially over the last few months. These same attitudes have kept me from hanging here as much as I want to in these times. July 2024 broke my tolerance for self-righteous assholery.
MazeDancer
Sorry you are leaving.
You work so very hard. The blog has been so much better for your renewed energy.
Wish you wouldn’t go.
cmorenc
@Professor Bigfoot: maybe you are part of the reason MM is leaving? You don’t seem to get the difference between constructive criticism vs toxic takedown – Trump and Musk are the toxic enemies not fellow BJers that may not agree with you about every little thing.
ReneeW
Professor Bigfoot, I’d say you’ve managed to get your big foot stuck in your big mouth. There is nothing worse than some holier than thou jackass trying to police other peoples’ opinions, like theirs is the only one that matters. It really is insufferable. If you aren’t happy with what you see here on the front page and in the comment section, then start your own freaking blog. You can call out anyone you want from those vaulted heights, and the rest of us can go about our business. Geez, get a life.
Melancholy Jaques
@Stella:
Who said anything about anyone owing something? I just think walking away because people make mean comments – comments that can easily be scrolled past or pied – doesn’t make anything better.
John S.
@cmorenc:
Yup.
TurnItOffAndOnAgain
Here’s the thing: it swings both ways. Calling for more unity or less doomerism or pointing out how a poster might have gotten something wrong or acted tone deaf, if done in good faith, is also criticism that can be taken gracefully.
So if you say this blog “Can’t take criticism,” in response to people balking at imperfect or uninformed and inward aimed defeatism, you might be right, but maybe not how you think you are.
A Ghost to Most
@HinTN: The pie filter allows people to only hear what they want to hear. But nobody wants to hear it
Ben Cisco
Sorry you’re leaving; didn’t always agree, but appreciated the insight.
Agree w/others who say that November (and the drama preceding it) wore down some nerves. I have admittedly participated less since then.
Best of luck.
Barbara
I am sorry to see you go. I have largely stopped commenting on your posts because I feel like the forum simply doesn’t permit a nuanced debate as to why your posts often seem misdirected and offputting. I read the thing on the book tour, rolled my eyes and moved along. My guess it was scheduled months in advance and would leave a lot retailers disappointed if he canceled at the last minute. I don’t know that to be the case, but that is the way things often work in the publishing world. I think we need for the most part to give each other the benefit of the doubt, at least as to the good faith of our intentions. I hope you will reconsider.
Sure Lurkalot
It was my pleasure to meet you at the Denver meetup that Comrade Scott and his “normie” wife, Sandra so kindly hosted.
I enjoyed your perspective here and quite sorry that you won’t be posting anymore. Best to you and yours.
WTFGhost
Hey, Mistermix. I said you annoyed me a bit in a recent response, and I won’t lie to your proverbial face and say otherwise. I think I also said I could see you were good for the blog and community – I sure hope so – and that’s why I tried to keep any annoyance out of any discussion. I’m sure, if I was annoyed at something, it may have leaked through – but I did try.
Folks – I know how my annoyance affects my behavior, because I have to track my emotions constantly. You can do this too – it’s not something “we” commonly teach here in America, but it’s a known skill, to realize you’re annoyed, angry, aggrieved, upset, grieving, and to realize you’re about to unload on someone who doesn’t deserve it.
It’s important, especially when you you want to go someplace to discuss important topics – like here. It’s hard to remember there’s a human face and feelings behind a bunch of words that might hurt – trust me, I know how words hurt – so you are less likely to remember that, and that’s why it’s important to remember your feelings. That way, you don’t throw too many of your personal feelings at someone, without remembering they are *personal* and need explanation, and more gentle sharing.
WTFGhost
Also: so it’s by itself, Mistermix, I’m sad to see you go, and I hope life brings us back into contact someday.
jowriter
MM, yours has been an important voice on this blog and you will be missed. I always enjoy your musical references and so many good points that you make. Good people can disagree sometimes. When a comment section gets too nasty I just leave, but when you front-page you get to take all the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. That’s the breaks. Enjoy your life and your family. We have to gather our happiness where we can. Will continue to follow you on Bluesky. Come back here if you can find your way here again. Anxiety runs high these days and sometimes emotions rule. I often don’t trust the anger that I now hold in my heart so I have to retreat and reflect. Be well, hope to see you soon somewhere. Thank you for caring for the country we all share.
beckya57
This is terrible, your posts are always valuable. I particularly appreciated your insights into NYS politics recently. I’m so sorry.
