A special Rumpus Note from comedian Eugene Mirman regarding a commenter at NPR:
Yesterday NPR posted something re-explaining their terms and conditions for commenters on their site after inappropriate comments were posted regarding the tragic attack on Lara Logan.
Apparently, you can’t just write idiotic, sexist or racist things anonymously. Why? Surprisingly, it’s not because NPR is run by well-meaning communists obsessed with elitist manners (look no further than Stalin and Mao Zedong for proof). It’s because it doesn’t help the dialogue — and they frown upon libelous personal attacks. Still, one anonymous commenter was disappointed in NPR’s trite, age-old message of not blaming the victim. Oh liberal, public radio when will you see how much women endanger themselves by not taking more karate and being so pretty? Below, is the comment:
Look, most of us don’t know what it’s like on the ground in Egypt or war-torn regions in general. But you know who probably does? Lara Logan. I bet she has a pretty good idea of the levels of risks involved, because she’s traveled all over the Middle-East reporting on conflicts for many, many years.
But this is almost not what annoys me about the comment. It’s the idiotic example he uses as a parallel to the situation:
“If I (a middle aged white guy) hang out on a Harlem corner at 1am with a bag of dope and $2500 hanging out of my pocket and get robbed and/or killed, I suppose I should scream victim. Oh the humanity!”
First of all, does this person not know that’s a dumb thing to do anywhere in the world (except a forest or private boat), mostly because you would be arrested by police-people who are on the lookout for just that type of thing? Also, does he think it’s the 1970s? Would it have killed him to use the much more contemporary example of Baltimore (though still dumb) and not an area of New York where Bill Clinton works? I think if an older white-guy stood on any corner in NY City holding a bag of “dope” (it’s slang for drugs — in 1964) with money hanging out of his pocket, people would assume he was insane, dangerous, or a particularly terrible DEA agent. But I think if this guy really wanted to put himself in a dangerous situation, he should go to the suburbs — where there is heightened fear of the unknown — I recommend the corner of Lowell and Woburn Streets in my home town of Lexington, MA. I’m sure a very concerned parent would call the police right away (unless a mix of white, Jewish, Asian and Indian teen hockey-players on skateboards robbed him first).
Regardless of where it’s dangerous to stand around visibly holding drugs and money, I think that is such an incongruous analogy to entrenched journalism which is fairly vital to the function and flow of democracy. However, if that middle-aged white guy did stand around doing that in Egypt, was mistaken for a Jew and then brutally, sexually attacked, I guess he’d think it was to be expected.
16 responses
This is perfect.
This is a good piece. My only complaint:
“(unless a mix of white, Jewish, Asian and Indian teen hockey-players on skateboards robbed him first)”
By Indian, do you mean Native American? Because otherwise your phrasing feels off, as it implies Indian identity is not a subset of Asian identity.
“…or a particularly terrible DEA agent.” And then I laughed aloud.
You can always trust the biggest idiots to make the loudest noise.
Jesus.
I’ll make sure to stop by his corner, and give him a good-journo-punch in the face.
Because so many people specifically think of North Koreans when the word Asian is used, I wanted to make a distinction. But you are right, Indian is a subset of Asian identity.
According to Standardized tests in North Carolina High Schools being an Indian from India makes you a Caucasian. I really hope the rest of the U.S. is making an effort to differentiate India Indians from Native Americans and white people. I think their business sense alone should earn them their own bubble on these tests.
I would think that if he did do something as he describes, whether in Harlem or Lexington or anywhere else, and he were “robbed and/or killed,” then, YES, actually, he could scream “victim” (assuming he’s not too dead to scream it) because he would then be victim of the crimes “robbery” and/or “murder,” which are both crimes no matter what color you are, what neighborhood you’re in, what legal or illegal substances you have on you, etc., and being a completely out-of-touch idiot does not magically make it legal for people to rob or kill you any more than being pretty ( ? ) magically makes it legal for people to rape you.
Although I wonder why in his hypothetical he didn’t imagine himself getting raped. Why not? It would have drawn a tighter analogy (no puns intended). Maybe he didn’t want to write up a version where he’s standing on the corner in the Castro in assless chaps with a tube of astroglide sticking out of the back pocket (do assless chaps have back pockets?). No, he wouldn’t want to write that metaphor. Because THAT would be offensive.
FYI Egypt is not a war-torn area. In general or in the specific. I know it’s really hard to tell the difference, but it’s really really not all the same over yonder.
right, on.
@Amy: I’m wondering, too, exactly what the dope and $2500 are analogous to on Lara Logan. Blonde hair? Lipstick? A (presumably) fully-clothed vagina? Exactly what invitation-to-rape do idiots like this (who seem to be everywhere) suppose that she sent, beyond having no penis?
Unsympathetic and poorly portrayed perhaps, but I don’t see any reference to the sexual assault in his comment. I read it as a “told you so” to journalists about going into dangerous situations. When I saw Katie Couric in a crowd in Cairo getting bumped around I thought, what is she doing there?
Pam,
The story was about the sexual assault on Logan. How is his comment anything but blaming the victim? He’s clearly drawing an analogy between her sexual assault and his hypothetical street corner idiot.
Jhl,
Sorry, I meant the other places she’s reported, like Iraq and Afghanistan. I wrote it quickly and should have clarified.
I don’t think the commentator was blaming the victim. He clearly states that she “contributed” to the situation by placing herself in a danger zone.
This is akin to the plight of any war correspondent who gets too close to the action on the front. It is the inherent risk of hard core journalism.
Everyone seems so intent on dwelling on the fact that a horrible crime was committed…they are so emotionally charged over this brutal act…that when someone makes a valid observation which doesn’t tow the outrage line, they flip out.
@ Victoria I agree with your thought “I’m wondering, too, exactly what the dope and $2500 are analogous to on Lara Logan. Blonde hair? Lipstick? A (presumably) fully-clothed vagina?”
A lame analogy, especially when extended to the other half of it. Mr. Notasanonymous is barely concealing his belief that these terms are synonymous: ‘all serial rapists’ and ‘all Egyptian men’. The comment goes well beyond sexism against women and attributes predatory-sexual aggression to Arab men.
And what strikes me especially in this embarrassingly elitist, entitled comment is that he never acknowledges that people do take worthwhile risks to do important work, necessary work, things like trying to get to the truth that are morally eons away from the sad state of this dude who compares doing something worthwhile with the the idiotic behavior of some lame dude with no point to his activity other than just standing somewhere with no concern for anything or anybody. He clearly is not on her level.
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