Vile smug sneery mind-reading Brendan O’Neill, who sees through everyone’s fake right-on poses and spots the self-flattery underneath – according to him, anyway.
now it is positively fashionable, bang on trend, for everyone from top American politicians to Ivy League students to wear a hoodie to show that they “care for Trayvon”. Yet far from being an indication of deep moral sensitivity, all this hoodie-wearing looks to me like a modern, PC version of “blacking up”, with the respectable classes pulling on the garb of black America in order to send a message about their own inherent goodness.
That’s what everything looks like to him. People who support same-sex marriage look to him like people doing something “in order to send a message about their own inherent goodness.” It’s as if he’d just had that first eye-opening class with Professor Iconoclast who explains to woolly undergraduates that what looks like public spirit or dedication is actually sadism or displaced masturbation or a chocolate-substitute.
And here’s a news flash for Brendan and his idiotically complaisant editors: he doesn’t know that. He doesn’t know why people do what they do. Freud didn’t know, Nietzsche didn’t know, and he doesn’t know. He certainly doesn’t know why all the people who wear hoodies as a Trayvon-statement do so. Sure, maybe he’s right, maybe there’s an element of vanity in it for a lot of people; there usually is, with most things we do; so the fuck what? What about the element of vanity in Vile Brendan’s vile posts? We don’t think he does those out of sheer disinterested public spirit do we? Doesn’t he think he’s a devilish handsome fellow, looking up at us in that dashingly “you can’t fool me” way?
And then read the comments under his vile post. That’s the kind of person who likes his stuff. Vile smug sneery mind-reading git.
H/t Kevin Anthoney.
Did you see the comments on that article?
Awful. Seems the Telegraph, like Fox, is a racist-magnet.
Yes; see last para.
He gets the comments he deserves.
What’s the matter, O’Neill? Gone to the bathroom so many times to snort cocaine you’ve forgotten what else you can do in there?
I used to know someone just like O’Neill. Precisely the same balance of smug sneering and having no fucking idea what he was talking about outside very narrow areas of interest.
I suppose “projection” fits the bill, but lots of people project. This type simply can’t fathom people having reasons for doing things other than self-interest. Lack of empathy = failure of imagination.
Rather like John Derbyshire at Taki magazine, I imagine. While I have no desire to read the Torygraph comments, I can’t imagine they’d be worse than that cesspool of inbreds who celebrate their skin color because they have absolutely nothing in this world to be proud of.
And like Derbyshire, he can be fired.
Not the the Torygraph would. I’m sure they adore him.
Ugh, I have a special contempt for this type of person. The person who can’t be bothered to care about justice because they’d rather call those who do care sanctimonious do-gooders.
They can’t even be bothered to disagree with the merits of the liberals’ argument. They just mock the liberals for caring in the first place. How despicable.
Of course they won’t fire him. Articles written by horrible people draw eyeballs to advertisements. The “serious” online media keep more trolls busy than 4chan does and pay them better.
What is the deal with what people are making of hoodies? Down here on the Gulf Coast hoodies are standard winter wear. A hoodie and a couple of layers will protect you from the worst winter has to offer unless you are spending long periods outdoors without much activity.
I own three hoodies, including the coveted KPFT Pacifica Radio hoodie I got by donating my dead car to the station. Everyone wears hoodies down here. Have I been “blacking up” without knowing it?
Why the fuck are those of us who are upset that a paranoid dude out of touch with reality stalked and killed another dude even worth mentioning? Isn’t our reaction normal. But oh, racism. I really think a lot of these people are living out through Zimmerman the fantasies they already had before this case ever happened.
Shorter O’Neill: Look at me, I’m a smug asshole. If you people were more like me you’d be smug assholes too.
Much of what I do for work must be done outside. I have an old hoodie that I have been wearing at work for years. It is tattered and stained. I had no idea that I have been engaging in a fashion trend to demonstrate my false sense of goodness.
I feel so lucky to have Brendan O’Neill around to explain to me why it really is that I do what I do.
I think O’Neil’s ‘contrarianism’ is little more than a facade designed to send out a message about his inherent goodness.
He pretends he’s concerned about other people’s sincerity but, far from this being an indication of his own deep moral sensitivity, he’s simply following the fashionable cynicism of trendy metropolitan elites.
See how easy this bullshit is?
Honestly, Ophelia, I don’t know why you even bother drawing attention to this pathetic little bastard.
After calming down a bit, I’ve had a couple thoughts.
One is that Brendan O’Neill’s arguments bear a very strong resemblence to the things Darth Vader and Bond villains used to say.
The other is simply, “Red herring. That is all.”
@12
Because he is not the only one? Because calling out self-satisfied morons is kinda what she does?
I couldn’t believe Geraldo’s nonsense and now this…..
Jesus H. Christ, does that silly, silly man actually think that before Martin died only young black men wore hoodies? And those who didn’t before but wear them now are “blacking up”? It couldn’t be a statement of support, a statement that if you are going to use a clothing item as an excuse to kill someone, then maybe if LOTS of people wear them you will lose at least that excuse.
Not that some people need all that much of an excuse. I know of two separate incidents in Arizona in the past week in which a group of people started randomly shooting at groups of minorities. They caught the ones who where shooting random black people. The ones who shot up an illegal immigrant campsite are still running around lose, the last time I heard.
Seriously. Here in Southern California, they’re common as well.
Victoria’s Secret used to sell them in all colors, ffs.
I have nothing to add, really, except that I am disgusted at how this tragedy has coaxed the shitstains–in particular the wealthy and privileged and oh-so-self-satisfied shitstains–out from under their rocks.
The Telegraph has always been a racist magnet.
O’Neill again. The Telegraph again. I think you have to go through the looking glass to enter their world! Why bother?
Well, I’m a middle-aged,white lady and I own about 6 hoodies.
Now I can wear them not just to keep warm, but as a symbol. Not to “send a message about (my) own inherent goodness”, but as a middle finger to both Geraldo and O’Neill.
I own at least 7 hoodies, and during winter months, wear one to work every day. Two weeks ago, I bought one in LACE.
What bullshit is this?
There is a school down the street from where I live, and from my observations, hoodies are the garment of choice of the majority of kids from about 12 on up. I really haven’t seen any significant bias due to ethnicity, and only a slight bias favoring boys over girls.
(T he fashion choice of a hoodie with the hood up & shorts while there is snow on the ground seems to be restricted to white boys between 15-17. With a sample size of 3, though, I don’t think I really have enough data to draw any conclusions)
two hoodies here. Along with a preppy plaid jacket that contains a hood. Definitely engaging in blackface here.
God, these people are tools.
Some dissent from Wendy Kaminer (presumably because she has first-hand experience of America):
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/12329/
Nothing to add to the previous comments, they say it a lot better than I can. Looks like it’s getting easier all the time to demean good intentions and honest indignation.
Got a question though.
What’s the point of naming O’Neill together with Freud and Nietzsche? Does it have a deeper meaning?
BO’N = K’NOB
Lyanna @6:
This.
Whether something is right or wrong is secondary, I guess, as long as liberals don’t get to feel superior about it.
Ah yes, the South Park attitude.