5 ms·

I think we all accept that most people who have to deal directly with the public put up with a lot of garbage. That is the kernel of truth. 10 mentions of Fox

I think we all accept that most people who have to deal directly with the public put up with a lot of garbage. That is the kernel of truth. 10 mentions of Fox News, having "Obama to hate," and the commentary on the bookshelves and exaggerated tippings of Joe Six-Pack seem a little embellished if you ask me. edit: Maybe not even "embellished" as much as editorial bias--blowing some odd occurrence out-of-proportion while glossing over the mode.

fzeroracer 8y ago
It sure sounds like you have an axe to grind solely because the author explained their circumstances and experiences. I don't doubt what she went through in the least, in particular because I've known and experienced the exact same hatred. And some people are going to face even more garbage than others solely based on their skin color or sexual orientation.
- AckSyn 8y ago
  It reads more like a fictitious trope than anything else.
- sonnyblarney 8y ago
  The author and publisher clearly have many axes to grind. It's a highly politicized piece from HuffPo, designed for effect. No doubt there's some credibility in the piece because it's based on a degree of real life experience, but it's also the most biased kind of writing possible as well, which gives it considerably less validity. Sadly, if it were written in a more dispassionate tone, it mightn't have been published at all, and we'd have never seen it, which is maybe an important side lesson.
  - fzeroracer 8y ago
    You're clearly not willing to address the article itself, instead you're intent on dismissing it for political reasons. And of course it's going to be biased because individual experiences are biased. That doesn't make their experience any less interesting or valuable to understand because as it turns out, seeing things from all kinds of different perspectives is important for critical thinking and getting a larger picture.
    - postingtoofast 8y ago
      Would you be so indignant about the article being dismissed if the negative stereotypes it anecdotally verified were focused on man hating social justice cat ladies or equality spouting yuppies who hypocritically abuse undocumented immigrants as cheap nannies and yard workers?
    - sonnyblarney 8y ago
      I don't doubt the author's personal experience. But the piece is inherently political; she uses each personal anecdote to generalize about a group of people, or at least point at that. For every one of her anecdotes, I feel there was definitely 'another side of the story to tell'. But I also don't blame her - as I mentioned, you don't get published without drawing a little bit of blood, which is sadly how it works in a lot of the press these days.
  - jimnotgym 8y ago
    > Sadly, if it were written in a more dispassionate tone That is kind of ironic isn't it? I don't spend a lot of time listening to Fox, but what I have heard has not been entirely dispassionate! In fact I have heard quite a few things that could be described as "highly politicized" and "designed for effect". People pushed into working in jobs that are physically dangerous and pain inducing and discriminatory dare to get passionate about their situation...yikes, you think they would know their place.
    - masonic 8y ago
      I don't spend a lot of time listening to Fox Obviously not, given that the "Fox News" being referred to is television's Fox News Network.
    - sonnyblarney 8y ago
      I said nothing about Fox News. I have no problems with people telling us about discrimination they may face, or their difficulties on the job ... but the author projected positive and negative attributes almost arbitrarily onto groups of people, based on some of 'her experience' - which is kind of a crude, self-selective bigotry.
- jstewartmobile 8y ago
  Has zero to do with politics. Years ago, I did home networks. Worked for myself, so granted, the social dynamics were a little different. Even so, 99 times out of 100, went inside, took their orders, took care of business, went home. No sex dungeons, no mafioso, a little cat pee (but not much), and absolutely no time or inclination to examine their bookshelves or the condition of book spines. If she had made the grand-tour of right-wing talking-points instead, you probably wouldn't have quibbled with me. Whereas, I'd have still raised the same objection.
jimnotgym 8y ago
1) Since this is HN I will be pedantic and say that Fox was only mentioned 6 times in the body of the article (plus once in the meta, once in a highlighted quote, and once in the headline). Mostly related to one anecdote. Maybe you think it is a stereotype of a Fox viewer, but I should tell you it is a stereotype that has trans-Atlantic reach. 2) I have seen posh houses where the books (cringing as I write this) were arranged by colour. I once built a library for a couple who had less books than me! I would say this is a pretty pithy comment by the author, but I have most certainly seen people buy books to fill shelves that they clearly will never read. I wouldn't suppose that all blue collar workers are prolific readers however. 3) As I said before tipping is not a big thing in the UK, but I found it easier and faster to get paid for a job from a regular Joe.
- TheOtherHobbes 8y ago
  I used to know an upscale (is that the word?) interior designer, and she would literally buy vintage books by the yard to fill the designer library shelves of the very rich people she worked for. The conversational thing in the UK is because everyone is incredibly sensitive to class, and also because British people don’t talk to people they don’t know well. It’s not usually a personal snub, although it can feel like one.
- postingtoofast 8y ago
  The article relied on a number of stereotypes and tropes to carry it. In that sense it was very weak. It reads like a bit of catharsis for the typical Atlantic readership, who relish opportunities to feel outraged about the people in America whom they believe aren't on their team (so to speak).
- ardy42 8y ago
  > I have seen posh houses where the books (cringing as I write this) were arranged by colour. https://www.booksbythefoot.com/shop/pc/Books-by-Color-c3.htm https://www.booksbythefoot.com/shop/pc/Books-by-Color-c3.htm
masonic 8y ago
Plus referring to "Fox news watchers" who had no working cable to watch during any time she was there... so she couldn't possibly know their watching habits. The obsession with cat piss smells seems odd for a smoker, whose own tobacco odor is never mentioned. Likewise, referring to having her hair cut short yet later "nuzzled" by the horse. The choppy, juvenile writing style made me think of an 10th grader who had too much coffee.

fzeroracer 8y ago

It sure sounds like you have an axe to grind solely because the author explained their circumstances and experiences. I don't doubt what she went through in the least, in particular because I've known and experienced the exact same hatred. And some people are going to face even more garbage than others solely based on their skin color or sexual orientation.