Ramalama
My two loonies: please take a big fat break, MM, and see if you can’t come back. Your last post was FIRE (ie I loved it). Unbelievable or unfortunate that some turds exist here to feck things up. For sure I’ll check you out on Bluesky, but really BJ is where I go consistently even when I feel unable to add a comment. My go to response these days runs from, “oh hell no,” to “what the fecking feck.”
Mathguy
Seriously bummed to read this. I always looked forward to reading your posts and hope you come back. I also see one of the toxic a-holes commented just above. Guess they can’t leave it alone
Reboot
As someone who appreciated the mountain of content you’ve been providing, even when I took exception to it, I’m really sorry to hear this. ETA: I’ll check you out on Bluesky, although microtakes can’t replace what you did here.
@mistermix.bsky.social
Thanks for all the kind words. I don’t threaten to quit as a tactic – I am out but it’s great that so many appreciated my posts.
hoytwillrise
@Professor Bigfoot: oh boy a ‘microagression’. How do you live in the world when things like this can happen ? If someone criticizes Jeffries you yourself are not the redeiver of a ‘microagression’. You just aren’t.
Soprano2
@Ella in New Mexico: I second all of this.
I hate that you’re leaving, MM. I didn’t always agree with you but I don’t come here for 100% agreement, I come here to commiserate with others who feel like I do and to learn things. 100% agreement would be boring.
Other MJS
I’ll miss your posts and hope you’ll consider returning someday. Got nothing else that hasn’t been said.
Martin
So sorry MM. Loved everything you posted here, whether I agreed with it or not. I both appreciate and agree with your viewpoint on this one.
AWOL
LGM is 99 percent useless snark with many awful OP farts.
Atrios is fecal.
Daily Kos is insipid greasy kid’s stuff.
Kevin Drum is very ill and his blog is full of nazi shits.
BJ was OK. A bit old, a bit cultic, too many open-comment posts, but OK. Some asswipes kept repeating the same shit over and over and over again—annoying. Some asswipes expected every commentator to be clones of themselves. Annoying. But that’s discourse.
Politics be some dirty shit, MM. I enjoyed your contrarianism. Can’t believe you’re letting a few losers intimidate you off an earned platform.
For myself, heavy regrets I joined the D party a month ago and am becoming more involved in NYC D politics in general, but I’m not going to be stuck voting for another Adams over Sliwa Shitshow in November because I didn’t vote in the D primary. My friend who has been involved in NYC D politics tells me part of the job is dealing with assholes.
Reconsider. Platforms are hard to find. And it’s not like anyone is stepping up—people are running away from this place when it’s most needed.
r
SteveinPHX
Sorry to see you are leaving. I’ve enjoyed reading your postings. Going to miss your ways with our language.
KBS
Well shit, I really hate to see you go. But I never comment and rarely read other people’s comments, so I’m not much help in that regard. I’ll keep following you on Bluesky and hope to see you back here again at some point.
WTFGhost
Friend, I don’t know how MM would take that, but it’s the kind of thing that could hurt me. Sometimes, I might have to let “a few losers” be enough of a drag on my life that I need to shed that drag. Now, for me, I’m severely disabled – any drag on my life is *bad*, so, to me “you’re letting them intimidate you” would hurt, not a lot, but a bit. Again: MM can speak to his feelings if needed – that just stuck out as something that would sting.
Um. I’m sorry if this came out scolding, or just plain out of place – emotional thread makes me over protective of emotions.
Jackie
@geg6:
geg6; you put to post what is in my head. Thanks for doing the hard work!
Jacqueline Squid Onassis
This is just awful and I’m so sorry to see you go, MM. I absolutely appreciated all the content you provided and I’ll miss your posts. I follow you on bluesky, so I’ll see what you post there.
You will be missed.
WTFGhost
Um. I don’t want to “me too” a negative response in a damning way, but, yes… sometimes there’s missing nuance. It doesn’t always feel like people desire nuance. Sometimes, it seems like the right thing to do is let out the kind of rant a RWNJ posts, only, you know, modified for LWNJs, because that gets *attention*, just like a child saying a naughty word.
But soon you have entire classrooms doing nothing but finding contextual ways to say naughty words (“my dog had 3 males and three bitches!”), trying to get the most laughs, rather than feeling pride in a good report, well delivered.
I used to joke, “everything I knew in life, I learned in kindergarten, like:” well, my favorite was “once you pull the pin, on Mr. Hand Grenade, he is no longer your friend!”
(Can you believe they left such an important safety tip until *first* grade in my school, before I arrived? (Kindergarteners rarely have the strength to hold the spoon down, but by sixth grade… never mind.))
