If a gathering of crows is called a "murder," what do you call ten New York Times Op Ed pieces on high gas prices? A derrick of… no, I won't say it. Luckily, the Times only provides McNuggets for their "Is Your Tank Half Empty or Half Full?" editorial agglomeration. So… Pajama Life: Nicole Belson Goluboff, author of “The Law of Telecommuting,” says telecommuting rocks! Fuel for Inequality: Robert R. Reich says poor people are harder hit by rising gas prices than rich people. What the Green Bubble Will Leave Behind: Daniel Gross looks forward to driving a plug-in electric hybrid charged by a wind mill in his driveway. Ghosts of the Cul de Sac: Allison Arieff says high gas prices will kill the suburbs (so much for Gross' driveway). Goodbye to the Great American Road Trip: Michael Paterniti says fuck that shit. Tax Brakes: tax the Hell out of driving. I mean, the feds should give tax credits for NOT driving. Be the Prius: Tom Vanderbilt recommends hyper-miling. Or is that eco-driving? Psychoanalysis by the Gallon: Viennese scribe Annaliese Rohrer is, gasp!, on the subway "more often than I normally would choose to be." The Light Stuff: Jamie Lincoln Kitman (a car guy!) believes Detroit should be, sorry, build, smaller cars. Hair-Raiser: Karen Karbo loads us with this jewel: "Until [bicycle] helmet hair becomes universally chic, we will never be free of our dependency on mom chauffeuring us to the mall." (Her mom chauffeurs her to the mall?) So, what did we learn?
Find Reviews by Make:
Read all comments
So, what did we learn?
Well, from the few of those editorial puff pieces that I bothered to read, not much. No new info really. But we do have to think about the various and sundry ramifications of high fuel costs.
Dynamic88:
But we do have to think about the various and sundry ramifications of high fuel costs.
Why should we think when the New York Times is so willing to do it for us?
Why should we think when the New York Times is so willing to do it for us?
lol. So the NYT should not have editorials? I can go along with that. The only time I read NYT is when you criticize them on your web site.
Most people are talking about high fuel costs. The editorials are in that sense timely – if not very informative. That’s what most newspaper editorials are – topical and not very informative.
Dynamic88: lol. So the NYT should not have editorials? I can go along with that. The only time I read NYT is when you criticize them on your web site. If you read the Gray Lady more often, you'd have gleaned my meaning: the paper's tone is patronizing, often in the extreme. An Op Ed should stimulate thinking, not tell us what to think. I may be alone in that opinion, but perhaps not. What do YOU think?
Dynamic 88> I agree. I only read the NYT when i hear about a story there from somewhere else.
I guess the tone doesn’t seem much different to me than other newspapers. I don’t read the Gray Lady regularly, so maybe I’ve missed it.
At its core, the energy crisis is a problem of resource economics. So if you want an intelligent opinion I would recommend a subscription to “The Economist” magazine.
Of course the NYT and NPR will tell you that its all good for you and that the tofu powered future will be fantastic because that plays well with their readership. However, that is no different to an automotive website, such as this one, which will deliver opinions about energy that are biased towards the point of view of car enthusiasts. It just depends on which bias you’re shopping for.
The NYT is the leader in the we hate America sort of news.
When did Jamie Kitman add the Lincoln in his name?
The guy who wrote the road trip article is an idiot. People are taking more road trips now despite the price of gas because flying costs so much more and is a huge PITA. You think gas is expensive? Imagine how much it costs to fly 6 people from NY to FL and keep them in a hotel.
Plus, an hour long ride is still a road trip.
1980’s McDonalds McNuggets Happy Meals Toys… Classic Robert…
The high-priests of the Times profess to know what’s best for America. Mean while the folks in the heartland will continue to do what they normally do, albeit with fewer full-size SUVs.
To understand the thinking that really drives the Times, it’s best to read the lifestyle articles.
One quickly discovers that the Times takes for granted that its readers all make at least $450,000 per year; employ nannies to take care of the children; obsess about getting junior and missy into the best (read, expensive and exclusive) private schools; spend what most Americans make in a year to decorate their apartments and brownstones; and would never do something as icky and middle-class as load up the car to visit some dreadfully tacky tourist attraction or public beach, where one might have to rub shoulders with those awful Toby Keith fans and NRA members.
