Everythingists
A very important question, one I fret about often.
Isaac de Tormes asked:
Question for British followers. Are there people in British media that are invited on shows to give an opinion on everything under the sun without having any particular background or experience in the topic? In Spanish, we call them “todólogos” or “everythingists”.
Here in the US we have just one for that job: David Brooks. I’ve been trying to figure out how he got the job for years, but I still have no clue.
It’s not that there’s anything in particular wrong with him, that I know of, it’s just that it’s so random. Why have random people pronouncing on everything? Why not find people who know something about the topic at hand instead?
Of course, he’s not entirely random. One aspect is not random at all. He’s not a woman.
Is it really wise to tempt Brooks into comparing himself to Thomas Macaulay?
Well that’s a fun item; thanks!
Owen Jones. Enough said.
Is OJ called for everything? Or is he Mr Voice of the Left? I think of him more as the latter, but I don’t know.
Brooks is conservative but generic – he’s called in as Mr Voice of Everyone.
OJ has been on programs about housing, environment, trans rights, Question Time (generally news and current affairs), along with many others. He is usually espousing left of centre views, but it is grating that he is called upon to spout his views on such varied topics, when he is not an expert in anything, except Owen Jones.
In the UK, he is losing the voice of the left tag, over his backing of Corbyn and other Labour failures (he has since left the Labour Party). Originally hired as the voice of gay youth, he is now middle aged and still pretending to be young and cool. Really a one trick pony, he is still annoyingly omnipresent in media.
David Klion. He gets writing jobs for almost every liberal and socdem magazine in the US and Britain, writes on every subject from the game “Diplomacy” to the TV show “Succession”. Writes in an obnoxious Dave Spart meets Cliff Clavin style of the self-righteous know-it-all. Co-Hosts an unlistenable podcast with gutbucket and fellow transservant Jeet Heer.
Signed a petition to stop the New York Times publishing mildly critical articles about medicalized gay and disabled minors. The US Owen Jones, but even more irritating.
https://x.com/DavidKlion/status/1625895043167924227#m
im not British, but I nominate Peter Tatchell, the head wobbling, stentorian posh speaking LGBTQIABCDEFG activist who has something to say about most things. He’s often interviewed giving his smug hectoring opinion on why women are sillybillies to be concerned about losing space to female impersonators. Has also had a lifelong interest in children’s ‘sexuality’ and lowering the age of consent.
You won’t know her, but I nominate Apolline de Malherbe. She “interviews” a politician almost every day at 8.30, today the Secretary General of the Communist Party (a very reasonable pleasant person, that I like). I put “interviews” in quotation marks because her idea of an interview is to make sure that everyone knows what she thinks about whatever the topic is. She interrupts constantly and shows very little interest in what the person being interviewed says.
Tweet is down.
Weird, because it still shows up in the dashboard. So anyway I just quoted him instead; thanks for reporting.
Ah, now I see the fun. For my part, I nominate not one person, but a news/comedy show called The Panel. It fails at both goals, but boy does it pontificate!
I blame Rove McManus.