A La Carte (5/28)

  • Tim Challies
  • 05/28/10
  • 4

It’s a Cruel, Cruel World - Newsweek says that Simon Cowell is to blame for a whole culture of nastiness that has cropped up since he began judging on American Idol. “None of his nasty critiques seem so shocking now, of course. We are a culture that thrives on meanness—mean blogs, mean political campaigns, mean girls. We are so accustomed to mean outbursts, we barely blink when a congressman yells ‘You lie!’ at the president during a speech. Cowell helped take us there.”

The End of an Era in Publishing - We’ve seen no shortage of articles along these lines in recent years, but they continue to interest me. Here is yet another one predicting the end of publishing as we know it.

Less Is More - This article contains a few good ideas about getting more productivity out of your day. It’s something I realized just a few weeks back. I do more when I work less. When I focus on shorter spurts of work (2-3 hours at a time, max) I am able to concentrate better and get a lot more done in that amount of time.

The Origins of Ten Nicknames - For interest’s sake only, here are the origins of ten nicknames. (HT:Abraham)

Officer Frees Dog, Dog Surprises Officer. I got a laugh out of this video. You probably will too.

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Comments (4)

1
Anonymous's picture
a comment from Lauren • 05/28 @ 9:25am

Awww, the sweet doggie!

2
Anonymous's picture
a comment from pentamom • 05/28 @ 9:28am

Simon Cowell is, by and large, NOT nasty. He is straightforward, does not sugar-coat things, and is occasionally acerbic. However, he was not like that weird chef Gordon Ramsay, who just yelled at and insulted people. If you want to see a pop culture figure promoting nastiness, that’s where you look.

People who react to Simon Cowell with “ohmygosh he’s so mean” and then blame him for people being mean are victims of the over-niceness of our culture. I’m not saying Simon couldn’t have been gentler and more compassionate at times, and that he didn’t perhaps relish putting people down. But ISTM the reaction to him is more of a piece with the way we have to give a standing ovation at EVERY concert or play we go to nowadays, than with any realistic assessment of the difference between being honestly and plain-spokenly critical, and being “mean.”

And as for blaming Cowell or anyone else for a congressman making an unseemly outburst, this just proves why people ought to get some kind of license before becoming journalists, to show that they’ve at least read SOME history. The last 100 years or so of politics have been a garden party compared to American politics before that. In a country where one congressman caned another into the hospital on the floor of the House, we’re claiming Simon Cowell is responsible for some kind of new low in the discourse? Simon Cowell may not be the model of charity, but perspective is definitely needed here.

3
Anonymous's picture
a comment from -Elizabeth • 05/28 @ 10:23am
› visit my web site.

Garrison Keillor’s “The End of an Era in Publishing” strikes close to home on many levels. My husband and I have been privately grieving for the better part of at least ten years, knowing that the industry he’s dedicated his adult years to are transforming before our very eyes. Of course, he has more to say about it, getting his start as a beat reporter and living through covering town hall meetings and smoke-filled newsrooms.

It’s true. There is something to be said for the good ol’ days when each word was fairly (or unfairly) scrutinized before being set to print. But before we ordain everyone as author, there will always be the need for quality content.

http://www.anthonydebarros.com/2010/05/16/save-journalism-its-the-conten…

4
Anonymous's picture
a comment from Eric R • 05/28 @ 12:55pm

That was my congressman who said “You lie”.

Am I the only one who thinks that while pioneering “meanness”, Cowell changed American television for the better by adding a touch of honesty?