An Idiot

If you want to know whom this post is about, you'll have to Google recent news stories for "John Edwards," "CPAC," and "faggot (as in, An Idiot called John Edwards a faggot at a gathering held by the Conservative Political Action Committee).

Most of you know who An Idiot is. She's a famous idiot. But An Idiot is above all else a self-promoter, so as a small gesture of protest I'm refusing to name her in this post.

So, yeah, what An Idiot said was offensive. Offensive, petty, and lame. But I've lost track of why I'm supposed to care. If you sit on a bus or go to a country club luncheon, you'll hear people say equally stupid things a dozen times an hour. But those don't generate controversy in the media. Why not? Because nobody who says them is famous. Fair enough, but why is An Idiot famous? Well, for saying stupid things. You see the problem.

An Idiot doesn't write policy. She doesn't advise people who write policy. She doesn't conduct legitimate research or journalism (i.e., fact-finding that comes from an effort to be fair and thorough). She doesn't even have some other skill--like a crossover dribble or an eight-octave range--that makes her interesting in some other way. An Idiot is a machine for the generation of hateful slurs and distortions ultimately intended not to help any cause (her remarks embarrassed CPAC and all the Republican candidates) but rather to get attention for herself. It's not a surprise, then, when she offers up a hateful slur or distortion. That's what she does. If she had any other skills, she might get a real job. As it is, calling Edwards names is her job. Running stories on "Idiot Calls Edwards 'Faggot'" is like running stories under the headline "Cashier Rings Up Purchase" or "Monkey Flings Poo."

At this point, I'm less annoyed by An Idiot than I am with the members of the media who act as if her stupidity mattered and by the rest of us who validate that behavior by continuing to consume the media coverage. I say we forget it. She just doesn't matter.