AckSyn 8y ago
It reads more like a fictitious trope than anything else.
sonnyblarney 8y ago
The author and publisher clearly have many axes to grind. It's a highly politicized piece from HuffPo, designed for effect. No doubt there's some credibility in the piece because it's based on a degree of real life experience, but it's also the most biased kind of writing possible as well, which gives it considerably less validity. Sadly, if it were written in a more dispassionate tone, it mightn't have been published at all, and we'd have never seen it, which is maybe an important side lesson.
- fzeroracer 8y ago
  You're clearly not willing to address the article itself, instead you're intent on dismissing it for political reasons. And of course it's going to be biased because individual experiences are biased. That doesn't make their experience any less interesting or valuable to understand because as it turns out, seeing things from all kinds of different perspectives is important for critical thinking and getting a larger picture.
  - postingtoofast 8y ago
    Would you be so indignant about the article being dismissed if the negative stereotypes it anecdotally verified were focused on man hating social justice cat ladies or equality spouting yuppies who hypocritically abuse undocumented immigrants as cheap nannies and yard workers?
  - sonnyblarney 8y ago
    I don't doubt the author's personal experience. But the piece is inherently political; she uses each personal anecdote to generalize about a group of people, or at least point at that. For every one of her anecdotes, I feel there was definitely 'another side of the story to tell'. But I also don't blame her - as I mentioned, you don't get published without drawing a little bit of blood, which is sadly how it works in a lot of the press these days.
- jimnotgym 8y ago
  > Sadly, if it were written in a more dispassionate tone That is kind of ironic isn't it? I don't spend a lot of time listening to Fox, but what I have heard has not been entirely dispassionate! In fact I have heard quite a few things that could be described as "highly politicized" and "designed for effect". People pushed into working in jobs that are physically dangerous and pain inducing and discriminatory dare to get passionate about their situation...yikes, you think they would know their place.
  - masonic 8y ago
    I don't spend a lot of time listening to Fox Obviously not, given that the "Fox News" being referred to is television's Fox News Network.
  - sonnyblarney 8y ago
    I said nothing about Fox News. I have no problems with people telling us about discrimination they may face, or their difficulties on the job ... but the author projected positive and negative attributes almost arbitrarily onto groups of people, based on some of 'her experience' - which is kind of a crude, self-selective bigotry.
jstewartmobile 8y ago
Has zero to do with politics. Years ago, I did home networks. Worked for myself, so granted, the social dynamics were a little different. Even so, 99 times out of 100, went inside, took their orders, took care of business, went home. No sex dungeons, no mafioso, a little cat pee (but not much), and absolutely no time or inclination to examine their bookshelves or the condition of book spines. If she had made the grand-tour of right-wing talking-points instead, you probably wouldn't have quibbled with me. Whereas, I'd have still raised the same objection.

jimnotgym 8y ago

1) Since this is HN I will be pedantic and say that Fox was only mentioned 6 times in the body of the article (plus once in the meta, once in a highlighted quote, and once in the headline). Mostly related to one anecdote. Maybe you think it is a stereotype of a Fox viewer, but I should tell you it is a stereotype that has trans-Atlantic reach. 2) I have seen posh houses where the books (cringing as I write this) were arranged by colour. I once built a library for a couple who had less books than me! I would say this is a pretty pithy comment by the author, but I have most certainly seen people buy books to fill shelves that they clearly will never read. I wouldn't suppose that all blue collar workers are prolific readers however. 3) As I said before tipping is not a big thing in the UK, but I found it easier and faster to get paid for a job from a regular Joe.

TheOtherHobbes 8y ago
I used to know an upscale (is that the word?) interior designer, and she would literally buy vintage books by the yard to fill the designer library shelves of the very rich people she worked for. The conversational thing in the UK is because everyone is incredibly sensitive to class, and also because British people don’t talk to people they don’t know well. It’s not usually a personal snub, although it can feel like one.
postingtoofast 8y ago
The article relied on a number of stereotypes and tropes to carry it. In that sense it was very weak. It reads like a bit of catharsis for the typical Atlantic readership, who relish opportunities to feel outraged about the people in America whom they believe aren't on their team (so to speak).
ardy42 8y ago
> I have seen posh houses where the books (cringing as I write this) were arranged by colour. https://www.booksbythefoot.com/shop/pc/Books-by-Color-c3.htm https://www.booksbythefoot.com/shop/pc/Books-by-Color-c3.htm

masonic 8y ago

Plus referring to "Fox news watchers" who had no working cable to watch during any time she was there... so she couldn't possibly know their watching habits. The obsession with cat piss smells seems odd for a smoker, whose own tobacco odor is never mentioned. Likewise, referring to having her hair cut short yet later "nuzzled" by the horse. The choppy, juvenile writing style made me think of an 10th grader who had too much coffee.