Arthur in Maine earned the second Comment of the Day to end the year with his observations on the New York times aiding and abetting the savaging of Mimi Groves. Here is his COTD on the post, “Bizarro World Ethics: A Vicious Young Jerk’s Unethical Act Is Celebrated And His Victim Vilified In A Cautionary Tale Of What Happens When Society Allows Its Values To Be Turned Inside Out. Part II: The Times And Its Readers”:
Let me go further into my comment to Part 1, which boiled down to “the NYT acted most unethically of all.”
I chose not to expound then, anticipating this post, but I will now.It’s likely – indeed, even essential – to this story that the pitchfork-and-torches mobs on social media have a larger footprint than the New York Times. But THIS Facebook group, THAT Instagram “Influencer”, THOSE Twitter feeds – tend to be narrow channels of like-minded myrmidons (this is what social media has done to society, more effectively than any propagandist ever could: separated culture into armed camps).
But with its publication of this story, the NYT has given it the Blessing of the Angels. It has validated the asinine opinions of the Perpetually Aggrieved, and it has done so for no reason other than to maintain its visibility and relevance.
As a libertarian capitalist, I can ALMOST respect the decision when viewed for the coldest possible eyes. I have long understood – and, in fact, cautioned on this blog – that the news media is first and foremost a business, that it always had been, and that we should expect journalistic decisions to be made with business in mind. I’ve never argued that this was right, merely that it’s the reality, and that we’d be better off as a society if everyone understood this.
But as one who tries to see things fairly and live ethically, I have nothing but contempt for that rag. Ruin the life of an 18-year-old girl because of something she said roughly around the time of her 12th or 15th menses? I can just see the editorial conference: “Sure, why the hell not? We operate in a city that’s destroying an industry responsible for maybe 1% of all current Covid infections, and we’re cool with that. Gotta break a few eggs to make an omelette.”
Fuck you, New York Times. Choke on your fucking omelette, you heartless bastards. And polish up your resumes – the Trump gravy train you’ve been riding for the last four years is about to get switched onto a siding, no small thanks to you assholes.
Learn to code.
Ethics Alarms 
Flattered. My typos and all.
Ugh. I fixed a few! Send me the rest and I’ll fix those too.
Thanks, Arthur. That’s a good final word for the year re the Old (Senile and Incompetent) Grey Lady, I think my parents are spinning in their graves at what was once their daily dose (and Sunday hours) of thoughtful, literate and generally objective news. …But that was 70 years ago. My, how time and newspapers fly!
I wouldn’t use it to wrap fish offal now, PA; an insult to the fish…
I would say that the NYT’s has no legitimate right to condemn any form of bullying when they themselves decide to use their power to destroy those whose ideas conflict with theirs or terrorize others into thinking twice about voicing an opinion to which they do not agree.
The Times has ceded the moral high ground on bullying in perpetuity.
Congrats AIM on the COTD
Nice. Except for the “learn to code” part. I do not need more nitwits creating issues in software I use everyday.
The New York Times is beyond redemption.
Our friend, Jimmy Galligan, though, had better live one exemplary life, beginning at his birth up to the time of his death. Life has a nasty tendency of meting out justice in its own way. He just may rue the day he published that video.
jvb
Great COTD, AIM.
I sincerely hope the no longer Tennessee cheerleader young lady has a wonderful life. I hope she’ll be just fine going down another path. Her whole life is ahead of her. After four years of bouncing around and smiling in strange poses, she’d have to figure out what she wants to become and do with her life anyway. Maybe she’ll sit down with some books while she’s an undergrad and go to law school or get an MBA or go to medical or dental school and take control of her life. I just don’t think this should ruin her life. I can hardly count all the things I wanted to be when I was around her age, but just for one example, stopping growing when I was 6’1″ in ninth grade and not becoming an NBA player didn’t end up ruining my life.