Gene Weingarten's House is Unarmed

[KaosDad]

So, for many years I assumed that folks who had nationally syndicated columns were fairly edumacated and even smart. Well, we must all remember what "Assume" brakes down to; someone has made an "ass" out of "u" and "me."

After Dave Berry left the WaPo Sunday Magazine, Gene Weingarten took over. Now, I knew from day one that Gene was a Lefty Lucy, but he was, on occasion, humorous. I took humbrage to many of his columns and still do, but that is the basis of our society - folks expressing themselves freely. And that's fine. However, this Sunday Gene did two stupid things; he directly attacked the Constitution and declared himself, his wife and home "safe targets."

http://wapo.st/pfqHAw

"I am no fan of the Second Amendment, inasmuch as it tends to be the refuge of bumpkins and yeehaws who like to think they are protecting their homes against imagined swarthy marauders desperate to steal their flea-bitten sofas from their rotting front porches. But I am a realist. I admit that the Second Amendment is here to stay, so we might as well clean it up to reflect modern political sensibilities."

Nice job, smart guy. Nice job.

[dorminWS]

Not only is he a leftist; he's an elitist, too. I'll have him know the sofa that I keep inside the house (as opposed to the one I keep on my rotting porch) ain't hardly flea-bitten atall. As for the one on the porch, well HELLFAHR, yew cain't keep fleas off'n a good coonhound. That S.O.B.'s right ignernt about the real world, ain't he?

On a serious note, I just can't figure out why right-thinking folks like you pay for and read papers like that. Can't you find any other kind of paper to keep around in case you get out in the woods and NEED some paper?

[gatlingun6]

Weingarten is a humorist. The column appeared in the Style section and was a tongue in cheek piece. Come one folks where's your sense of humor?

As for the Post I read it because it's a better paper than any other in this region, or perhaps in the nation. It has liberal, centrist, conservative and other editorials. It has prior officials from administrations as far back as Nixon. Writers from the Right Wing Think Tanks get their whack at the editorial pages too, so what's not to like?

If you are a conservative and you don't read the Post you're are missing out on what the conservative elite who are not syndicated are saying.

Gat6
"The journey continues"

[dorminWS]

Weingarten is a humorist. The column appeared in the Style section and was a tongue in cheek piece. Come one folks where's your sense of humor?

As for the Post I read it because it's a better paper than any other in this region, or perhaps in the nation. It has liberal, centrist, conservative and other editorials. It has prior officials from administrations as far back as Nixon. Writers from the Right Wing Think Tanks get their whack at the editorial pages too, so what's not to like?

If you are a conservative and you don't read the Post you're are missing out on what the conservative elite who are not syndicated are saying.

Gat6
"The journey continues"

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He's still elitist; and the fact that he was being humorous (or was trying to be) doesn't "fix" the fact that he thinks it's OK to denigrate what many inside the beltway think of as "rednecks". They think it's okay to do that - - but they'd never dream of denigrating a black person's cultural values; that would be racists. Even though I'm more educated and better travelled than the norm for "rednecks" and have pretty good set of "company manners" that allows me to "pass" when I want to, these are my people! It p!sses me off in spite of all I can do to be broadminded about it.

[Reverenddel]

Trust me Dormin, If you're a white middle class southen male? It's alright to insult your mother, your lineage, your upbringing, and your culture...

Because..."It's all our fault."

[OakRidgeStars]

Since we don't have to worry about being shot at, who wants to leave a burning bag of doody at this front door?

[dorminWS]

Since we don't have to worry about being shot at, who wants to leave a burning bag of doody at this front door?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Tell you what................... I'll drive all the way up there is you'll let me fill the bag up................

[OakRidgeStars]

You got it. The fish tacos are on me

[Tweaker]

This thread is full of steaming examples of why I remain an infrequent visitor to this fine forum!

Of the multitude of rags that I have at my disposal for free reading material at work, I consistently disregard the Wa Compost as well as the dying old grey lady, the NY Times. The Wall Street journal, and more valuable (as it is constantly quoted by fine thinkers on the right) is the Washington Times.

