I was surprised by CW's reaction too. A couple of days ago on Twitter... CW posited that the Zelensky-Trump-Vance video will end up being like the Covington kids video, where "what you see depends on your ideological prior" and that there isn't an indisputable and observable-by-everyone fact that Trump-Vance behaved like assholes. Cathy Young thought that was a silly analogy, told him to "enjoy the moral swamp". Colin then retaliated with sexist insults specifically created for older women. Sarah Haider, among many, chipped in to say how Cathy is awful when she decides that you're one of the bad guys. I don't know why I know all this (it's the fecking FOR YOU tab). It's all middle school and benefits no one but X owners and their engagement-is-money business model.
Thanks for the background. I would say a pox on all their houses: Wright and Haider for ad hominem attacks and Young for the overheated rhetoric.
Young has been a real disappointment to me. I vividly remember reading her regularly 10-15 years ago, long before we started using the term "heterodox." She had a really clear-eyed view on the excesses of leftist social justice movements (informed in part by being born and raised in the old Soviet Union).
But then something happened on November 8, 2016 as it was no longer the same Cathy Young. I am very judicious in my use of "TDS" but it seems to fit when a mature, nuanced, smart and thoughtful classical liberal seems to have gone off the rails. (By contrast, I don't use TDS to describe a 20 year old Oberlin student with purple hair and multiple piercings - my expectations for them are much lower.)
To be fair, Cathy is writing for the Bulwark, where hysterical Never Trump bomb-throwing seems to be the reason for existence. If she were writing for say, the Dispatch, her approach might be different. (At the Dispatch, Jonah Goldberg and Kevin Williamson ensure that the anti-Trumpism is still tempered with nuanced, thoughtful thinking.)
I don't follow Twitter much at all anymore so I'm sure I've missed drama but Cathy never disappoints me. If I'm tone policing I'm sure I'd have quibbles, but not in terms of her view. The last time I mentioned her in a Substack comment, it was met with people saying something to the effect of her having TDS. That doesn't resonate with me. She knows her stuff and, I think, consistently maintains moral and intellectual clarity in her writing.
Not familiar with this dispute. I know Colin Wright to be a smart, thoughtful scientist.
Background?
I was surprised by CW's reaction too. A couple of days ago on Twitter... CW posited that the Zelensky-Trump-Vance video will end up being like the Covington kids video, where "what you see depends on your ideological prior" and that there isn't an indisputable and observable-by-everyone fact that Trump-Vance behaved like assholes. Cathy Young thought that was a silly analogy, told him to "enjoy the moral swamp". Colin then retaliated with sexist insults specifically created for older women. Sarah Haider, among many, chipped in to say how Cathy is awful when she decides that you're one of the bad guys. I don't know why I know all this (it's the fecking FOR YOU tab). It's all middle school and benefits no one but X owners and their engagement-is-money business model.
Sarah has been really disappointing.
Thanks for the background. I would say a pox on all their houses: Wright and Haider for ad hominem attacks and Young for the overheated rhetoric.
Young has been a real disappointment to me. I vividly remember reading her regularly 10-15 years ago, long before we started using the term "heterodox." She had a really clear-eyed view on the excesses of leftist social justice movements (informed in part by being born and raised in the old Soviet Union).
But then something happened on November 8, 2016 as it was no longer the same Cathy Young. I am very judicious in my use of "TDS" but it seems to fit when a mature, nuanced, smart and thoughtful classical liberal seems to have gone off the rails. (By contrast, I don't use TDS to describe a 20 year old Oberlin student with purple hair and multiple piercings - my expectations for them are much lower.)
To be fair, Cathy is writing for the Bulwark, where hysterical Never Trump bomb-throwing seems to be the reason for existence. If she were writing for say, the Dispatch, her approach might be different. (At the Dispatch, Jonah Goldberg and Kevin Williamson ensure that the anti-Trumpism is still tempered with nuanced, thoughtful thinking.)
I don't follow Twitter much at all anymore so I'm sure I've missed drama but Cathy never disappoints me. If I'm tone policing I'm sure I'd have quibbles, but not in terms of her view. The last time I mentioned her in a Substack comment, it was met with people saying something to the effect of her having TDS. That doesn't resonate with me. She knows her stuff and, I think, consistently maintains moral and intellectual clarity in her writing.
I don't want to completely condemn Cathy. At the time I deemed this essay on "Karenism" to be extraordinary and still feel that way.
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/standing-up-to-the-moral-outrage-industry
A pox on all their houses, indeed. I have appreciated all of them in the past but sounds like there's some X derangement syndrome going on.
appreciate the summary. ty