I’m 38 weeks pregnant. Two more to go. Looking back at my pregnancy, I really can’t complain… that much. My morning sickness wasn’t bad. But, my OB/GYN thinks I’ve gained way too much weight. And, my husband thinks an alien has taken over my body since I seem to snap at every little thing he does. (Really though, excuse me, when your pregnant wife calls you, you ANSWER.) So other than that, it’s been great! However, I have to take issue with the inappropriate comments complete strangers, friends, even family members feel they need to make to an already vulnerable — and very emotional — pregnant woman. Luckily, I haven’t been alone in this journey. My sister, who was just recently pregnant, has experienced the same reactions from people. At first, I would brush the remarks off like lint, but then they just kept piling on. So I have to share. I’m really hoping that you, former and current pregnant women out there, have experienced something similar — please let us know in the comments and make me feel better. Below are the top ten comments, in no particular order, my sister and I have received, the ones that were just too unbelievable to keep to ourselves. 1. Male stranger: “How many more months do you have left? One or two?” Me: “I actually have five more months left.” Male stranger: “Oh, are you having twins?” Me: “Nope, just one.” 2. Male work colleague: “Whoa, what are you having… quadruplets? My Sister: No, just having one.” 3. Female friend… Now distant female friend: “I didn’t think you were going to be big, but you really are!” Me: “…” 4. Female stranger: “Are you having one or two because your stomach is really big?” Me: “Just one.” Female stranger trying to redeem herself: “You have a perfect belly, you really do.” 5. Female family friend: “Let me see who’s bigger, you or my daughter.” (Daughter and I are only days apart in our pregnancy). Female family friend: “Oh no, you’re much bigger.” 6. Male stranger: “Now that’s a pregnant woman right there! How far along are you? Me: “I’m eight and a half months.” (I lied; I was only seven and a half months. I was having a bloated day.) Male stranger: “I was going to say, you look like you’re about to explode!” 7. Female cousin on Skype: “Let me see your belly!” Me: “Okay, here it is!” Female cousin: “Oh, you don’t look that pregnant!” Me: “Oh my God, thank you! You just made my day.” Female cousin: “Now let me see your sister!” (Sister walks over to computer and shows belly). Female cousin: “Wow, now you look pregnant!” 8. Female friend: “I didn’t even recognize you!” Me: “Really?!” Female friend: “I knew your sister was going to be big but I didn’t think you were. But you are.” 9. Male distant relative: “How are you doing? Or I should probably start saying how are you two doing?” Me: “We are good.” Male distant relative: “Are you having twins?” Me: “No.” Male distant relative: “Are you sure?” 10. Male acquaintance: “Are you pregnant?” Me: “Yes, how did you know?” Male acquaintance: “Your face!” Me: “Oooh.” Male acquaintance:”Is it a boy?” Me: “Yes! Again, how did you know?” Male acquaintance: “Again, your face! See when women are pregnant with boys, they tend to lose the femininity in their face.” Me: “Oooh.” I just want to know what happened to a simple “Congratulations!” Or how about nothing at all? Really, if you see a pregnant woman, do not feel obliged to say anything. We know we’re pregnant, unless you’re talking to one of those women from the show I Didn’t Know I was Pregnant — don’t even get me started on that. But if you do see a pregnant woman and feel the need to say something, a “congratulations” is more than enough. There is no need to make any sort of comment about how big we are, or a prediction of how far along we are, or how many babies you think there are. At first I thought only men made these comments, but looking back, most of them were from women. Ladies, we’re supposed to be on each other’s side. The moral of this post is either say something nice or say nothing at all, especially to a hormonal pregnant woman. Now I have to go eat a donut.