My first thought was identical to the first reponse. Why in the blue fook would one surrender currency for the Compost when there are MANY other worthy options available?

[Riposite]

[>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

He's still elitist; and the fact that he was being humorous (or was trying to be) doesn't "fix" the fact that he thinks it's OK to denigrate what many inside the beltway think of as "rednecks". They think it's okay to do that - - but they'd never dream of denigrating a black person's cultural values; that would be racists. Even though I'm more educated and better travelled than the norm for "rednecks" and have pretty good set of "company manners" that allows me to "pass" when I want to, these are my people! It p!sses me off in spite of all I can do to be broadminded about it.

this +1
that's the liberal way, its okay to bash the culture of white people they find inferior in ways they would never dream of doing to anyone else
and plus also he assumes all people who enjoy gun ownership and support 2nd amendment rights must be "rednecks"
-heck i grew up in the suburbs of NYC but I'd rather be classified as a redneck then the sort of person who finds weingarten funny or insightful

[PhreakDrive]

Huh, I guess Gene there doesn't realize that if one wants the fleas out of their couch, dragging it outside is a good plan! First good freeze will get 'em but good!

However this sentiment, humor or not, is pretty dang common. Apparently if you live somewhere other than "the big city" and happen to be a gun owner, you're immediately assumed to be an idiot, a lunatic, a certain social class and living in some forgotten corner of hell. If you happen to be Southern, white, and a man its even worse! It's also pretty indicative of how there truly is one group of people in the Modern Politically Correct World to make fun of (all in good fun and in the name of humor of course) and that group is...well, white, generally southern people of a certain class...especially if they have guns.

[Riposite]

Huh, I guess Gene there doesn't realize that if one wants the fleas out of their couch, dragging it outside is a good plan! First good freeze will get 'em but good!

However this sentiment, humor or not, is pretty dang common. Apparently if you live somewhere other than "the big city" and happen to be a gun owner, you're immediately assumed to be an idiot, a lunatic, a certain social class and living in some forgotten corner of hell. If you happen to be Southern, white, and a man its even worse! It's also pretty indicative of how there truly is one group of people in the Modern Politically Correct World to make fun of (all in good fun and in the name of humor of course) and that group is...well, white, generally southern people of a certain class...especially if they have guns.

its funny they see southern white gun owners as crazy redneck hicks likely to shoot anything without provacation, and yet they make fun of them--makes one wonder what passes for critical thinking education in ivy league schools these days :p

[Kreutz]

"I am no fan of the Second Amendment, inasmuch as it tends to be the refuge of bumpkins and yeehaws who like to think they are protecting their homes against imagined swarthy marauders desperate to steal their flea-bitten sofas from their rotting front porches. But I am a realist. I admit that the Second Amendment is here to stay, so we might as well clean it up to reflect modern political sensibilities."

What a prick, I own an Act of Parliament, several Byzantine treasures, various antiquarian books, rare coins, and some other cool stuff.

Appreciation of firearms is as much a mark of culture and decorum as appreciation of the various other fine things life has to offer us on the mortal coil.

[mamabearCali]

What an idiot both on the BS about rednecks, and for telling people he does not own a gun. I don't tell anyone one way or another in a public manner. Dum dum! If you don't have a gun---keep your sorry mouth shut because the thieves don't know yes or no so they might assume you have a pretty one and will shoot their tail off. Now he has basically said come here to steal kill and rape because I won't be able to stop you.

[jim100]

When I hear about people looking down on rednecks and country people in general. I just take a moment and think, when the citys implode and "da homies" go and start pillaging and raping everyone you will wish you were a 'redneck", "hilbilly", "flea bitten bumpkin".

[gatlingun6]

Weingarten is a humorist. The column appeared in the Style section and was a tongue in cheek piece. Come one folks where's your sense of humor?

As for the Post I read it because it's a better paper than any other in this region, or perhaps in the nation. It has liberal, centrist, conservative and other editorials. It has prior officials from administrations as far back as Nixon. Writers from the Right Wing Think Tanks get their whack at the editorial pages too, so what's not to like?

