The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

An Idiot Obsessed With Commenters

Posted on | February 12, 2012 | 54 Comments

What can we say about Charles Johnson’s increasingly desperate efforts to simulate relevance?

We will now examine (a) what happened, (b) what Charles Johnson wants us to believe happened, and (c) what the discrepancy between (a) and (b) tells us about Charles Johnson’s pathetic idiocy.

OK, what happened: Fox News posted a story on its Web site about the death of singer Whitney Houston. This story attracted worldwide attention, and it appears that many people commenting in that (unmoderated) Internet venue said very ugly things about the recently deceased singer, making cruel remarks about her notorious struggles with drug addiction and employing racial epithets.

It now appears that Fox has closed commenting on the story and removed all the previous comments. However, as of 9 p.m. Sunday the story had been shared 2,400 times on Twitter and “liked” 14,000 times on Facebook,  suggesting that it quickly reached a very broad readership.

Was this particular Fox story linked by Drudge or other major Web news aggregators? Were similarly derogatory comments were posted on Whitney Houston’s death at other news sites with unmoderated commenting policies?

I just throw those questions out there, as alternatives to the Charles Johnson Unified Field Theory of Every Damned Thing in the World:

There’s a real sickness running rampant in the right wing; the Fox News comment thread on Whitney Houston’s death is yet another disgusting deluge of outright racism.

“Right wing” + “Fox News” = RAAAAACISM!

Question: Do we know anything about the ideology or political affiliations of the people who left the scurrilous comments on the Fox News site?

Answer: No, we do not.

Once an item goes “viral” online, you cannot possibly generalize about the people commenting in an unmoderated format. For all we know, Fox News was the victim of a targeted effort by the Left — a category that arguably now includes Little Green Footballs — to create the appearance that Fox viewers are racists.

LGF’s Kilgore Trout once attempted such a dishonest trick aimed at Hot Air, and while I cannot state as a fact that the LGF crew is up to its old agitprop trickery, neither can I rule out the possibility. What I can say with certainty is that Johnson has clearly attempted to smear Fox News (and by extension, the “right wing”) by blaming them for these comments.

As to the attitudes reflected in the comments cited by LGF: Lots of white people in pop music — e.g., Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, Keith Moon of The Who, John Bonham of Led Zeppelin — have died as a consequence of substance abuse. Anecdotal examples are not proof of an ethnic trait, and even if statistical evidence demonstrates a correlation between a behavioral trait and an ethnic group, we should be cautious about asserting any particular axis of causality.

The Irish have a reputation for alcoholism, and perhaps deservedly so. But it is very difficult to say, for example, that stupid Micks are prone to drunkenness (a) because they’re Micks or (b) because they’re stupid.

Furthermore, while it might be observed that Ireland has produced a lot of stupid drunks but precious few nuclear physicists, if we generalize too broadly from that example, stupid drunken Micks might take exception to our observations about the correlation between the stupidity and drunkenness of his type. And then some smelly ignorant Paddy O’Sheeney at the end of the bar will likely give us a demonstration of the tendency toward brutish violence for which that damned race of wretched drunkards are so universally notorious.

Therefore, I urge you to refrain from expressing offensive ethnic stereotypes about the Irish. However, you can insult the Frogs without fear, as the French are most famous for the cowardice of their men and the promiscuity of their women.

Comments

54 Responses to “An Idiot Obsessed With Commenters”

  1. Mike G.
    February 12th, 2012 @ 9:54 pm

    Plus, unlike the Irish, the French are stuck up snobs to boot.

  2. Raaaaacism Rears It’s Ugly Head?… LGF Thinks So…What A Putz « That Mr. G Guy's Blog
    February 12th, 2012 @ 10:09 pm

    […] From Stacy McCain, a diatribe about the foibles of an erstwhile Liberal race baiter and propagandist over the recent death of Pop Star, Whitney Houston Once an item goes “viral” online, you cannot possibly generalize about the people commenting in an unmoderated format. For all we know, Fox News was the victim of a targeted effort by the Left — a category that arguably now includes Little Green Footballs — to create the appearance that Fox viewers are racists. […]

  3. richard mcenroe
    February 12th, 2012 @ 10:11 pm

    Damned drunken Irish?  If you’re going to waste my valuable porn time with that kind of redundancy…

  4. Jack Reno
    February 12th, 2012 @ 10:12 pm

    I feel sorry for Charles. It seems that ever since the gay editorial cabal at Gawker decided to quite lubing him up and using him as their Silver Daddy hand puppet he just hasn’t been either fulfilled or happy. He’s just felt, well, both gaping and empty, a mere self of his former shell.

