The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Megan McArdle’s Myopia

Posted on | April 13, 2010 | 22 Comments

In an otherwise very thoughtful piece about the limitations of the conservative subculture, the World’s Tallest Female Blogger writes:

I’ve never worked at either a liberal or a conservative political magazine, but from the outside . . .

She writes this for The Atlantic Monthly which, in point of fact, is a liberal political magazine. There was a time when it was less clearly liberal. I still remember the mindblowing experience of reading Barbara Dafoe Whitehead’s groundbreaking article, “Dan Quayle Was Right,” and the editorship of Michael Kelly seemed to indicate a rightward turn at the magazine. More recently, however, the magazine has skewed in the opposite direction, and the evident fact that Megan doesn’t perceive that shift is significant.

The defense Megan might plausibly make of her statement is that the Atlantic is a magazine of the northeastern elite — she herself is one of the very few non-Ivy Leaguers on staff — and that its political orientation is merely a reflection of views within that class and that region.

Update (Smitty): Per Wikipedia:

She has an undergraduate degree in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from Chicago Booth.

Category: Media Bias

Comments

22 Responses to “Megan McArdle’s Myopia”

  1. ck
    April 13th, 2010 @ 8:52 pm

    But,but, the “last true conservative” little Andi Sullivan works there.

  2. ck
    April 13th, 2010 @ 3:52 pm

    But,but, the “last true conservative” little Andi Sullivan works there.

  3. Dave C
    April 13th, 2010 @ 8:53 pm

    So do you link her in the hopes of maybe she’ll get a clue?

  4. Dave C
    April 13th, 2010 @ 3:53 pm

    So do you link her in the hopes of maybe she’ll get a clue?

  5. Ben
    April 13th, 2010 @ 9:14 pm

    Megan went to Penn.

  6. Ben
    April 13th, 2010 @ 4:14 pm

    Megan went to Penn.

  7. Dell
    April 13th, 2010 @ 10:01 pm

    I read the piece. Lots of words. Didn’t say much. Easily forgotten. Had to laugh when I read about the Republicans not offering bold new ideas. How many bold new ideas will be considered in a Congress and White House dominated by Democrats?

    Yeah, that’s what I thought, too.

  8. Dell
    April 13th, 2010 @ 5:01 pm

    I read the piece. Lots of words. Didn’t say much. Easily forgotten. Had to laugh when I read about the Republicans not offering bold new ideas. How many bold new ideas will be considered in a Congress and White House dominated by Democrats?

    Yeah, that’s what I thought, too.

  9. Dave C
    April 13th, 2010 @ 11:00 pm

    And I want my 10 minutes back from reading Megan’s article.

  10. Dave C
    April 13th, 2010 @ 6:00 pm

    And I want my 10 minutes back from reading Megan’s article.

  11. Joe
    April 14th, 2010 @ 12:15 am

    Wretched tell us why we will likely end up wretched. Let’s face some facts, you think Republicans are going to level with us?

    There is no future…

  12. Joe
    April 13th, 2010 @ 7:15 pm

    Wretched tell us why we will likely end up wretched. Let’s face some facts, you think Republicans are going to level with us?

    There is no future…

  13. TW
    April 14th, 2010 @ 12:27 am

    If it wasn’t for Glenn Reynolds, I don’t think I’d ever read any McArdle. I find McArdle’s prose style painfully academic and most of her assumptions flawed. Once in a while she’ll say something valuable, so I sure am happy that someone else finds those things for me.

  14. TW
    April 13th, 2010 @ 7:27 pm

    If it wasn’t for Glenn Reynolds, I don’t think I’d ever read any McArdle. I find McArdle’s prose style painfully academic and most of her assumptions flawed. Once in a while she’ll say something valuable, so I sure am happy that someone else finds those things for me.

  15. McGehee
    April 14th, 2010 @ 12:52 am

    Wikipedia link no worky.

  16. McGehee
    April 13th, 2010 @ 7:52 pm

    Wikipedia link no worky.

  17. H. G. Fielding
    April 14th, 2010 @ 6:00 pm

    I suppose the other defense might be that she doesn’t work for the magazine, she works for the website. Whether that’s short-sighted thinking or merely compartmentalized…. Probably what she meant was that the Atlantic is scupulously neutral and objective in presenting the conventional wisdom according to the academic/cultural/media complex.

    Now, regarding the maudlin hand-wringing about the lack of ideas coming from conservatives and Republicans, and whether or not that means conservatism is a spent force: what that really means is that conservatives lack ideas that are acceptable to progressives.

  18. H. G. Fielding
    April 14th, 2010 @ 1:00 pm

    I suppose the other defense might be that she doesn’t work for the magazine, she works for the website. Whether that’s short-sighted thinking or merely compartmentalized…. Probably what she meant was that the Atlantic is scupulously neutral and objective in presenting the conventional wisdom according to the academic/cultural/media complex.

    Now, regarding the maudlin hand-wringing about the lack of ideas coming from conservatives and Republicans, and whether or not that means conservatism is a spent force: what that really means is that conservatives lack ideas that are acceptable to progressives.

  19. dr kill
    April 15th, 2010 @ 11:16 am

    Hahahaha,
    Two things- most Ivy grads agree with you that Penn is not really Ivy League.
    Also, what did I tell you about reading the ATL and what will happen to your brain?
    And three, MM may be the intended of one of your boys, but enough of any consideration of her musings, dude.

    Was that three things? Oh wait, I’m a Penn We too!11!1!!

  20. dr kill
    April 15th, 2010 @ 6:16 am

    Hahahaha,
    Two things- most Ivy grads agree with you that Penn is not really Ivy League.
    Also, what did I tell you about reading the ATL and what will happen to your brain?
    And three, MM may be the intended of one of your boys, but enough of any consideration of her musings, dude.

    Was that three things? Oh wait, I’m a Penn We too!11!1!!

  21. Ben (The Tiger)
    April 17th, 2010 @ 12:19 am

    Penn’s Ivy League, alas!

    More damning, however, is the fact that MM was going to vote for Obama in 2008 — but forgot to register in time.

    But The Atlantic _is_ a magazine of the northeastern elite. Always has been, always (barring bankruptcy) will be.

  22. Ben (The Tiger)
    April 16th, 2010 @ 7:19 pm

    Penn’s Ivy League, alas!

    More damning, however, is the fact that MM was going to vote for Obama in 2008 — but forgot to register in time.

    But The Atlantic _is_ a magazine of the northeastern elite. Always has been, always (barring bankruptcy) will be.