More seriously: there used to be a series of books, “everything I needed to know in life, I learned in kindergarten” like, don’t make messes, or clean them up after; be kind; stand and walk together with your classmates, even those you don’t like; that kind of heartwarming stuff.
Is that forgotten in today’s world? Do people need to stop making jokes about hand grenades, and remind people we learned to share crayons, and sometimes had to use the broken ones without whining, and if you make someone cry for no good reason, you’ll be pressed to think about your behavior; you have to clean up your own messes, and can’t blame them on others, but if you ask for help, someone will help make the job easier; and all that heartwarming crap.
I dunno.
WeimarGerman
MM, really sorry to see you leave. As others have said, please take a break and think about returning. Many more people here will welcome you versus a few annoying jerks.
AWOL
@WTFGhost: You’re addressing me. Why not directly?
I put out about ten to fifteen loaded left-leaning political books a year, including one that will be released in 30 days on Elon Musk with my name in the acknowledgments. I don’t like the heat. But it’s part of my mission. The psychosis of Fate chose me to be in this position. I can retire yesterday. But to run away now? That would be absurd.
Mister Mix is giving up a platform he served well—and during a time where he sensed the other front pagers were burnt to a crisp. He shouldn’t run away. He has the right to set parameters in his posts. And parameters are needed in many posts. Making a good point once is great. Making a good point five hundred times makes you an ass.
I knew from my first post here where a longtime member told me to go fuck myself that I’d never fit in. But it’s worth the struggle, as I live in a NYC liberal bubble. It’s a shame it’s collapsing when it should be uniting, but that’s humanity, I guess.
Darkrose
@WTFGhost: I feel like the value of the pie filter here is misunderstood. There are a couple people I’ve pied because I don’t think they’re arguing in good faith. There are far more people I’ve pied because I can’t trust myself to respond to them in the heat of the moment. The nice thing is that I can’t trust myself use the toggle to read and decide if I want to engage or un-pie entirely. It’s not like it’s permanent.
Another Scott
@AWOL:
That was an initiation rite going back to the General Stuck days or earlier, wasn’t it?
Best wishes,
Scott.
WTFGhost
@AWOL: Well – I don’t know you well enough to address you directly.
And I don’t know if anyone would be as emotionally sensitive as I am.
But I did know it would draw a reaction, and I didn’t want you to think I was criticizing you, “you could have done better,” but I did want you to think “that’s an idea” – maybe one you considered already, maybe not.
So I didn’t want to directly criticize, but when I have a strange emotional reaction, if I share it, others who might have it might not feel as bad, or, they might remember “oh, right ‘Ghost is a bit oversensitive” (ed.: when you’re right, you’re right…).
The truth is, because of my language processing problems, I’m a bit terrified of people, because they never understand how a person who’s normally stable can break down quickly, and then, be literally unable to explain, because his brain won’t find the right words. Seriously – I understand how freaky it is, it’s just – “you need us to talk later, so you can rest now,” would be my response, but only because I knew it from the inside. Because of how quickly language can break down, and how quickly people expect answers, I’m trying to learn to deal with people, as a middle-aged man should, but it’s hard, because I went through most of those years not even knowing I had a problem.
So I kinda… Ghost around. And I reckon, I must draw enough for my “first name”. Please don’t ever feel my lack of direct response/contact is a lack of caring.
WTFGhost
@Darkrose: I agree – that is a *fine* use of the pie filter. I think I mentioned, “it’s like walking to the other end of the bar/coffee shop, where you don’t have to listen to someone for a bit,” then, later, you decide to listen again, see if the stuff you don’t like has stopped, so you can talk something fun again.
That’s doing good, by managing you – sorry if I didn’t call that out well enough.
jimmy higgins
youtu.be/lK5zYI86wIw?si=7nwEAjCoE49k9HXu
dc
Thank you for all your posts, I’m sorry there are commenters who have driven you away. I guess I ignore or pie those who I feel bring me down or make me demobilize. But I’m not a front page poster, and it’s natural that you read all the comments.
AWOL
@WTFGhost: As an adolescent, I was so abused I went silent. They wanted to put me in a work program for “slow” young people to shelve me away. I found better help. Now I tell Harvard and Yale graduates what to do. Keep fighting. You being here helps you and others who suffer as you do. I understand.
AWOL
@Another Scott: I think our resident Dawgs fan was undergoing a medical issue. Since then, I’ve learned to respect him and understand his fight. I am the son of a WW2 veteran. I know the pain.
MattF
This is all news to me. It’s too bad that people here are fighting at precisely the moment when cooperation would be better— maybe there’s a lesson of some sort buried in all this rubble.