  5. Jack Reno
    February 12th, 2012 @ 10:14 pm

    I however am looking forward to Charles’ rebirth of relevance later this year when he finally comes out as the head of Autofellationist Self-Fisters for Obama.

  6. Phoebe Figalilly
    February 12th, 2012 @ 10:19 pm

    “However, you can insult the Frogs without fear, as the French are most
    famous for the cowardice of their men and the promiscuity of their
    women.”

    Excuse me!!!  Are you aware that the French lead the world in new cancer drugs that perhaps keep the people you love alive?  Frogs have feelings too!!

  7. Rose
    February 12th, 2012 @ 10:27 pm

    God bless the Irish, whom God made mad, for all their wars are happy, and all their songs are sad. 🙂

    Whitney Houston was, imo, the most beautiful woman on the planet, given both the gift of beauty and extraordinary talent, laid waste by the scourge that is drug abuse. It’s a sad and sorry waste. Drugs remove all of the nobility that man is capable of achieving – and the destruction occurs at one’s own hand.

    And, then there’s Charles Johnson – one sick puppy.

  8. SOYLENT GREEN
    February 12th, 2012 @ 10:30 pm

    As a Scot, I take umbrage at your shot at the Irish. After all, God created whisky so we Scots wouldn’t conquer the world.
    As for the French…well, I like loose women, especially if they have a bottle of whisky with them. Makes it easier to forget the whole encounter.

  9. K-Bob
    February 12th, 2012 @ 10:30 pm

    Avoiding the obvious and plucking only the low hanging fruit are things writers are supposed to learn early.  A lot of youngun’s fail at this.  I recommend Stacy’s article here as an example of avoiding the obvious question on everyone’s mind: specifically, “Why does Charles Johnson hate black people?”

  10. Adjoran
    February 12th, 2012 @ 10:32 pm

    Trout has been with CJ so many years he could fairly be described as Charles’ “longtime companion” in the obit.

    These days their traffic is significantly less than this site’s, according to Alexa rankings.  It’s no great mystery why.  The mental deterioration  has continually progressed, both in CJ’s disturbed brain and his sycophantariat.  It seems the only reason anyone pays any attention at all anymore is his irrational attacks on individuals, which more or less forces your attention if you or someone you know or patronize happens to be the target.

    As Bernie Taupin wrote of Mark David Chapman, “It’s funny how one insect can damage so much grain.”

  11. ISTE
    February 12th, 2012 @ 10:41 pm

    We all know Charles Johnson tweets “#nowplaying” with the artist name, album and song and a link to his Amazon store many times a day. Anyone who clicks on his link gets Charles a small commission on anything they purchase from Amazon after that click.

    I did the best search I could, and I cannot find any evidence that Charles Johnson ever tweeted a “now playing” by Whitney Houston before today. I may be wrong, but I don’t think so.

    Charles Johnson is trying to make a few bucks from her death.

  12. JeffS
    February 12th, 2012 @ 10:45 pm

    Alternate headline for you, Stacy: 

    “Aging leftie has been blogger struggles once more for coherence and relevance,  displays intense sexual frustration instead.”

    And in other news, Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.

  13. richard mcenroe
    February 12th, 2012 @ 10:49 pm

    “No estoy muerto, sólo estoy descansando después de una prolongada chillido …” Generalissimo Francisco Franco

  14. ISTE
    February 12th, 2012 @ 11:03 pm

    Also, Charles Johnson only ever mentioned her twice in comments.

    09059167 38536 6 Charles Mon, May 9, 2011 6:03:07pm

    In other news, I know everyone’s shocked to hear that Whitney Houston is back in rehab.

    and

    09059172 38536 11 Charles Mon, May 9, 2011 6:08:25pm

    At the beginning of her career, Whitney Houston was so good it was scary. It’s sad to see someone squander a talent that huge.

    Now suddenly Charles is a big fan and plays her music and Tweets his store.

    Sad.