Continue reading …
I’m 38 weeks pregnant. Two more to go. Looking back at my pregnancy, I really can’t complain… that much. My morning sickness wasn’t bad. But, my OB/GYN thinks I’ve gained way too much weight. And, my husband thinks an alien has taken over my body since I seem to snap at every little thing he does. (Really though, excuse me, when your pregnant wife calls you, you ANSWER.) So other than that, it’s been great! However, I have to take issue with the inappropriate comments complete strangers, friends, even family members feel they need to make to an already vulnerable — and very emotional — pregnant woman. Luckily, I haven’t been alone in this journey. My sister, who was just recently pregnant, has experienced the same reactions from people. At first, I would brush the remarks off like lint, but then they just kept piling on. So I have to share. I’m really hoping that you, former and current pregnant women out there, have experienced something similar — please let us know in the comments and make me feel better. Below are the top ten comments, in no particular order, my sister and I have received, the ones that were just too unbelievable to keep to ourselves. 1. Male stranger: “How many more months do you have left? One or two?” Me: “I actually have five more months left.” Male stranger: “Oh, are you having twins?” Me: “Nope, just one.” 2. Male work colleague: “Whoa, what are you having… quadruplets? My Sister: No, just having one.” 3. Female friend… Now distant female friend: “I didn’t think you were going to be big, but you really are!” Me: “…” 4. Female stranger: “Are you having one or two because your stomach is really big?” Me: “Just one.” Female stranger trying to redeem herself: “You have a perfect belly, you really do.” 5. Female family friend: “Let me see who’s bigger, you or my daughter.” (Daughter and I are only days apart in our pregnancy). Female family friend: “Oh no, you’re much bigger.” 6. Male stranger: “Now that’s a pregnant woman right there! How far along are you? Me: “I’m eight and a half months.” (I lied; I was only seven and a half months. I was having a bloated day.) Male stranger: “I was going to say, you look like you’re about to explode!” 7. Female cousin on Skype: “Let me see your belly!” Me: “Okay, here it is!” Female cousin: “Oh, you don’t look that pregnant!” Me: “Oh my God, thank you! You just made my day.” Female cousin: “Now let me see your sister!” (Sister walks over to computer and shows belly). Female cousin: “Wow, now you look pregnant!” 8. Female friend: “I didn’t even recognize you!” Me: “Really?!” Female friend: “I knew your sister was going to be big but I didn’t think you were. But you are.” 9. Male distant relative: “How are you doing? Or I should probably start saying how are you two doing?” Me: “We are good.” Male distant relative: “Are you having twins?” Me: “No.” Male distant relative: “Are you sure?” 10. Male acquaintance: “Are you pregnant?” Me: “Yes, how did you know?” Male acquaintance: “Your face!” Me: “Oooh.” Male acquaintance:”Is it a boy?” Me: “Yes! Again, how did you know?” Male acquaintance: “Again, your face! See when women are pregnant with boys, they tend to lose the femininity in their face.” Me: “Oooh.” I just want to know what happened to a simple “Congratulations!” Or how about nothing at all? Really, if you see a pregnant woman, do not feel obliged to say anything. We know we’re pregnant, unless you’re talking to one of those women from the show I Didn’t Know I was Pregnant — don’t even get me started on that. But if you do see a pregnant woman and feel the need to say something, a “congratulations” is more than enough. There is no need to make any sort of comment about how big we are, or a prediction of how far along we are, or how many babies you think there are. At first I thought only men made these comments, but looking back, most of them were from women. Ladies, we’re supposed to be on each other’s side. The moral of this post is either say something nice or say nothing at all, especially to a hormonal pregnant woman. Now I have to go eat a donut.