If you are a conservative and you don't read the Post you're are missing out on what the conservative elite who are not syndicated are saying.

Gat6
"The journey continues"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

He's still elitist; and the fact that he was being humorous (or was trying to be) doesn't "fix" the fact that he thinks it's OK to denigrate what many inside the beltway think of as "rednecks". They think it's okay to do that - - but they'd never dream of denigrating a black person's cultural values; that would be racists. Even though I'm more educated and better travelled than the norm for "rednecks" and have pretty good set of "company manners" that allows me to "pass" when I want to, these are my people! It p!sses me off in spite of all I can do to be broadminded about it.

*********************************************************************************
I get it, you don't like the guy and that's fine. However, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that you used the term "elitist" as a pejorative word. As a writer who has won a Pulitzer Prize he would certainly qualify as a top-notch writer. However, since he is a humorist who is often self-deprecating I found nothing in his writings, or history that taken together would indicate that somehow he is better than anyone else, or thinks he is. Humorists with an elitist kind of attitude are almost never successful.

In the article in question It's not just stereotypical non-planter Southerners he jokes about, it's also Jews, and the baseball community. Updating or modernizing was one theme, how else would one turn the 10 Commandments into FAQs.

I wonder if Jeff Foxworthy, Ron White (git er done), and Bill Engvall are elitists too? They have earned millions by making fun of stereotypical Southerners and Southern culture. Neither of the three btw are really so-called "red-necks". But that hasn't stopped the objects of their humor from filling auditoriums from coast to coast to hear their particular brand of jokes.

I know of no group in America who have not been the subject of sharp tongued and glib comedians. Do they sometimes cross the line, of course they do.

It's ironic that this board which is filled with pieces and cartoons poking fun at every group but conservatives, some of which most Americans would find offensive, has members who are upset about a fairly benign swipe at the 2nd Amendment.

I mean did anyone here find Herman Cain's joke about killing illegal immigrants on an electric fence offensive, and over the top? All of us, including myself, should not take everything personal unless what was said was clearly meant to be personal. We could all lighten up a bit!

To close tho, here are a few real "elitists" of their day: George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, the Framers of the Constitution, the Southern Planter class (The Southern Aristocracy), Northern Industrialists, J.P. Morgan, Henry Luce, General Douglas MacArthur, General Patton, Chief Justice John Marshal, William F Buckley, Irving Kristol, Norman Podhoretz, The Bush Family, The Kennedy Family, The Coors Family, The Mellon-Scaife Family, Donald Trump, Alan Greenspan and on and on. The list is fairly endless, and covers members of every political party, every group, and ideology.

In fact Mitt Romney who has a better than even chance of becoming the next President is also an elitist. Without even hearing him speak you know he is an elitist by the way he eats fried chicken and pizza. Like Donald Trump anyone eating pizza with a knife and fork is an automatic elitist . After you hear Romney speak there's no doubt. I'm out! Hopefully for good in this thread.

Gat6
"The journey continues"

[gatlingun6]

What an idiot both on the BS about rednecks, and for telling people he does not own a gun. I don't tell anyone one way or another in a public manner. Dum dum! If you don't have a gun---keep your sorry mouth shut because the thieves don't know yes or no so they might assume you have a pretty one and will shoot their tail off. Now he has basically said come here to steal kill and rape because I won't be able to stop you.

***********************************************************************************
Where did he say he doesn't own a gun? That information is not in the column. Besides, if he doesn't own a gun he's like the majority of American households, they don't own guns either. The same as most Americans neither hunt, nor fish. And most of us,82%, live in an urban setting (cities and suburbs). Who knows, Maybe he has a dog, or a monitored alarm system? They work too, don't they?
Gat6
"The Journey continues"

[SHMIV]

What an idiot both on the BS about rednecks, and for telling people he does not own a gun. I don't tell anyone one way or another in a public manner. Dum dum! If you don't have a gun---keep your sorry mouth shut because the thieves don't know yes or no so they might assume you have a pretty one and will shoot their tail off. Now he has basically said come here to steal kill and rape because I won't be able to stop you.

