[twas]

Mr. Pitts is a master at finding "racism" at every turn.

The Blair affair, in which former NYT report Jayson Blair uses "racism" to justify his actions, is right up Mr. Pitts alley. Only, Mr. Pitts isn't buying the excuse.

For years, there have been those of us who have ridiculed the "racism excuse" and now Mr. Pitts seems to see that maybe there is a limit to using "racism" as an excuse for bad behavior.

Or at least until it becomes convenient to do so again without looking ridicules.

[ClearCase_guy]

Some critics have claimed that this is what you get from "diversity," that newspapers have been forced to lower their standards in order to hire unqualified blacks and other minorities. No, seriously, that's what some fairly reputable observers have said.

But then Pitts himself describes Blair in these terms:

Blair seems to be a supremely self-absorbed individual
Blair comes across as a man of oblivious arrogance and astonishing immaturity
This angry little man feels that he is too cool for the room, and it bothers him that so few people recognize it.

So, which was it? Was Blair hired because the Times lowered their standards? Or because the Times is racist and wanted to publicly demonstrate his inability to do the job?

[aristeides]

Pitts writes as if Blair is the only con man using the racism con.

[Interesting Times]

Some critics have claimed that this is what you get from "diversity," that newspapers have been forced to lower their standards in order to hire unqualified blacks and other minorities. No, seriously, that's what some fairly reputable observers have said.

Whatever do you suppose gave them that idea?

Maybe it was the way the Times hired an unqualified black kid and promoted him repeatedly despite his error-riddled writing, while ignoring the obvious evidence that he was a malingering fraud.

But of course it's absurd to suggest this had anything to do with the Times' obsession with "diversity."

Right.

Actually, one of the worst things about the whole diversity/affirmative action scam is the way it destroys the credibility of minorities who earn their own way.

[rockrr]

Poor Leonard.
I don't doubt his sincerity, but, as warm & fuzzy as he makes himself out to be, he can't get beyond the liberal thinking trap of looking at a bowl of apples and seeing only pomegranates.
Leonard wants to "raise the level of discourse" but doesn't understand that he cannot achieve any of that until he faces his own "little monsters". Like the one that says that blacks can't be rascists (no matter what).

[Timesink]

Schadenfreude

This is the New York Times Schadenfreude Ping List. Freepmail me to be added or dropped.

[ThreeYearLurker]

I actually like Pitts, he is one of my favorite liberal columnists. Some of his stuff after September 11th was the best out there. Sometimes when the BS gets too much, he can be right on, like here.

[razorback-bert]

says Blair, .... I fooled some of the most brilliant people in journalism.

NO, he was caught and allowed to continue!