Continue reading …
I’m 38 weeks pregnant. Two more to go. Looking back at my pregnancy, I really can’t complain… that much. My morning sickness wasn’t bad. But, my OB/GYN thinks I’ve gained way too much weight. And, my husband thinks an alien has taken over my body since I seem to snap at every little thing he does. (Really though, excuse me, when your pregnant wife calls you, you ANSWER.) So other than that, it’s been great! However, I have to take issue with the inappropriate comments complete strangers, friends, even family members feel they need to make to an already vulnerable — and very emotional — pregnant woman. Luckily, I haven’t been alone in this journey. My sister, who was just recently pregnant, has experienced the same reactions from people. At first, I would brush the remarks off like lint, but then they just kept piling on. So I have to share. I’m really hoping that you, former and current pregnant women out there, have experienced something similar — please let us know in the comments and make me feel better. Below are the top ten comments, in no particular order, my sister and I have received, the ones that were just too unbelievable to keep to ourselves. 1. Male stranger: “How many more months do you have left? One or two?” Me: “I actually have five more months left.” Male stranger: “Oh, are you having twins?” Me: “Nope, just one.” 2. Male work colleague: “Whoa, what are you having… quadruplets? My Sister: No, just having one.” 3. Female friend… Now distant female friend: “I didn’t think you were going to be big, but you really are!” Me: “…” 4. Female stranger: “Are you having one or two because your stomach is really big?” Me: “Just one.” Female stranger trying to redeem herself: “You have a perfect belly, you really do.” 5. Female family friend: “Let me see who’s bigger, you or my daughter.” (Daughter and I are only days apart in our pregnancy). Female family friend: “Oh no, you’re much bigger.” 6. Male stranger: “Now that’s a pregnant woman right there! How far along are you? Me: “I’m eight and a half months.” (I lied; I was only seven and a half months. I was having a bloated day.) Male stranger: “I was going to say, you look like you’re about to explode!” 7. Female cousin on Skype: “Let me see your belly!” Me: “Okay, here it is!” Female cousin: “Oh, you don’t look that pregnant!” Me: “Oh my God, thank you! You just made my day.” Female cousin: “Now let me see your sister!” (Sister walks over to computer and shows belly). Female cousin: “Wow, now you look pregnant!” 8. Female friend: “I didn’t even recognize you!” Me: “Really?!” Female friend: “I knew your sister was going to be big but I didn’t think you were. But you are.” 9. Male distant relative: “How are you doing? Or I should probably start saying how are you two doing?” Me: “We are good.” Male distant relative: “Are you having twins?” Me: “No.” Male distant relative: “Are you sure?” 10. Male acquaintance: “Are you pregnant?” Me: “Yes, how did you know?” Male acquaintance: “Your face!” Me: “Oooh.” Male acquaintance:”Is it a boy?” Me: “Yes! Again, how did you know?” Male acquaintance: “Again, your face! See when women are pregnant with boys, they tend to lose the femininity in their face.” Me: “Oooh.” I just want to know what happened to a simple “Congratulations!” Or how about nothing at all? Really, if you see a pregnant woman, do not feel obliged to say anything. We know we’re pregnant, unless you’re talking to one of those women from the show I Didn’t Know I was Pregnant — don’t even get me started on that. But if you do see a pregnant woman and feel the need to say something, a “congratulations” is more than enough. There is no need to make any sort of comment about how big we are, or a prediction of how far along we are, or how many babies you think there are. At first I thought only men made these comments, but looking back, most of them were from women. Ladies, we’re supposed to be on each other’s side. The moral of this post is either say something nice or say nothing at all, especially to a hormonal pregnant woman. Now I have to go eat a donut.
Continue reading …I’m 38 weeks pregnant. Two more to go. Looking back at my pregnancy, I really can’t complain… that much. My morning sickness wasn’t bad. But, my OB/GYN thinks I’ve gained way too much weight. And, my husband thinks an alien has taken over my body since I seem to snap at every little thing he does. (Really though, excuse me, when your pregnant wife calls you, you ANSWER.) So other than that, it’s been great! However, I have to take issue with the inappropriate comments complete strangers, friends, even family members feel they need to make to an already vulnerable — and very emotional — pregnant woman. Luckily, I haven’t been alone in this journey. My sister, who was just recently pregnant, has experienced the same reactions from people. At first, I would brush the remarks off like lint, but then they just kept piling on. So I have to share. I’m really hoping that you, former and current pregnant women out there, have experienced something similar — please let us know in the comments and make me feel better. Below are the top ten comments, in no particular order, my sister and I have received, the ones that were just too unbelievable to keep to ourselves. 