***********************************************************************************
Where did he say he doesn't own a gun? That information is not in the column. Besides, if he doesn't own a gun he's like the majority of American households, they don't own guns either. The same as most Americans neither hunt, nor fish. And most of us,82%, live in an urban setting (cities and suburbs). Who knows, Maybe he has a dog, or a monitored alarm system? They work too, don't they?
Gat6
"The Journey continues"

Anyone with a basic knowledge of alarm systems can defeat one. Dogs are also easily bypassed.

[mamabearCali]

He gave off the distinct impression that he did not approve of firearms.

An alarm system or a dog....as a substitute for a gun. Alarm system . I think they are great for knowing when the door is opening/giving you time to get your gun. Same for a dog. A dog is there to give me the warning I need before the invader is in my bedroom. What does an urban or suburban setting have to do with anything? I live in suburbia and I don't hunt or fish, but we do own a firearm. Hunting and fishing is not the only legitimate reason to have a firearm.

You know gatlinguns--I don't know if you have ever experienced a home invasion. I have. It is a terrible thing to sit there and hear people you don't know talk about what stuff you have/don't have and pray that they just leave and leave quickly because you have no way to stop them from doing terrible things (they stole my mother's purse, my father's wallet and glasses). A dog/an alarm system will not help you when the dog is sleeping in it's crate and the alarm system was defeated. You might as well say "what if they had locks on the door those can stop a thief too). When that happened to my parents, as a child I remember, the next day they went and bought two things a bigger dog, and a gun. The gun went in the compartment over the bed and the dog was set to patrol the house during the night. The thieves went on to terrorize the neighborhood for about 2 months until they were finally caught.

[dorminWS]

Weingarten is a humorist. The column appeared in the Style section and was a tongue in cheek piece. Come one folks where's your sense of humor?

As for the Post I read it because it's a better paper than any other in this region, or perhaps in the nation. It has liberal, centrist, conservative and other editorials. It has prior officials from administrations as far back as Nixon. Writers from the Right Wing Think Tanks get their whack at the editorial pages too, so what's not to like?

If you are a conservative and you don't read the Post you're are missing out on what the conservative elite who are not syndicated are saying.

Gat6
"The journey continues"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

He's still elitist; and the fact that he was being humorous (or was trying to be) doesn't "fix" the fact that he thinks it's OK to denigrate what many inside the beltway think of as "rednecks". They think it's okay to do that - - but they'd never dream of denigrating a black person's cultural values; that would be racists. Even though I'm more educated and better travelled than the norm for "rednecks" and have pretty good set of "company manners" that allows me to "pass" when I want to, these are my people! It p!sses me off in spite of all I can do to be broadminded about it.

*********************************************************************************
I get it, you don't like the guy and that's fine. However, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that you used the term "elitist" as a pejorative word. As a writer who has won a Pulitzer Prize he would certainly qualify as a top-notch writer. However, since he is a humorist who is often self-deprecating I found nothing in his writings, or history that taken together would indicate that somehow he is better than anyone else, or thinks he is. Humorists with an elitist kind of attitude are almost never successful.

In the article in question It's not just stereotypical non-planter Southerners he jokes about, it's also Jews, and the baseball community. Updating or modernizing was one theme, how else would one turn the 10 Commandments into FAQs.

I wonder if Jeff Foxworthy, Ron White (git er done), and Bill Engvall are elitists too? They have earned millions by making fun of stereotypical Southerners and Southern culture. Neither of the three btw are really so-called "red-necks". But that hasn't stopped the objects of their humor from filling auditoriums from coast to coast to hear their particular brand of jokes.

I know of no group in America who have not been the subject of sharp tongued and glib comedians. Do they sometimes cross the line, of course they do.

It's ironic that this board which is filled with pieces and cartoons poking fun at every group but conservatives, some of which most Americans would find offensive, has members who are upset about a fairly benign swipe at the 2nd Amendment.

I mean did anyone here find Herman Cain's joke about killing illegal immigrants on an electric fence offensive, and over the top? All of us, including myself, should not take everything personal unless what was said was clearly meant to be personal. We could all lighten up a bit!

