« Open Minds | Main | Head to Head » Race, Gender, and Semi-Professional Web Video14 Jan 2008 01:59 pm I bet you were sitting at home thinking to yourself what I really need is the perspective of three white dues on race and gender in the presidential primary. Well you're in luck! It's the latest edition of The Table the smartest conversation on the web: More from this taping will be forthcoming soon enough. Comments (36)
The head turns are like poses right out of Zoolander. "Blue Steel! Ferrari! Le Tigra!" 
There sure are a lot of copies of the Atlantic in that room.
I like the idea of doing this, and the conversations have been interesting, but the intro-music is from some 1980s eat-your-vegetables PBS thing.
Something interesting to think about: RASMUSSEN: Clinton leads Obama among white voters 41% to 27%... Since Hillary's lead among whites is much less than Barack's lead among blacks, doesn't that say something about each race's tendencies toward racialism? If you borrow the weak arguments from MattY's other posts, you get this relationship: Black Racism + Black Solidarity > White Racism + White Solidarity. Is this not as worthy of discussion as the Racism vs. Sexism masturbation of last week?
Or could it be that the situation is too complex for such pat conclusions?
Admit it. None of you are wearing pants
It's too bad there aren't any smart people who aren't white dudes around.
"And bugger the People's Front of Judea!" Later: The crack suicide squad of the Judean People's Front.
Where's Andrew Sullivan? His cover story is blown up against the wall but the person is MIA. I want to see some Sully-Douthat-Yglesias interaction.
Ross wins the contest of self-aware look into the camera bit. And why the lower video/audio quality this time?
One always gets the impressions that the young Atlantic bloggers hang around with each other and/or are at least personally familiar, but I've never actually heard even anecdotes of Matt or Megan or Ross meeting Sullivan.
Top 10 things that would improve 'The Table'... 10) an iron
The best part of the last video was Matt's turning too far in the intro combined with a fish-eyed stare. You should have at least kept that.
How can you use a player that denies us a full-screen option?
That's just one guy, with 3 different haircut/beard combinations, right?
What is with this new news-speak where you say, "The Smartest Conversation on the Web" or "The best political team on television" or whatever the hell CNN says every three seconds? This kind of marketing-speak is really, really annoying.
What's with Ross throwing around "bitch" and "pissing" and whatnot? I thought he was the kind of conservative who lamented the cheapening of the discourse.
The Democratic party thanks all the bloggers (especially young white males!) for contributing to the national dialogue on race and gender which we manufactured to occur early in the campaign by creating false controversies. But we really would like you all to finalize your decision of which factor is more important to you, race or gender, by Feb. 5, as then we will know whether it is going to be "Hillary/Obama Unity 08" or "Obama/Hillary Unity 08," and we can tailor forthcoming manufactured controversies about the leading GOP candidates more precisely.
This format would be much better, by the way, for something other than horse-race chit-chat. That kind of stuff is old news fifteen minutes after you record it.
Matt, congratulations. You're the prettiest guy at the table.
I'm definitely a fan of this format, hopefully other publications will follow suit. The production quality alone makes it much more enjoyable than blogging heads, but sweet jesus change that music. Maybe I'm out of touch with the Marc/Ross reader base, but Matt's blog frequently contains lists of genuinely good music, so what gives? I realize copyright is a concern, but why not have a contest for some new music. I'm sure some talented individual will improvise something head and shoulders above what's being placed, and you can just give them a free subscription and perhaps a credit at the very end. Also, drop shadows on the opening credits will make them easier to read.
Didn't you mean three fat white dudes, two of three with beards and two of three with glasses? Sorry, but I couldn't get the past the jowls. Does the Atlantic have a minimum weight? Did Megan only make the cut because she's 6 foot 2?
Show business for, erm, aesthetically challenged people?
Admit it. None of you are wearing pants Screw the pants -- WHERE ARE THE #$%^&* HOODIES?!?!?
No wonder McArdle can't get laid.
Sure music licensing is expensive from BMI but maybe you could find a local band of some kind to play some intro music that doesn't suck. You're in a real city, get out and meet some nightlife and then hire it. Looks like plenty of excess BMI anyhow. Remember how Tina Fey had to join a gym and work out all the time before they'd move her from writing room to big-time TV star? Plus, there was scar concealer. Consider hiring someone who can tell you how geeky those beards look along with the personal trainer. How is this different from any other kind of Sunday-show horse race coverage? None of you has exit poll breakdowns, statistics or anything. Matt has a vague sense of where black people live and that's all he seems to know. Bonus question: Why is bloggingheads based in Tuvalu?
That was embarrassing.
"The Smartest Minds on the Web"? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! Please, I'm spitting up, make it stop! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I've seen smarter minds on porn sites spreading...
This debate would look better on a huge flat screen TV.
I had to watch the intro twice, that was pretty funny. I appreciate the overall production, but think Ross and Matt could benefit (in a Will Ferrell like way) from a more dramatic head-turning when they are introduced. Go for it. Also, Marc, I noticed a complete lack of head-turning on your part in the introduction... Where's the fire?
Oh, sorry. I just rewatched it to see if the beginning was still funny and I'll note Marc did have a subtle head turn when it began, no matter what I wrote just above. It's like an onion, layer after layer.
Oh, sorry. I just rewatched it to see if the beginning was still funny and I'll concede Marc did have a subtle head turn when it began, no matter what I wrote just above. It's like an onion, layer after layer.
Look. Whether your conversation is the "smartest on the web" or not (although to be honest, this does not appear to be a coveted distinction) cannot be decreed by the conversants themselves. Either you get someone else to say it (why not your pal Ezra?) or it shouldn't get said at all.
Elegising Robert Lowell, Seamus Heaney coins 'the fish-dart of your eyes'. But MY is a cute little Kermit.
Comments closed January 28, 2008. |
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Heads in the Sand
Put them on podcast, pls.
Posted by dw | January 14, 2008 2:11 PM