1. Male stranger: “How many more months do you have left? One or two?” Me: “I actually have five more months left.” Male stranger: “Oh, are you having twins?” Me: “Nope, just one.” 2. Male work colleague: “Whoa, what are you having… quadruplets? My Sister: No, just having one.” 3. Female friend… Now distant female friend: “I didn’t think you were going to be big, but you really are!” Me: “…” 4. Female stranger: “Are you having one or two because your stomach is really big?” Me: “Just one.” Female stranger trying to redeem herself: “You have a perfect belly, you really do.” 5. Female family friend: “Let me see who’s bigger, you or my daughter.” (Daughter and I are only days apart in our pregnancy). Female family friend: “Oh no, you’re much bigger.” 6. Male stranger: “Now that’s a pregnant woman right there! How far along are you? Me: “I’m eight and a half months.” (I lied; I was only seven and a half months. I was having a bloated day.) Male stranger: “I was going to say, you look like you’re about to explode!” 7. Female cousin on Skype: “Let me see your belly!” Me: “Okay, here it is!” Female cousin: “Oh, you don’t look that pregnant!” Me: “Oh my God, thank you! You just made my day.” Female cousin: “Now let me see your sister!” (Sister walks over to computer and shows belly). Female cousin: “Wow, now you look pregnant!” 8. Female friend: “I didn’t even recognize you!” Me: “Really?!” Female friend: “I knew your sister was going to be big but I didn’t think you were. But you are.” 9. Male distant relative: “How are you doing? Or I should probably start saying how are you two doing?” Me: “We are good.” Male distant relative: “Are you having twins?” Me: “No.” Male distant relative: “Are you sure?” 10. Male acquaintance: “Are you pregnant?” Me: “Yes, how did you know?” Male acquaintance: “Your face!” Me: “Oooh.” Male acquaintance:”Is it a boy?” Me: “Yes! Again, how did you know?” Male acquaintance: “Again, your face! See when women are pregnant with boys, they tend to lose the femininity in their face.” Me: “Oooh.” I just want to know what happened to a simple “Congratulations!” Or how about nothing at all? Really, if you see a pregnant woman, do not feel obliged to say anything. We know we’re pregnant, unless you’re talking to one of those women from the show I Didn’t Know I was Pregnant — don’t even get me started on that. But if you do see a pregnant woman and feel the need to say something, a “congratulations” is more than enough. There is no need to make any sort of comment about how big we are, or a prediction of how far along we are, or how many babies you think there are. At first I thought only men made these comments, but looking back, most of them were from women. Ladies, we’re supposed to be on each other’s side. The moral of this post is either say something nice or say nothing at all, especially to a hormonal pregnant woman. Now I have to go eat a donut.
Continue reading …
I’m 38 weeks pregnant. Two more to go. Looking back at my pregnancy, I really can’t complain… that much. My morning sickness wasn’t bad. But, my OB/GYN thinks I’ve gained way too much weight. And, my husband thinks an alien has taken over my body since I seem to snap at every little thing he does. (Really though, excuse me, when your pregnant wife calls you, you ANSWER.) So other than that, it’s been great! However, I have to take issue with the inappropriate comments complete strangers, friends, even family members feel they need to make to an already vulnerable — and very emotional — pregnant woman. Luckily, I haven’t been alone in this journey. My sister, who was just recently pregnant, has experienced the same reactions from people. At first, I would brush the remarks off like lint, but then they just kept piling on. So I have to share. I’m really hoping that you, former and current pregnant women out there, have experienced something similar — please let us know in the comments and make me feel better. Below are the top ten comments, in no particular order, my sister and I have received, the ones that were just too unbelievable to keep to ourselves. 1. Male stranger: “How many more months do you have left? One or two?” Me: “I actually have five more months left.” Male stranger: “Oh, are you having twins?” Me: “Nope, just one.” 2. Male work colleague: “Whoa, what are you having… quadruplets? My Sister: No, just having one.” 3. Female friend… Now distant female friend: “I didn’t think you were going to be big, but you really are!” Me: “…” 4. Female stranger: “Are you having one or two because your stomach is really big?” Me: “Just one.” Female stranger trying to redeem herself: “You have a perfect belly, you really do.” 5. Female family friend: “Let me see who’s bigger, you or my daughter.” (Daughter and I are only days apart in our pregnancy). Female family friend: “Oh no, you’re much bigger.” 6. Male stranger: “Now that’s a pregnant woman right there! How far along are you? Me: “I’m eight and a half months.” (I lied; I was only seven and a half months. I was having a bloated day.) Male stranger: “I was going to say, you look like you’re about to explode!” 7. Female cousin on Skype: “Let me see your belly!” Me: “Okay, here it is!” Female cousin: “Oh, you don’t look that pregnant!” Me: “Oh my God, thank you! You just made my day.” Female cousin: “Now let me see your sister!” (Sister walks over to computer and shows belly). Female cousin: “Wow, now you look pregnant!” 