Rancid Discussion Thread: ‘Obsessed’ with Greenwald/Omidyar/First Look | The Rancid Honeytrap

The recent dust-up at the Media Lens forum has, among other things, really made me appreciate — even more than usual — the smart, funny, talented people that read and comment here. I’d like to have discussions rolling constantly, but for various reasons I can’t create as many full-fledged blog posts as that requires. So I’m going to try something tonight where I just throw out some food for thought, and see what you all make of it.  You can work with the topic, or you can throw out something else you think is more interesting. If it works out, I’ll make it a regular thing.

Look at these two tweets. Tell me what you think (more below).

.@paulcarr This war on @ggreenwald is getting old and embarrassing. It almost reads like sour grapes.—Doug Henwood (@DougHenwood) April 13, 2014

 

Omidyar is the biggest media-oligarchy story, period. The fact almost no reporters obsess over it – is part of the whole rotten meatball—Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) April 14, 2014

I’ll start by saying that the fact that Marxists and anarchists now call a billionaire by his first name is reason enough to keep looking at/writing about the social phenomena that brought that about. So getting accused of monomania for doing so is getting very old, especially since people like Henwood are no less obsessed. They’re just obsessed in a different way.  The right way. Accusing people who are making a point of not applauding of obsession is just another way of getting people to shut up — another form of ostracism – like what Patrick Higgins wrote about here in part 3 of his excellent recent series.

Once  again, I’m with Mark Ames (sue me).  As I have said before, the way left journalists and media watchdog groups like Media Lens and Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting have stood down on this story is nothing short of shameful. The sad thing is, there will be no catching up. There is a timeframe when something is newsworthy, and somehow Omidyar and Co have managed to avoid scrutiny and analysis during their allotted time. They will be old news before they’ve been anything more than the stuff of successive press releases.

There is no question that there is something really very odd about how heavily disciplined and vigorously policed discussion of the Snowden Leaks, Greenwald, Omidyar and First Look is on the left. Why is that?

Tell me what you think. Keep it loose. If you have something else on your mind, let it rip. Links to other interesting stuff welcome. Be cool, be you, as Pierre would say.

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