  15. Proof
    February 12th, 2012 @ 11:20 pm

    Funny! I don’t know if the key word was “idiot” or “Charles Johnson” or both, but Ad choices ran the following on your front page:

    “Put Progressive Champion Alan Grayson Back in Congress”

    Oh, yeah! Want to get us some of THAT!

  16. The Vermont Avenger
    February 12th, 2012 @ 11:28 pm

    Good freaking Lord, CJ is still around?! I didn’t even know his twisted lizard lounge was still up and running. Talk about major desperation. 

  17. MrPaulRevere
    February 12th, 2012 @ 11:52 pm

    $15 trillion in debt and endless trillion dollar deficits? No big deal in LGF land. The pending Iranian nuclear device? Not worthy of mention.  What do the careers of CJ and Whitney Houston have in common? A very simple lesson: Don’t end up like that.

  18. Anonymous
    February 13th, 2012 @ 12:01 am

    RSM,

        You say drunken Irishman as though I’m supposed to take offense as opposed to considering it a compliment.

  19. The Eagle
    February 13th, 2012 @ 12:14 am

    Charles Johnson makes an honest admission.

    http://diaryofdaedalus.com/2012/02/12/the-race-detective-displays-some-honesty/

    His minions planted these comments.

  20. M. Thompson
    February 13th, 2012 @ 12:28 am

    Don’t care much about her, but he’s really gone down hill since, oh, 2005 or so.  The Flemish Menace started to strike me as absurd fairly quickly.

  21. Anonymous
    February 13th, 2012 @ 12:46 am

    I actually went through comments on stories about Whitney Houston’s death on CNN and MSNBC.  My search was not exhaustive; I went only through the first several dozen comments on each site to get an impression.  I found several that most people would find disrespectful or disparaging, but only on the grounds of her confessed substance abuse, personal distaste for her music, or doubt concerning her fitness as a mother.

    Only on Fox did I find overt racism.  In very great abundance.

  22. EBL
    February 13th, 2012 @ 2:21 am

    Of course there is Le vice Anglais, caning and buggery.  Something that I suspect Charles Johnson and Kilgore Trout liked to engage in (apparently Kilgore Trout is on the outs with Charles, maybe he is trying to get back together…)

  23. EBL
    February 13th, 2012 @ 2:21 am

    Q.  What is an Irish homosexual?  
    A.  An Irishman who does not drink.  

  24. EBL
    February 13th, 2012 @ 3:10 am
  25. Anamika
    February 13th, 2012 @ 3:10 am

    RSM:

    More importantly, when looked at firsthand, and not simply accepted for the mere fact that it either appeared on Fox News or even in the Huffington Post for that matter, it can be seen by those who have an eye and and ear for things like the instinctive and decisive recognition of the fact that all phenomena are not only indivisible, as well as equal and even within the all-encompassing basic state, but perfect as well, which means that even though you’re rich or poor and whether you have adequate healthcare of not, or even if you happen to still be a part of the ever-receding middle class, you can know for sure that ultimately no one really gives a shit about what you might happen to be going through b/c they’ve got stories of their own that they would only be more than happy to lay on you in exact, not to mention, boring, detail, should you somehow make the gross, but not entirely uncorrectable mistake of lending them your ear for an hour or two that they, for some reason, and in some unfathomable way, expect you to take from your busy schedule and dedicate solely to them, with absolutely NO intention of allotting any of what they consider to be their precious time to be bothered listening to ANY of your shit, much less your most recent drama or trauma.

    So basically the whole thing is moot unless you wish to make a federal case out it, which is something that you no doubt have found by now to be not worth the paper the thing is written on, unless of course you do all of, or at least most of, your shit online.

    Which is basically what you do here.

  26. Rich Vail
    February 13th, 2012 @ 6:25 am

    The real question here is…”who actually reads LGF’s any more.”  I haven’t in quite some time.  At least since CJ went off the deep end several years back.

    Rich Vail
    Pikesville, Maryland
    http://thevailspot.blogspot.com

  27. Bob Belvedere
    February 13th, 2012 @ 7:17 am

     Paddy O’Sheeney

    An Irish Jew?!?

  28. Bob Belvedere
    February 13th, 2012 @ 7:20 am

     Yeah, SG, it’s true French women are loose, but they don’t bathe.

    Australian women like a good time and they smell real nice.

  29. Bob Belvedere
    February 13th, 2012 @ 7:21 am

     Even the bat s-it crazy experience moments of clarity.