Glory b
@ShadeTail: No, it’s that MM & others here don’t understand that it is also a discussion about the use of language by traditional black groups, especially in black churches. It reminds me of Henry Louis Gates series, “How The Word Is Passed.”
I haven’t attended one of his tour presentations, but I can imagine that his publisher set these meetings up some time ago, and that the discussions were not at elementary school book reading circle level.
MM, who seemed to hold a special kevel of animosity towards Jeffries, could have just said thst he checked people’s statements about this & saw they had a point, respectfully disagreed, etc., instead of getting in the wind.
As my grandfather, the child of cotton sharecroppers used to say, he needs more grit in his craw if he wants to mix it up here.
Dan B
It’s discouraging to see you leave. You’ve done a lot for this blog. Be well.
Glory b
@AWOL: Part of LIFE is dealing with assholes, actually.
columbusqueen
@Professor Bigfoot: That right there, with everyone’s rights under attack, is some prime BS. Either catch your breath & calm down, or leave. You’re not helping yourself at this point.
columbusqueen
Thank you, MM. I do hope after a rest you might reconsider.
O. Felix Culpa
@John Cole: That’s an unfair comment and misrepresentation of what MM and those who disagreed with him said. Please read Glory B at #152, and inform yourself of the larger context and history which drew the responses he received. Then decide who’s being a “loudmouth,” which I thought was the point of blog commenting anyway. ;-)
frosty
I’m sorry see you go. I hope you come back from time to time but I understand why you wouldn’t.
AWOL
@Glory b: Yup. I pity those who had to deal with my past self. I was an utter asshole. Then others—good people—make their way through.
We’re chasing away the good people. Even if they’re not “perfect.”
At the worst time.
Quinerly
Sitting at the bar at a Jazz brunch at Whiskey Creek Zocalo outside Silver City, NM. (Incredible drummer. Met the lead guy and keyboardist yesterday. Turns out he was in St. Louis playing in bands 1982-1988. We have mutual friends! Chatted for a couple of hrs yesterday. Small world connections keep me sane.)
Did a news black out for a few days.
This post popped up when I fired up BJ while waiting for my breakfast pizza. Thread might be dead, though.
I will miss you. Very sad BJ is losing you. Thank you for all your posts.
Ann Marie
Mistermix, I am so sorry you are leaving. I hardly ever comment here and often don’t read the comments, but I have found your posts very interesting and useful. I don’t always agree with you, but I read this blog for interesting points of view, not just to find my own. Take the time you need, but please consider coming back.
glc
Mistermix – Sorry to see you go; you had some of the more sensible commentary to be found on this site, which does lean heavily toward wishful thinking, but not exclusively so. Anyway, thanks for the effort. I can see why it might feel unrewarding, but there’s certainly an audience for serious commentary that’s willing to look behind marketing slogans.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
I’m sorry you’re leaving, MM. I think for the most part you’ve been on fire lately. I really enjoyed seeing you highlight voices speaking out against the awful things that are happening right now, and showing that there is a way forward. I hope you reconsider and come back some day, but understand if you wouldn’t want to
Ksmiami
Wait no what did I miss? Come backkkkk
BellyCat
Intolerance. It’s a helluva drug. You will be missed.
Create a new nym and come back to raise hell every now and again!
Chacal Charles Calthrop
@YY_Sima Qian: ++1
I rarely post and I don’t read everything, but please reconsider.
In the meantime, thanks for all you’ve done.
Currants
Oh mistermix I have so enjoyed reading your posts. I’m sorry you won’t be here—will look for more on BlueSky. Best of luck.
Gloria DryGarden
@Lurker #42: agree w you. Agree w Suzanne
mistermix you post so many points of interest and things worthy of discussion. I slip away when the toxic fights and blame get going. Lately you’ve covered so much of what could use our attention, and you’ve made a difference to the daily offerings here.
This is a bummer. And I understand the need to get away from it when it becomes a personal attack. A zillion thanks before you go.
See you on blue sky
Sasha
I will miss you. Take care.
Birdie
@George: This take feels the most accurate to me. I get that writing takes work and I respect the work. However, not every writer gives off the sense of “looking down on” their readers and I believe criticism is valid.
Instead of reflecting on the criticisms it seems like MM will instead take his bat and ball and go home, which is his right, and is also of a piece with what I reacted to in his writing.
Elliottg
MM, I enjoyed your posts as I do all of the front pagers here. Content that’s worth reading is hard to find and BJ consistently delivers. As a generator of that valuable content, you have to get paid somehow (whether in hard cash or satisfaction) and if it’s not worth it, it’s not worth it.