8. Female friend: “I didn’t even recognize you!” Me: “Really?!” Female friend: “I knew your sister was going to be big but I didn’t think you were. But you are.” 9. Male distant relative: “How are you doing? Or I should probably start saying how are you two doing?” Me: “We are good.” Male distant relative: “Are you having twins?” Me: “No.” Male distant relative: “Are you sure?” 10. Male acquaintance: “Are you pregnant?” Me: “Yes, how did you know?” Male acquaintance: “Your face!” Me: “Oooh.” Male acquaintance:”Is it a boy?” Me: “Yes! Again, how did you know?” Male acquaintance: “Again, your face! See when women are pregnant with boys, they tend to lose the femininity in their face.” Me: “Oooh.” I just want to know what happened to a simple “Congratulations!” Or how about nothing at all? Really, if you see a pregnant woman, do not feel obliged to say anything. We know we’re pregnant, unless you’re talking to one of those women from the show I Didn’t Know I was Pregnant — don’t even get me started on that. But if you do see a pregnant woman and feel the need to say something, a “congratulations” is more than enough. There is no need to make any sort of comment about how big we are, or a prediction of how far along we are, or how many babies you think there are. At first I thought only men made these comments, but looking back, most of them were from women. Ladies, we’re supposed to be on each other’s side. The moral of this post is either say something nice or say nothing at all, especially to a hormonal pregnant woman. Now I have to go eat a donut.
Continue reading …I’m 38 weeks pregnant. Two more to go. Looking back at my pregnancy, I really can’t complain… that much. My morning sickness wasn’t bad. But, my OB/GYN thinks I’ve gained way too much weight. And, my husband thinks an alien has taken over my body since I seem to snap at every little thing he does. (Really though, excuse me, when your pregnant wife calls you, you ANSWER.) So other than that, it’s been great! However, I have to take issue with the inappropriate comments complete strangers, friends, even family members feel they need to make to an already vulnerable — and very emotional — pregnant woman. Luckily, I haven’t been alone in this journey. My sister, who was just recently pregnant, has experienced the same reactions from people. At first, I would brush the remarks off like lint, but then they just kept piling on. So I have to share. I’m really hoping that you, former and current pregnant women out there, have experienced something similar — please let us know in the comments and make me feel better. Below are the top ten comments, in no particular order, my sister and I have received, the ones that were just too unbelievable to keep to ourselves. 1. Male stranger: “How many more months do you have left? One or two?” Me: “I actually have five more months left.” Male stranger: “Oh, are you having twins?” Me: “Nope, just one.” 2. Male work colleague: “Whoa, what are you having… quadruplets? My Sister: No, just having one.” 3. Female friend… Now distant female friend: “I didn’t think you were going to be big, but you really are!” Me: “…” 4. Female stranger: “Are you having one or two because your stomach is really big?” Me: “Just one.” Female stranger trying to redeem herself: “You have a perfect belly, you really do.” 5. Female family friend: “Let me see who’s bigger, you or my daughter.” (Daughter and I are only days apart in our pregnancy). Female family friend: “Oh no, you’re much bigger.” 6. Male stranger: “Now that’s a pregnant woman right there! How far along are you? Me: “I’m eight and a half months.” (I lied; I was only seven and a half months. I was having a bloated day.) Male stranger: “I was going to say, you look like you’re about to explode!” 7. Female cousin on Skype: “Let me see your belly!” Me: “Okay, here it is!” Female cousin: “Oh, you don’t look that pregnant!” Me: “Oh my God, thank you! You just made my day.” Female cousin: “Now let me see your sister!” (Sister walks over to computer and shows belly). Female cousin: “Wow, now you look pregnant!” 8. Female friend: “I didn’t even recognize you!” Me: “Really?!” Female friend: “I knew your sister was going to be big but I didn’t think you were. But you are.” 9. Male distant relative: “How are you doing? Or I should probably start saying how are you two doing?” Me: “We are good.” Male distant relative: “Are you having twins?” Me: “No.” Male distant relative: “Are you sure?” 10. Male acquaintance: “Are you pregnant?” Me: “Yes, how did you know?” Male acquaintance: “Your face!” Me: “Oooh.” Male acquaintance:”Is it a boy?” Me: “Yes! Again, how did you know?” Male acquaintance: “Again, your face! See when women are pregnant with boys, they tend to lose the femininity in their face.” Me: “Oooh.” I just want to know what happened to a simple “Congratulations!” Or how about nothing at all? Really, if you see a pregnant woman, do not feel obliged to say anything. We know we’re pregnant, unless you’re talking to one of those women from the show I Didn’t Know I was Pregnant — don’t even get me started on that. But if you do see a pregnant woman and feel the need to say something, a “congratulations” is more than enough. There is no need to make any sort of comment about how big we are, or a prediction of how far along we are, or how many babies you think there are. At first I thought only men made these comments, but looking back, most of them were from women. Ladies, we’re supposed to be on each other’s side. The moral of this post is either say something nice or say nothing at all, especially to a hormonal pregnant woman. Now I have to go eat a donut.
