The Atlantic - Latest Comments in The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

DeMiurge — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:25:12 -0000

One of the major problems stemming from the events of July 16 is that I, now known as 'the black Sergeant',

Yeah, right. That's Crowley & nem call you when you're not there.

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

DaveinHackensack — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:53:04 -0000

I agree with your last two sentences, T., but I think the ones who've been most damaged by the Gates Affair so far have been Gates himself and the President, not Sgt. Lashley. I do think Lashley wildly overstates the impact of this incident though, but perhaps he's just upset.

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

Ta-Nehisi Coates — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 13:09:31 -0000

How the eff is Gates responsible for some anonymous person calling him an Uncle Tom? Who are these people? Publicity ruins people. Or exposes them.

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

KatR — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 23:23:13 -0000

Well, at the very least, we know that Mr. Lashley is not suffering from any lack of self esteem.

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

Brent — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 20:05:09 -0000

Setting aside the truly weird passive aggressiveness of this letter, if the Sergeant truly believes that how a bunch of strangers react to his words and actions is demonstration of possible "irreparable" harm to race relations, then he should think about maybe having few beers himself. Or perhaps the best response would be to go out and arrest all the people who called him an "Uncle Tom" for disorderly conduct (just for a few hours until the bogus charges are summarily dropped). I am sure that would help as well.

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

DaveinHackensack — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:21:18 -0000

BTW, speaking of the beer summit, here's the letter the black Cambridge police sergeant(Leon Lashley) asked Sgt. Crawley to share with Obama and Gates at the summit. Below is part of it; you can read the rest at that link:

Would you be so kind as to mention the following to Mr. Gates and President Obama during your meeting with them:

One of the major problems stemming from the events of July 16 is that I, now known as 'the black Sergeant', have had my image plastered all over the Internet, television and newspapers. Subsequently, I have also become known, at least to some, as an 'Uncle Tom.'

I'm forced to ponder the notion that as a result of speaking the truth and coming to the defense of a friend and collegue, who just happens to be white, that I have somehow betrayed my heritage.

Please convey my concerns to the President that Mr. Gates' actions may have caused grave and potentially irreparable harm to the struggle for racial harmony in this country and perhaps throughout the world.

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

sporcupine — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 11:20:44 -0000

Fallows is pointing out a fundamental truth: once you live in a foreign country, it's much easier to see America whole and get the divisions into perspective. I'd put cheeseburgers in place of beer as a symbol, but I still take his point.

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

Jingo Killah — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 10:52:22 -0000

I'm not lying when I say that, for me, the Bud Light is the most disappointing thing about the Obama Presidency thus far. I know there are far more important things, but I take this kinda personally.

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

schism — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 10:29:04 -0000

Personally, this was my favorite take on Beergate, mostly because it would cause the entire Faux News team to spontaneously combust, thereby making the world a better place.

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

Ta-Nehisi Coates — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 06:57:05 -0000

Yeah, basically. Unless, I'm truly moved, I try to set up some parameters.

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

sir macartney — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:48:43 -0000

It's never too late in the evening

You posted this at 6:16PM.

"too late"?

Hmm. For the most part (exceptions greatly noted), this is a very much 9-to-5-type blog; as in, most of its entries are posted during that time frame. TNC, most nights do you try to step away from the blog in the evening to be with family and friends and/or life? Do you try (emphasis on try) to have your writing life pause when your crew is available?

(Also, I've always wanted to ask for an "Open Thread at Midnight" post.)

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

Paul — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:15:50 -0000

Also, as a resident of the Twin Cities, I must point out the terrific selection of Summit beers that would have served the occasion most appropriately.

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

Paul — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:02:01 -0000

Bud Light seems a bit tongue-in-cheek and appropriate to the occasion, somehow.

Also, there appears to be a lot of intra-Atlantic name dropping going on around these parts lately...is this a top down directive to all y'all? The blogosphere is getting chummy enough as it is...

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

Tadatsune — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 23:41:23 -0000

Samuel Adams? Prez should have ordered a Samuel Jackson.

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

ploeg — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 23:12:25 -0000

You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer. -- Frank Zappa

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

DaveinHackensack — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:45:42 -0000

Fallows mentioned Delaware's Dogfish Head in his post. I was reading through a stack of business magazines in Barnes & Noble yesterday and there was an article about that company and its CEO. There was a great photo of one of their staff meetings/tastings: a bunch of folks in jeans drinking bear on the floor. Sounds like a fun place to work. The CEO also dinged Blue Moon for being owned by Coors.

BTW, speaking of Fallows, if you want to see something funny, check out that Microsoft video clip he posted here.

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

brucds — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:57:17 -0000

"grown-ups...on that side of the fence"

Well, as far as FOX goes, they've got that guy Shepard Smith (I think that's his name) who is pretty reasonable and I believe made fun of Glenn Beck's over-the-top histrionics...but for that he gets tons of hate mail from the FOX audience. I think they've dug their hole and there's no graceful exit, so they might as well just dig it deeper.

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

Ta-Nehisi Coates — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:37:13 -0000

Yeah, this is like Hannity attacking Obama for putting mustard on his hamburger. Dumb-assery. Serious dumb-assery.

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

ellaesther — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:30:28 -0000

No no! Parsing their slime is good sense, quite honestly! If they're not going to pay attention to the consequences of what they say, we sure certainly should.

I just wish that there wasn't so much to parse. As I have written elsewhere, I do so wish that some grown-ups would show up on that side of the fence....

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

brucds — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:22:36 -0000

I hope Fox n' Friends keep this up. Bud Light is the best selling beer in America and Busch has a 51% market share of all beer. Basically Fox n' Friends has started attacking their audience. Perhaps it's an extension of "moronitude" to even parse their slime, but it never ceases to amaze me that these clowns don't realize when they carry their hatred of the President past certain lines of policy critique, they marginalize themselves, not him.

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

ellaesther — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:01:47 -0000

One presumes that you actually know that the team over to Fox n' Friends actually criticized the President of the United States of America for publicly stating that he would be drinking a beer that is made by a foreign-owned company (which, at the very least, clued me in to the fact that Budweiser is no longer owned by Americans!).

I mean. Just when I think that the levels of moronitude have been plumbed.

(PS I learned this from the Daily Show last night. I do not watch Fox and Friends. I swear).

Re: The Wisdom Of Jim Fallows

dmf — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:33:40 -0000

clever, and a nice segue into the weekend, peace all.