To close tho, here are a few real "elitists" of their day: George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, the Framers of the Constitution, the Southern Planter class (The Southern Aristocracy), Northern Industrialists, J.P. Morgan, Henry Luce, General Douglas MacArthur, General Patton, Chief Justice John Marshal, William F Buckley, Irving Kristol, Norman Podhoretz, The Bush Family, The Kennedy Family, The Coors Family, The Mellon-Scaife Family, Donald Trump, Alan Greenspan and on and on. The list is fairly endless, and covers members of every political party, every group, and ideology.

In fact Mitt Romney who has a better than even chance of becoming the next President is also an elitist. Without even hearing him speak you know he is an elitist by the way he eats fried chicken and pizza. Like Donald Trump anyone eating pizza with a knife and fork is an automatic elitist . After you hear Romney speak there's no doubt. I'm out! Hopefully for good in this thread.

Gat6
"The journey continues"

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Damn right I used elitist as a pejorative word. M-W.com’s secondary definition of elitism is” the selectivity of the elite; especially: SNOBBERY <elitism in choosing new members>”. And it’s one thing to joke about “rednecks”, but it’s quite another thing to be hateful and denigrating.

I’d say that’s what keeps Jeff Foxworthy, Ron White (who IS NOT the “git er done” guy, by the way), and Bill Engvall from being elitists too. Not to mention the fact that White and Engvall (from what little I’ve seen of them on Blue Collar Humor) do not tell jokes that are particularly focused on “rednecks” or southern culture, but are broader-based – on “blue collar” folks, as a matter of fact. The “git ‘er done” guy is Larry the cable guy. He isn’t hateful about his humor; but in his case, he’s playing the village idiot to get laughs. Folks fill the auditoriums because they are NOT hateful. I dare say if one of them adopted the tone of Weingarten’s writing, some good ole boy would more than likely stand up and whoop his ass. And whether or not that happened, the crowds at the auditoriums would thin down in a New York minute. The operative idea here is that I’ll laugh WITH you, but I don’t like being looked down upon and laughed AT. Most folks are the same, I think.

As for the irony of my being upset about "a fairly benign swipe at the 2nd Amendment", the cavalier dismissal of the 2nd Amendment is somewhat offensive, that's not the point. The point is the hateful stereotype about gun owners and particularly white middle-class southern ones. And what's lurking in the bushes here is an even more insidious notion: that gun owners who do NOT belong to the white southern rural male "redneck" demographic will be shamed out of being gun rights advocates to keep from being associated in the minds of the intelligentsia with such an undesireable crowd of cretins.

While we’re at it, perhaps you (or someone else) could explain to me exactly what the difference is between making a joke about rednecks and flea-bitten couches perched on rotting porches and making one using the N-word about watermelon or fried chicken. Both are derogatory stereotypes with no particular basis in fact that persons of a particular heritage, aren’t they? Yet the former will get you a big laugh and the latter will get you prosecuted for hate speech. Go figure. So-called “rednecks” don’t don't have an analogue to the Rev. Jessie Jackson or Rev. Al Sharpton to play the victim card on national TV and complain about it; partially because no one will listen, and partially because as a rule they don’t give a damn what some liberal butthole says in a New York newspaper. And I want to be sure to say that I ain’t playing the victim card and crying on your shoulder. I’m just giving voice to a sentiment that is often experienced but seldom expressed. So it is obligatory for me to say here to those who think the redneck stereotypes are justified and Weingarten's "humor" is funny, "Don't pity me, but you can sure kiss my @ss." Since I know this is just a discussion of the issue and you don't sibscribe to those stereotypes, Gat6, I want to assure you and all other readers that the preceding sentence is not addressed to Gat6.

Last point: Don’t confuse/conflate being well-to-do with being elitist. There’s a big difference. You can be either without being the other. But just look at Mayor Bloomberg in NYC, and you can see that if you are both, you're a REAL pain in the butt.

So if you think Weingarten is a funny guy, then by all means, keep on reading his column. It's a free country. I'll go on thinking he's an elitist @sshole.