Continue reading …
We know that Apple won’t be unveiling its next superphone for a few more days, but we may have a tasty tidbit about the iPhone 5 ahead of schedule. So the story goes, China Unicom’s Deputy Director Huang Wenlian was making a presentation at Macworld Asia, and stated that the new iPhone would utilize the company’s HSPA+ 21Mbps network. Now, we aren’t saying it’s a sure thing, but it appears that Tim Cook could deliver a handset with thrice the data speeds of its predecessor next week. Fingers crossed, ya’ll. iPhone 5 to have 21Mbps HSPA+ data? China Unicom says so originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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NPR’s Talk of the Nation devoted a segment on Tuesday afternoon to the question “What Happened to the Political Left?” For answers, host Neal Conan brought on the leftist professor Michael Kazin and Katrina Vanden Heuvel, editor of The Nation magazine. It didn’t get hilarious until Kazin made the claim that nowhere in Flyover Country — in Iowa or Nebraska, for example — can you hear a left-winger on the radio. Somehow they all forgot that NPR stations are taking our tax dollars and insuring these left-wing voices are on the radio, including Iowa Public Radio and Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET) Radio. Somehow, the network motto isn't “NPR: Where Leftist Hosts Talk to Leftist Guests About Where All the Leftists Went.” This is where the laugh track should begin: MICHAEL KAZIN: But I think one of the things I stress in – both in my book “American Dreamers” and also in the article in the [New York] Times last Sunday, is the kind of institutions that people on the left need to build are institutions which really get out to what we call ordinary Americans, average Americans. You know, I'm struck whenever I go to Iowa, Nebraska, that you turn on AM radio or even most FM radio, and you hear mostly evangelical stations, country stations and religious stations. I love country music, but, you know, you don't hear a left point of view there, and you don't have people who are, you know, left-wing activists who for the most part are really active in those areas. NEAL CONAN: Air America was not a great success. KAZIN: Nope. As he said these words, this leftist was being heard on hundreds of NPR stations in rural areas and small towns. Air America was not a great success in part because there was already a left-wing NPR station in many hundreds of cities. They had to raise capital. They couldn’t just tax the people and then smear some of the taxpayers footing the bill. There was also this hilarious exchange about how leftists don't spread a message to college students: CONAN: I was interested in your piece, Michael Kazin, when you wrote that the more conservative colleges are presenting a more coherent narrative to their students. KAZIN: Yeah, I'm not sure it's the job of universities or colleges to present a narrative to their students. You know, I teach at a fairly liberal Catholic college, Georgetown, and I don't feel like I want to organize my students to believe one certain thing or another, but it's clear that conservative Christian colleges especially believe in a certain point of view about the Bible, about morality generally, and also about politics. Neal Conan set it up this way, which studiously avoided the question of the leftist president sitting in the White House and how he’s performed: CONAN: The economy stinks. Unemployment hovers above nine percent, banks foreclose on more and more houses, the income gap continues to widen as the rich get richer, and too many in the middle class slip down the economic ladder. People are frustrated and angry, and nearly all the political energy comes from the right. The other side mounted protests in Wisconsin earlier this year, civil disobedience at the White House over the XL Pipeline, and rallies continue on Wall Street, but there's a difference between protests and a movement. Conservatives have shifted the middle, and they dominate the dialogue. What happened to the left? NPR should know better than to say conservatives dominate the dialogue. They certainly can’t get their “fair share” of air time on NPR.