Well said Geeber! My thoughts exactly.
UHHmn, I havent set foot in Manhattan in about 35 yrs, I dont read the NY Times. And on my road trips, I purposely avoid driving within 75 miles of NYC and the whole I95 corridor to Washington DC
So what did we learn??? the author asks….
I think we learned that the head of this site is constantly working and cogitating when he should just enjoy the newspaper with a coffee and glazed crueller, like the rest of us.
Interesting that none of these so-called newspaper wannabe journalists mentioned the possibility of increasing the oil supply with new drilling. Windmill in his driveway?? Ha ha ha!!!
Nothing in the New York Times should be taken seriously because THEY HATE AMERICA and every single article is geared towards the goal of turning public opinion against America and destroying this country. Also many of their writers pretend to be Christians but are secretly Muslim. Just something to think about.
And I agree with geeber. Reading the lifestyle section of the New York Times really gives you a profound understanding of the newspaper as a whole: they only cater to elitist professionals making 450K a year who look down at us middle-class folk. It’s like reading TTAC’s Ferrari review section. They just assume their readership can afford an F430 or Enzo!
So, what did we learn?
i sadly wasted my time reading all of those “op-ed” pieces. the only one that vaguely said anything of value was reich’s. the rest were the typical mindless crap from the grey lady. frankly, the only thing worth reading in that rag is krugman’s biweekly rant – his speculation series is getting more & more wonkish each iteration. otherwise they should just lease out their new headquarters to someone who could actually make use of the office space …
Woah there, Qusus. Criticism does not equal hate. While I’m not a fan of the New York Times, there are many things that are wrong about our country, and ignoring them is not going to solve anything. Does the media go overboard? Yeah, pretty often, but at the end of the day, they need the advertising revenue, so it’s up to you to sort through the bullcrap.
I don’t know about the whole Muslims masquerading as Christians thing, or why that would even matter. Oh wait, you must be insinuating that the terrorists have infiltrated the New York Times and are turning the country against itself. riiight…
Lastly, TTAC doesn’t assume their readership can afford a Ferrari. They assume we’re interested in them, and most of us are. I would be bored out of my mind if the only car news I read pertained to cars I could afford.
The NYT has to hit thousands of topics over the course of the year. They’re always behind the curve when it comes to autos. But even so, they are far ahead of the glorified puff pieces in most other newspapers.
If you simply settled for a couple of well chosen internet sites and the local county paper, you would have no need for a paper like the New York Times.
That’s why more folks who live in Northern New Jersey subscribe to The Record.
seoultrain :
Woah there, Qusus. Criticism does not equal hate.
The NYT has reported on military strategy that should not have been made public. By doing this, they have given aid to one or more enemies during wartime. To me, this is the epitome of hate, or at the least, it’s an unpatriotic decision. It was an unforgivable decision. In another time, the whole cesspool would have been shut down and locked up until after the end of the war.
Ever since then, I don’t buy the NYT. Ever. I don’t read their website. Ever. (Not even for this article).
The NYT has attempted to hurt my country, and for this, the paper does not deserve to count me as a reader. Ever.
Well TTAC, it was fun while it lasted.
Good luck on the road.
Nothing in the New York Times should be taken seriously because THEY HATE AMERICA and every single article is geared towards the goal of turning public opinion against America and destroying this country. Also many of their writers pretend to be Christians but are secretly Muslim. Just something to think about.
I cannot decide whether this is serious or sarcastic. Because of the sheer crackpottery of America hating muslim writers pretending to be Christian, I’m going to go with sarcasm.
I’m surprised that the Times isn’t celebrating high gas prices. Finally people will embrace mass transit, live downtown and move from the suburbs. The only problem is that the extra $$ isn’t going to the government.
jrderego,
I’m left wondering if your departure is a result of the ridicule of the NYTimes, or a couple of members of TTAC ripping into them, or some combination of the two.
If it’s the criticism of the NYTimes that you find distasteful, I guess it is what it is. If it’s something else, I’d be curious to know.
This is a site where it benefits one to not take too much personally. It sounds like you have.
If a democrat gets in this fall thee stories will change. Instead of blaming oil men in the white house they will just focus on you the arrogant consumer that doesn’t get it. Later we will have 2-3 dollar a gallon taxes to encourage you to buy a scooter.
