Comments on: The Shame of the Village Voice: Somebody Bring Back Hentoff! http://pjmedia.com/ronrosenbaum/2009/01/05/the-shame-of-the-village-voice-somebody-bring-back-henftoff/ Fri, 02 Apr 2010 00:15:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Former Belgian http://pjmedia.com/ronrosenbaum/2009/01/05/the-shame-of-the-village-voice-somebody-bring-back-henftoff/#comment-2626 Former Belgian Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:01:33 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/ronrosenbaum/?p=508#comment-2626 Well, I am sure there are people looking to read sex advice columns "validating" their desire to [bleep] goats (or whatever the latest perversion du jour is). But are they willing to PAY for a rag printing that sort of typical "alternative weekly" stuff when they can get it for free on the Internet? And who will pay to place a classified ad looking for a transgender foursome when they can do the same for free on craigslist.org? Maybe if occasionally these tiresome rags did something truly revolutionary (like, you know, gather and print hard news) they would still be relevant. Even so their business model would be shaky. As for Nat Hentoff: of course, if your newspaper is f*cked you dismiss just about the only redeeming feature it's got left. Here's to hoping the WSJ will soon offer him column space ("contrarian column" or something)... Well, I am sure there are people looking to read sex advice columns “validating” their desire to [bleep] goats (or whatever the latest perversion du jour is). But are they willing to PAY for a rag printing that sort of typical “alternative weekly” stuff when they can get it for free on the Internet?

And who will pay to place a classified ad looking for a transgender foursome when they can do the same for free on craigslist.org?

Maybe if occasionally these tiresome rags did something truly revolutionary (like, you know, gather and print hard news) they would still be relevant. Even so their business model would be shaky.

As for Nat Hentoff: of course, if your newspaper is f*cked you dismiss just about the only redeeming feature it’s got left. Here’s to hoping the WSJ will soon offer him column space (“contrarian column” or something)…

]]> By: David Thomson http://pjmedia.com/ronrosenbaum/2009/01/05/the-shame-of-the-village-voice-somebody-bring-back-henftoff/#comment-2602 David Thomson Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:33:56 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/ronrosenbaum/?p=508#comment-2602 Will the Village Voice and other so-called alternative newspapers be around much longer? These freebies have apparently prospered because of the sexually salacious ads placed in their back pages. It is rumored that many of these advertisers of massage parlors and 900 line phone calls are abandoning the dead tree publications for the Internet. Can the Village Voice even survive another year? Will the Village Voice and other so-called alternative newspapers be around much longer? These freebies have apparently prospered because of the sexually salacious ads placed in their back pages. It is rumored that many of these advertisers of massage parlors and 900 line phone calls are abandoning the dead tree publications for the Internet. Can the Village Voice even survive another year?

]]> By: Louis Proyect http://pjmedia.com/ronrosenbaum/2009/01/05/the-shame-of-the-village-voice-somebody-bring-back-henftoff/#comment-2589 Louis Proyect Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:03:51 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/ronrosenbaum/?p=508#comment-2589 Well, the Voice had the good sense to follow the example of the NY Observer that canned their resident crank Ron Rosenbaum. Well, the Voice had the good sense to follow the example of the NY Observer that canned their resident crank Ron Rosenbaum.

]]> By: charlie finch http://pjmedia.com/ronrosenbaum/2009/01/05/the-shame-of-the-village-voice-somebody-bring-back-henftoff/#comment-2587 charlie finch Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:56:07 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/ronrosenbaum/?p=508#comment-2587 The Voice also fired quirky fashion columnist Lynn Yeager The Voice also fired quirky fashion columnist Lynn Yeager

]]> By: Bill Altreuter http://pjmedia.com/ronrosenbaum/2009/01/05/the-shame-of-the-village-voice-somebody-bring-back-henftoff/#comment-2581 Bill Altreuter Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:14:39 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/ronrosenbaum/?p=508#comment-2581 The Voice was once an indispensable publication, but those days are long gone. One of the things that made it valuable was that so many of its regular contributors were so disputatious-- it was as famous for its feuds as it was for its writing. The internet, and particularly blogs, can't reproduce that effect. Hentoff has been an important voice, but a big part of what made him so effective is that he appeared in a context where his opinions were often at odds with the opinions of others. There really aren't any forums like that any more, and I miss them. The Voice has apparently determined that it is henceforth to be defined by its classifieds. A once great publication is now a pennysaver, and that's a shame. I'm glad Norman Mailer didn't live to see it. The Voice was once an indispensable publication, but those days are long gone. One of the things that made it valuable was that so many of its regular contributors were so disputatious– it was as famous for its feuds as it was for its writing.

The internet, and particularly blogs, can’t reproduce that effect. Hentoff has been an important voice, but a big part of what made him so effective is that he appeared in a context where his opinions were often at odds with the opinions of others. There really aren’t any forums like that any more, and I miss them.

The Voice has apparently determined that it is henceforth to be defined by its classifieds. A once great publication is now a pennysaver, and that’s a shame. I’m glad Norman Mailer didn’t live to see it.

]]> By: charlie finch http://pjmedia.com/ronrosenbaum/2009/01/05/the-shame-of-the-village-voice-somebody-bring-back-henftoff/#comment-2549 charlie finch Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:57:55 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/ronrosenbaum/?p=508#comment-2549 The father of us all The father of us all

]]> By: Roger L Simon http://pjmedia.com/ronrosenbaum/2009/01/05/the-shame-of-the-village-voice-somebody-bring-back-henftoff/#comment-2538 Roger L Simon Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:21:31 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/ronrosenbaum/?p=508#comment-2538 Do you have a contact for Hentoff? We should give him a blog. He'd be great. Do you have a contact for Hentoff? We should give him a blog. He’d be great.

]]> By: David Thomson http://pjmedia.com/ronrosenbaum/2009/01/05/the-shame-of-the-village-voice-somebody-bring-back-henftoff/#comment-2530 David Thomson Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:16:06 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/ronrosenbaum/?p=508#comment-2530 Nat Hentoff has long been a thorn in the side of the leftist community because of his pro-life position. In other words, he violated perhaps their number one doctrine which allows for no dissent. Hentoff's apparent last Village Voice column highlights my own problems with his mindset. I have no hesitation agreeing that we should be wary of the government's ability to monitor our communications. This is why I advocate a strong checks and balances to curtail abuses. However, Hentoff fails to address this unavoidable question: is there truly a legitimate threat? Are the Islamic terrorists existentially committed to our destruction? Please note that Hentoff conveniently sidesteps this issue. It does not merit even one sentence. Nat Hentoff has long been a thorn in the side of the leftist community because of his pro-life position. In other words, he violated perhaps their number one doctrine which allows for no dissent. Hentoff’s apparent last Village Voice column highlights my own problems with his mindset. I have no hesitation agreeing that we should be wary of the government’s ability to monitor our communications. This is why I advocate a strong checks and balances to curtail abuses. However, Hentoff fails to address this unavoidable question: is there truly a legitimate threat? Are the Islamic terrorists existentially committed to our destruction? Please note that Hentoff conveniently sidesteps this issue. It does not merit even one sentence.

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