To the critics who drove MM away, the same applies. You spend your time here so it must be worth it to you. Does the fact that his voice will no longer be represented at BJ make your time here more or less worthwhile? IOW, now that you no longer will see any MM posts, are you happier?
As an analogy, personally, if Bernie Sanders disappeared from public discourse or Robert Reich, I would be disappointed even though I disagree with them frequently and would likely not want either in a leadership position.But if Donald Trump or Elon Musk disappeared, I would be elated. Then there are the those I’m just not sure about like Manchin or Fetterman; people who have their uses but infuriate me.
So if I have a choice as to how to engage with people in comments that I know they read, in the first category, I’m going to be respectful (seeking engagement). In the second, I’m going to be insulting and quite likely come of as an a**hole to some (not interested in engagement). In the third category, I would not really be thinking about the original speaker’s opinion (not adverse to engagement, but not the reason I’m commenting).
I’m sorry to see MM go. I’m even sorrier that it affects the entire blog. I don’t have this power, but, on balance, if I had to choose which content I’d rather sacrifice in my BJ experience, it would have been the commenters and not MM.
TS
I will miss your so interesting analysis of current events in the US. trump surely is ripping the country apart when even a small blog cannot come together in opposition.
Motivated Seller
Welp that sux.
Black_Onion
@Betty Cracker: Very much this. I rarely, if ever comment (I can’t keep up with them, so for me it’s like trying to have a conversation at a concert)
You, Cole and MM consistently are the posts I enjoy the most. The music references always got me.
Your posts are my connection to Florida, since my parents who lived there have passed on.
I appreciate Cole for hosting *all of this* and often chuckle reading his night time posts. I sometimes read them aloud to my wife.
This is literally the only blog I read daily, even as a lurker. Since the election, my news intake has dropped to a trickle to keep me from doomscrolling. At the same time, I am going to a meeting with some like minded individuals in my state (NH) to *do something* and the Activism 2025 link here is being shared with the group.
I don’t know how this got so long and windy. I do know this feels like a space where at the end of the day we’re all on the same side. I guess it sucks to see it doesn’t feel that way. Everything in life feels tough enough already.
Kay Jay
Ive been lurking forever, but wanted to thank you Mister Mix, for all the posts. Always an interesting and informative read. Very sorry to see you go.
MountainBoy
MM, Thanks for all of your posts-I read each and everyone of them and enjoyed meeting you at the BJ meetup… So sorry to see you leave BJ.
CW
I’ll see you on Bluesky, sir.
I typically don’t read the comments here at all. Just the articles.
beth
i never comment and i rarely read the comments but i always read most of the front page posts. i was thrilled when MM started posting more; i appreciate the energy, perspective, and topics he was writing about. i don’t have to agree with everything but i do have to learn something and MM checked that box for me. it’s a significant loss, to me and to the blog.
tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat)
Thank you, Mister Mix. I appreciated your takes on NY politics, the experience you brought of growing up in rural communities, especially North Dakota, and I was looking forward to you sharing your foray into local political organizing in Colorado. We need a diversity of voices and perspectives. I will be the poorer for you not being here. I am grateful for the time and effort you put into your posts, because those came at expense to yourself. Best to you. You will be missed.
MountainBoy
“I’ve had a few margs because it’s national marg day”
This really made me laugh yesterday after witnessing all the flinging of poo as you were enjoying your Saturday afternoon. SHEESH.
Armadillo
Very sorry to see you go, MM. I didn’t (and still don’t) read much of any comments, except in particular circumstances like this. Like others, I hope you will consider coming back.
am
I’d add to Betty Cracker’s sentiment (fuck) and agree with the other commenters who say they only rarely read the comments. I hope you’ll reconsider this. I’ve been reading since Tim F was posting and you’re a great poster and god knows we could need your voice now. A few toxic internet people shouldn’t derail that.
Any dope can anonymously comment, even me. I would advice treating them all like lone farts in the wind, particularly in an age where even a modestly resourced adversary can train language models to agenticly engage in forums to create divisions and anger.
libraryguy
I’m sorry you’ve decided to do this. I respect your decision, and your insights and viewpoint here. Your work has been a bit of hope on a dark time.
I hope you’ll come back some time, but will definitely find you wherever you appear. Best wishes.
tam1MI
I am sorry to hear you felt you had to leave. I always enjoyed your posts and found them enlightening. Wishing you the best of luck in your future endeavors!
rikyrah
I don’t even know what the phuck has been going on.
Mistermix,
I hope you reconsider. Your brand of firebrand is needed.