Matt Taibbi gets a little introspective about the role of the press in the Arizona shooting..

[Fumesucker]

The whole piece is really quite good and worth reading at the link.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/the-giffords-tragedy-is-the-media-partly-at-fault-20110110

<snip>

For my part, as a member of the political media, and a vitriol-spewing one at that, the Tucson shooting immediately made me ask myself the question: do I personally do anything to add to this obvious problem of a hypercharged, rhetorically overheated political atmosphere? And the unfortunate answer I came up with was, maybe. I've always told myself that what I do is different from what someone like Rush does, because I don't target classes of people and try not to exempt anyone (even myself) from criticism, or favor either party.

I've also counted on the belief that anyone who's willing to devote the mental energy to even follow whatever wild rhetoric I'm using is probably also smart enough to tell the difference between reality and hyperbole. I also hope that anyone reading my articles will get the underlying message that I'm pretty sure -- I hope I'm sure, anyway -- I'm conveying at all times, i.e. that violence is irresponsible, that we should use our brains instead of baseball bats to solve problems, etc.

But while I tell myself all these things, I also know that I would never talk to my wife or my mother the way I talk to Lloyd Blankfein. Is it ever right to just wind up and let someone have it with all you've got? That's a question that I think has to be asked. It's certainly possible that we've all become too used to unrestrained rhetoric as a form of entertainment, and people like me live right in the middle of the guilt parabola there. Most all of us are grownups and can handle extreme argument, but clearly some people are not, and obviously I'm not just talking about Jared Loughner.

To see that, all you have to do is attend almost any family gathering, where once-loving relationships have been completely lost because of the overheated right-left culture war. If real family relationships are being lost to this kind of political debate, if someone on TV can reach into your living room and break up your family without knowing anything about you or even knowing that you exist, that tells us that this mechanized mass-media rhetoric has been almost unimaginably successful at dehumanizing whole classes of people.



<more at the link>

[OneGrassRoot]

1. Good on him. K&R :) n/t

[rfranklin]

2. Sorry, Matt, I just can't agree with you...

The death threats have come from the right virtually 99% of the time. And the thing is, some of them are serious about it.

[Tom Rinaldo]

4. I'm hoping his thoughts go beyond that though

In the past, Matt has been quick to fire off poison pen stories about leading Democrats that have not stood the test of time - he was winging it on a hunch and enjoying the power of his pen. In 2003 he wrote some absolutely brutal stories about Howard Dean and Wesley Clark for example. I sincerely welcome his introspection here. Good for him.

[frazzled]

3. Well, I am surprised and gratified he has taken this to heart

Honestly, I am. Because since at least 2004, I've been repulsed by Matt Taibbi's brand of "journalism." I am very happy that he has taken the time to sit down and think about his role in the "hypercharged, rhetorically overheated political atmosphere." I hope he starts writing in ways that reflect the kinds of relationships he'd like to have in real life. I hope he never poses as a "porn producer" again in order to make fun of earnest young people trying to organize a local candidate support group and then use it as a weapon against the candidate. That wasn't journalism.

He can make a difference now if he follows his conscience and uses his talents to better avail.

[xchrom]

5. recommend

[Vinca]

6. As a big fan of Matt Taibbi's way with words, I would be disappointed

if he suddenly "cleaned up his act" and made nice. I've never read anything threatening or hateful in his writing. Sarcastic, yes. Boehner is the green mold on Congress.

[Doctor_J]

7. Highlighted paragraph hits home

Going to visit family this weekend. If I hadn't already paid the fare I would be staying home. A 3-day weekend with a bunch of Palin-loving Limbeciles is my idea of hell. All of the lies, excuses, and talking points will be trotted out.

Lord, help us.

[Fumesucker]

9. Yeah, it's not quite as bad for me but I can see what little family I have remaining drift that way.

There are times I feel like the character in Invasion of the Body Snatchers who is surrounded by pod people.

[snagglepuss]

8. .

[phantom power]

10. I still think there's a difference between "unrestrained" and "gun related threats"

It really doesn't bother me when a conservative gets wound up and calls me names and shit. It's the specific stuff like "second amendment remedies" (etc, we've all seen the examples) -- the stuff that specifically implies "we're going to kill you if you keep getting in our way."

I'll bet you a donut that Matt Taibbi has never, ever, said anything that could be construed as "liberals should consider unloading some weapons on conservatives to get them out of our hair."

[DCKit]

11. Only thinking people read and understand Matt Taibbi.

The crowd that reacts to bumper-stickers and slogans doesn't know who he is.