OK, lighten up gentlemen and get your panties unknotted!
Look I cant stomach any broadcast or publication produced by Rupert Murdoch and guess what, Fox and the NY Post DO NOT see me as their target audiance. I do not want to be coddled like I find many of the folks that hate the NYTimes do. Look, if bad times are coming they are still going to come if we talk about it or NOT!
Does the NYT go over-board sometimes? Yes, but honestly what newspaper does not?
Since 1980 and the election of R. Reagan this country has developed a culture where we simply ignore and put out of mind any thing we might need to worry about. Today it is obvious that we are paying the price for this childish way of living.
Today the USA is deeply in debt, stuck in an unwinnable war, has a currency that has lost about a godd 20% of its value, has the highest prison population in the world that is costing us much $$$$$, has a broken healthcare system, subpar schools, a busted transportation infrastruture, a broken SS system, etc, etc, etc, etc!
ALL MAJOR ISSUES THAT MOST OF OUR MEDIA SIMPLY TELLS US TO IGNORE!
Yet, guess what? Things are NOT trying out to be OK!
I guess that stuff they spew out on FOX allows the evening beer to go down a bit easier!
In California, the suburbs and rural living could be outlawed due to “carbon neutral” requirements in new homes. The prediction is that the 5 acre ranchettes surrounding the city that I live in will no longer be allowed. Large lots and commuting in general will no longer be allowed through changes to local zoning laws forced on us by Sacramento. I have already seen it in a few proposed subdivisions where they have had to defend the carbon foot print of the development. Of course people who didn’t grow up with a rural lifestyle can’t see how that is any big loss.
The idea behind carbon-neutral regulations (and CAFE) is to lessen the blow of the inevitable market correction. I’d say one of the biggest failings of CAFE is that it didn’t go far enough: without the light truck boondoggle and lax standards, the domestics would have been forced–much earlier–to make better cars and we (the consumer) wouldn’t be feeling the pain of upside-down leases and expensive fillups.
Urban planning regs are similar: the government can encourage sustainable development now, or we can let it happen “as the market wants”, at which point people’s houses will flip, very quickly, from asset to liability and whole suburban developments turn from viable neighbourhoods to ghettos or ghost-towns.
The New York Times remains one of the best newspapers on the planet. But every newspaper needs eyeballs and buyers, which means figuring out what readers want and giving it to them.
The public is bipolar, careening between periods of pleasure (“My house is worth $8 bazillion! I have a 143 inch TV! Everything is awesome!”) and panic (“My house has lost 130% of its value! I had to pawn my TV! Everything sucks!!!”).
The paper needs to tap into that sentiment in order to sell papers, which in turn feeds the spiral, whether upward or downward. The NYT is as guilty of that as is everyone else.
I would love to see a study that shows whatever connection there may be between the tone and degree of mainstream news coverage and economic cycles. My guess is that newspapers, magazines and network TV news tend to be lagging indicators, that they are way behind by the time that they get around to emphasizing a story, both good and bad.
All of which means that you can’t use them to see the bottom of the cycle. By the time that they get around to reporting it, the recovery will be underway.
whatdoiknow1
Today the USA is deeply in debt, stuck in an unwinnable war, has a currency that has lost about a godd 20% of its value, has the highest prison population in the world that is costing us much $$$$$, has a broken healthcare system, subpar schools, a busted transportation infrastruture, a broken SS system, etc, etc, etc, etc!
Having lived all over the world I can assure you we live in a better place than what you describe. Travel enough and you will see. Lighten up a bit.
Pch101 :
The New York Times remains one of the best newspapers on the planet.
For elitists with an agenda, it fits right in with the best of them.
For elitists with an agenda, it fits right in with the best of them.
Honestly, these sorts of attacks on the NYT are cliched and hollow, and don’t mean anything.
Along with the Wall Street Journal, the NYT is the nation’s paper of record, with some of the most thorough news coverage in the business. Among American newspapers, it is considered the gold standard.
Those who want news to serve a right-wing agenda have plenty of choices, including Fox “News,” the Moonie’s Washington Times, and a variety of papers produced by Gannett, among others, as well as the aforementioned Wall Street Journal. Rejecting the NYT in a kneejerk fashion out of hand says more about the reader than it does about the paper.