July 17, 2015

"Why is Ta-Nehisi Coates shouting an obscenity at me?"

The title of an old blog post of mine.

Having written 2 posts about Ta-Nehisi Coates today, I was aware of a residual peevishness toward him and I knew it was connected to the fact that he once said "Fuckin' Althouse" about me. I had to go back and read it to remember the context (which might amuse you, which is why I'm doing this post).

He's gotten so famous lately that I almost feel it's a distinction. Anyway, it's some insight into the Ta-Nehisi Coates of 6 years ago.

28 comments:

Bay Area Guy said...

Coates is a superficial writer and thinker. He is unworthy of your post.

Ann Althouse said...

He's getting an immense amount of adulation these days.

Michael K said...

He is a creep who is capitalizing on the racial tensions stirred up by Obama and his minions in his administration. I sometimes feel like I live in Zimbabwe.

Bobber Fleck said...

Majoring in minors today?

Lyle Smith said...

Coates is one craven 'public intellectual'.

Tom said...

If he were white his writing would be declared the overwritten, overwrought drivel that it is. All the adulation is nothing more than the current version of "he's a credit to his race" and embodies the soft bigotry of low expectations.

Smilin' Jack said...

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Anyone who can spell his name has wasted entirely too much time on him already.

Bob Ellison said...

Leftism is generally on the rise in America these days. Rightists tend to have trouble seeing that. TNC is one of those leftists who writes commentary that gets noticed, because, apparently, leftists are hungry.

I think they'll get hungrier over the next fifteen months (until the 2016 election), because they're dissatisfied with the options and appalled that the country is shifting rapidly rightward.

holdfast said...

"Coates is one craven 'public intellectual'. "

THIS!

Imagine if the trolls who populate the comments section of a blog had the power to ban other commenters. That's how TNC runs his "blog". Even the mildest disagreement, especially if backed up with links, gets one banned. It's pathetic behavious for an alleged "public intellectual".

Michael said...

Coates is getting an "immense amount of adulation" from a teensy tiny bit of the American public. Maybe one person in a thousand has ever heard of him. If that.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

"Coates is getting an "immense amount of adulation" from a teensy tiny bit of the American public. Maybe one person in a thousand has ever heard of him. If that."

This. You may be famous in your circle jerk, but you're still in a circle jerk.

Sydney said...

I remember one of your commenters calling him Tennessee Coates once. That's how I've thought of his name ever since.

Ctmom4 said...

Once a jackass, always a jackass. Now a rich and somewhat famous one, so that big log he carries around on his shoulder got bigger. His comments section is nausea inducing, with the fawning cultish following he has.

Ctmom4 said...

Blogger Tom said...
"If he were white his writing would be declared the overwritten, overwrought drivel that it is. All the adulation is nothing more than the current version of "he's a credit to his race" and embodies the soft bigotry of low expectations."

Yes. This.

Sam L. said...

T-N C is not worth my time, either,

rcocean said...

That's he's become "famous" simply shows the dumbing down of America. He's a terrible writer and a worse thinker. If he was white, he'd be unknown.

Jason said...

I've said many times that conservatives have to have a 30 IQ point edge on liberals to get a shot at the same media gigs and platforms.

Libtards give media gigs and sinecure jobs to liberal half-wits and mediocrities all. The. Time.

Look at The View, for crying out loud! Compare the natural candlepower and intellectual discipline of Elizabeth Hasselback vs. Rosie O'Donnell. How the hell does Tavis Smiley have a show? Juan Williams is routinely stupid. Fecking David Gregory! Maureen Dowd! How the hell does she still have a sweet NYT gig? When was the last time she penned anything remotely interesting? What chance would a conservative who's 5 times the writer and thinker have in securing her job?

They gave the anchor chair to Katie Couric! And then there was Chelsea's little gig. NPR will have Diane Rehm on frigging life support talking through a David Hawking Speak & Spell module before they give her slot to anything like a centrist or to someone who can, I don't know... command an audience.


Birkel said...

Coates in an "intellectual" but Justice Thomas is somehow not worthy of praise.
This is the MSM in a nutshell.

Marc in Eugene said...

I just finished reading the Wikipedia entry (apart from today's posts and then the reparations nonsense from a couple of months ago I don't know a thing about the fellow, apart from how to pronounce his first name-- which I dutifully figured out during the Althouse reparations posts) and noted there that Mr Coates is famed for his attention to his blog: then I see Holdfast above explaining what that means. Why am I not too surprised? A pity.

Anonymous said...

Ta-Nehisi--he was one of guys in the bar in Star Wars, right?

Bay Area Guy said...

@Sydney - "Tennessee Coates" -- heh!

eddie willers said...

He's getting an immense amount of adulation these days.

A beneficiary of the soft bigotry of low expectations.

retired said...

Should be driving a truck

Greg Hlatky said...

Influence without responsibility is the prerogative of all royal harlots and "public intellectuals."

Brando said...

Like up him or not, I'm not really seeing what gets Coates the attention. His views are utterly conventional leftist points of view, bringing everything down to race, and blaming racism for everything. Nothing novel here, and you can turn up the same crap in any underground newspaper.

Chris403 said...

He's the next Al Sharpton. Without the charm.

mikee said...

Richard Nixon once forced my 9-year-old head into his sweaty armpit.

I was no more granted distinction by that act than you are by a curse from this author.

But I recall with fondness the day Nixon resigned in disgrace, and hope you, too, experience the happiness of seeing your obscenity-flinger brought to karmic justice.

rcommal said...

Oh, my. That old thread was a long time ago.

LMAO@me