  30. Anonymous
    February 13th, 2012 @ 7:55 am

     I hope the Grammar Cop that stumbles by isn’t Officer Overtly McDrunk ’cause he’ll be hauling you in for comma and sentence abuse.

  31. Anonymous
    February 13th, 2012 @ 8:26 am

    Naw, I always moderate cold sober.

  32. Fred Beloit
    February 13th, 2012 @ 8:52 am
  33. Anonymous
    February 13th, 2012 @ 9:21 am

    What is sublimely ironic is that chucky used to whine about others pointing out his comments section. We would regularly declaim ANY resonsibility for what was writeen in the coments.

  34. Phoebe Figalilly
    February 13th, 2012 @ 10:12 am

    I’m taking notes!

  35. Pathfinder's wife
    February 13th, 2012 @ 11:10 am

    Those are the worst, or so I’ve heard. I’d mention the infamous Irish/Indian (oops, Native American) mixture; talk about notorious.

    Don’t forget to mention the incompetent Italians and the vicious Germans (or should we call them Huns?) — they’re a bad lot too.

  36. Pathfinder's wife
    February 13th, 2012 @ 11:13 am

    Feelings which originate in their yellow bellies and hot pants?

    (j/k by the way — I don’t go in for serious French bashing, but this time farce demands it)

  37. Anonymous
    February 13th, 2012 @ 11:14 am

    Its always a fun irony to watch CJ bitch about someone else’s unmoderated comments and how those comments convict them of awfulness.  This was always one of his major gripes that people condemned him for his comment traffic.

    My favorite comment over there was when threatened to ban anyone for gloating at him.  It was my last comment: “Gloat!”

    heh

  38. Pathfinder's wife
    February 13th, 2012 @ 11:16 am

    Which is in and of itself the most disgusting example of vulture-dom (and that’s a real insult to actual vultures, who at least perform an invaluable service).

  39. Bob Belvedere
    February 13th, 2012 @ 11:34 am

    I certainly call Germans ‘The Huns’ – and I’m part German.

    I’m also half-WOP. My wife likes to ask me: ‘how did your dago?’ – she’s half-Sicilian, which, of course, means she’s not Italian.

  40. Patrick
    February 13th, 2012 @ 11:56 am

    heh….

  41. EBL
    February 13th, 2012 @ 11:58 am

    Sicily is the football that Italians kick around.  Hence why they tend to be cranky about Italians.  

  42. EBL
    February 13th, 2012 @ 11:59 am

    http://evilbloggerlady.blogspot.com/2012/02/did-little-green-football-supporters.html 
    Did the LGF boys do something rash again?  They are media whores like the Westboro Baptist Church.  

  43. Anonymous
    February 13th, 2012 @ 12:03 pm

    Actually, EBL, sodomy during the 19th century was delicately referred to as “the German vice”.

  44. Anonymous
    February 13th, 2012 @ 12:05 pm

    Ah yes, another example of the firm French belief that God created them to perfect the angels.

  45. Anonymous
    February 13th, 2012 @ 12:07 pm

    Now, Bob, everything is relative; French women smell better than sheep…. don’t they?

  46. EBL
    February 14th, 2012 @ 1:11 am

    http://evilbloggerlady.blogspot.com/2012/02/spinning-into-butter-obsession-with.html  This “spinning into butter” is going to give me a heart attack!  

  47. EBL
    February 14th, 2012 @ 1:12 am

    Anglo, Saxons, Huns.  Same Same.  

  48. Pathfinder's wife
    February 14th, 2012 @ 7:44 am

    Paesan! Mi amico!

    My dad’s family is pretty much off the boat…and my godfather was Sicilian (married into the family).  My mom’s family is uhm, very mixed. 

    My husband is a Deustchlander …but no homo (which is a good thing considering).

    Our kids are a walking ethnic joke.

  49. Bob Belvedere
    February 14th, 2012 @ 8:54 am

    I don’t know…ask a Muslim.

  50. Bob Belvedere
    February 14th, 2012 @ 8:58 am

    Paisan!

    I’m half-Italian; paternal Grandparents from Gesualdo in Avellino.

    The other half: English, Scots-Irish, German, Cherokee [though I wear a shirt and tie, I’m still a red man deep inside].

    My pot is quite melted.