I like being intellectually challenged. I like engaging in intellectual dialogue with people I disagree with. That’s why I read and enjoy people like Ross Douthat, Rod Dreher, Julian Sanchez and Radley Balko.

I profoundly disagree with libertarian and conservative view points, but I openly acknowledge that there are reasonable positions to take and good arguments to be made from them.

However, McCardle is most definitely not one of those people. When her arguments aren’t horribly shoddy and childish they are banalities dressed up as profound insights (a favorite of Rand coincidentally). I don’t find that kind of writing worth my time and effort. Now I don’t have a personal ax to grind against McCardle but as a polemicist and a writer go she should definitely find a different occupation.

And saying that Anne Coulter is worse than McCardle is nothing but the bigotry of low expectations.

If you want seriousness, here it goes. I guess I just don’t understand why the internets have gone crazy over McArdle, who as far as I can tell doesn’t really deserve either the effusive praise or heaps of scorn she’s getting. Why her over the numerous others who have stupider points and worse views? And why in such large volume? I just don’t get it.

She’s been around for quite awhile. It might look like this is all erupting over her move to the Atlantic, but she’s been polarizing people since the ‘beat war protesters with 2×4s’ incident in ‘03. Nobody paid much attention to her at the Economist, but the Atlantic is a lot more personality-driven, and it makes her a bigger target, for better and worse.

I don’t think she’s stupid at all, but I also don’t think there’s anyone else at that level who’s willing to make stupider points — i.e., who’s as comfortable just saying random stuff without bothering to think it through or look anything up. The overall impression is that this is someone who’s used to being rewarded for things other than her intellectual efforts, who believes that her opinions are important simply because they’re hers.

The irony is that when people act that way, they tend to be treated with extra deference, such as in Matt’s post above. That, more than anything else, is what’s drawn our attention to her lately. Her Atlantic posts are a really fascinating combination of her usual intellectual dilettantism with a sort of assumed gravitas.

A brilliant, counterintuitive analogy! (perhaps some of that gilbertarianism is wearing off, eh?)

Other potential future comparisons from Sadly, No!:

-Tyler Cowen = A man who steals candy from babies (after purchasing them–”markets in everything”!)

-The American Prospect = Frontpage Mag

-Paul Krugman = teh lame

-Christopher Hitchens = our patron saint and model for political criticism

Ha Ha! Intellectual honesty is for pussies. Take that, Zeitlin.

It’s interesting that you’re sidestepping every substantive point in order to make clumsy ad hominem zingers.

Well, considering your opening volley here was “OMGMZluvsMalkinWTFLOL”, I figured that was about as high as the discourse was going to go. Especially since Matt addressed your arguments and you responded with witty zingers.

If you want seriousness, here it goes. I guess I just don’t understand why the internets have gone crazy over McArdle, who as far as I can tell doesn’t really deserve either the effusive praise or heaps of scorn she’s getting. Why her over the numerous others who have stupider points and worse views? And why in such large volume? I just don’t get it.

The obvious response, then, is to blog about her all the time, constantly calling her an elf. Intellectual riposte at it’s finest.

The ‘giant elf’ line is hers. Also the ‘I look good in these pants’ line, and many others.

You seem to be the only one focusing on her attractiveness, buddy. Let me guess, crush from afar? Jilted lover?

It’s interesting that you’re sidestepping every substantive point in order to make clumsy ad hominem zingers. I thought people who did that were bad and lame, but I’m happy to meet you halfway.

(ahem)

Haw haw! I bet you have a lot of FREE TIME to be typing on the Internet!

Whoah, touché.

And since when did they become the equivalent of The New Republic’s mediocre liberal commentary hitsquad? Beware! Libertarians! They sometimes agree with liberals–and sometimes they agree with conservatives!

Engaging with their arguments, linking to them, or looking directly into their eyes will cause all your hair to fall out and you’ll recite nothing but terrible Ayn Rand dialog.

Also, I hear libertarians eat babies and beat hobos for fun.

McArdle is also a sloppy thinker and a poor writer who’ll take extreme right-wing positions to stir up controversy, and will then backpedal when criticized, pretending that she was really saying something else all along. E.g., her recent claim that health insurance is immoral because it forces young, healthy rich people (i.e. McArdle) to subsidize old, sick lower-income people, who got that way because they made bad lifestyle choices.

She’s been doing this for years now, but amazingly, some people are still fooled by it.

The obvious response, then, is to blog about her all the time, constantly calling her an elf. Intellectual riposte at it’s finest.

Wow, because that’s exactly what MZ said. Fuck off, douchebag.

Uh-huh. Thanks for clearing that up.

McArdle is also a sloppy thinker and a poor writer who’ll take extreme right-wing positions to stir up controversy, and will then backpedal when criticized, pretending that she was really saying something else all along. E.g., her recent claim that health insurance is immoral because it forces young, healthy rich people (i.e. McArdle) to subsidize old, sick lower-income people, who got that way because they made bad lifestyle choices.

She’s been doing this for years now, but amazingly, some people are still fooled by it.

You know, another attractive young female with right-wing views is Mary Katherine Ham. Maybe someone is criticizing her; you should go find out and rush to her rescue.

Wow, because that’s exactly what MZ said. Fuck off, douchebag.

well-put. the comments section at mcardle’s blog have become unreadable lately with all the “why must you persist in denying that you suck” business.

I mean really now.

As we know, attractive females are a priori intellectually honest, smart, kind, and talented — although sometimes cruelly misunderstood!