Continue reading …NPR’s Talk of the Nation devoted a segment on Tuesday afternoon to the question “What Happened to the Political Left?” For answers, host Neal Conan brought on the leftist professor Michael Kazin and Katrina Vanden Heuvel, editor of The Nation magazine. It didn’t get hilarious until Kazin made the claim that nowhere in Flyover Country — in Iowa or Nebraska, for example — can you hear a left-winger on the radio. Somehow they all forgot that NPR stations are taking our tax dollars and insuring these left-wing voices are on the radio, including Iowa Public Radio and Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET) Radio. Somehow, the network motto isn't “NPR: Where Leftist Hosts Talk to Leftist Guests About Where All the Leftists Went.” This is where the laugh track should begin: MICHAEL KAZIN: But I think one of the things I stress in – both in my book “American Dreamers” and also in the article in the [New York] Times last Sunday, is the kind of institutions that people on the left need to build are institutions which really get out to what we call ordinary Americans, average Americans. You know, I'm struck whenever I go to Iowa, Nebraska, that you turn on AM radio or even most FM radio, and you hear mostly evangelical stations, country stations and religious stations. I love country music, but, you know, you don't hear a left point of view there, and you don't have people who are, you know, left-wing activists who for the most part are really active in those areas. NEAL CONAN: Air America was not a great success. KAZIN: Nope. As he said these words, this leftist was being heard on hundreds of NPR stations in rural areas and small towns. Air America was not a great success in part because there was already a left-wing NPR station in many hundreds of cities. They had to raise capital. They couldn’t just tax the people and then smear some of the taxpayers footing the bill. There was also this hilarious exchange about how leftists don't spread a message to college students: CONAN: I was interested in your piece, Michael Kazin, when you wrote that the more conservative colleges are presenting a more coherent narrative to their students. KAZIN: Yeah, I'm not sure it's the job of universities or colleges to present a narrative to their students. You know, I teach at a fairly liberal Catholic college, Georgetown, and I don't feel like I want to organize my students to believe one certain thing or another, but it's clear that conservative Christian colleges especially believe in a certain point of view about the Bible, about morality generally, and also about politics. Neal Conan set it up this way, which studiously avoided the question of the leftist president sitting in the White House and how he’s performed: CONAN: The economy stinks. Unemployment hovers above nine percent, banks foreclose on more and more houses, the income gap continues to widen as the rich get richer, and too many in the middle class slip down the economic ladder. People are frustrated and angry, and nearly all the political energy comes from the right. The other side mounted protests in Wisconsin earlier this year, civil disobedience at the White House over the XL Pipeline, and rallies continue on Wall Street, but there's a difference between protests and a movement. Conservatives have shifted the middle, and they dominate the dialogue. What happened to the left? NPR should know better than to say conservatives dominate the dialogue. They certainly can’t get their “fair share” of air time on NPR.
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NPR’s Talk of the Nation devoted a segment on Tuesday afternoon to the question “What Happened to the Political Left?” For answers, host Neal Conan brought on the leftist professor Michael Kazin and Katrina Vanden Heuvel, editor of The Nation magazine. It didn’t get hilarious until Kazin made the claim that nowhere in Flyover Country — in Iowa or Nebraska, for example — can you hear a left-winger on the radio. Somehow they all forgot that NPR stations are taking our tax dollars and insuring these left-wing voices are on the radio, including Iowa Public Radio and Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET) Radio. Somehow, the network motto isn't “NPR: Where Leftist Hosts Talk to Leftist Guests About Where All the Leftists Went.” This is where the laugh track should begin: MICHAEL KAZIN: But I think one of the things I stress in – both in my book “American Dreamers” and also in the article in the [New York] Times last Sunday, is the kind of institutions that people on the left need to build are institutions which really get out to what we call ordinary Americans, average Americans. You know, I'm struck whenever I go to Iowa, Nebraska, that you turn on AM radio or even most FM radio, and you hear mostly evangelical stations, country stations and religious stations. I love country music, but, you know, you don't hear a left point of view there, and you don't have people who are, you know, left-wing activists who for the most part are really active in those areas. NEAL CONAN: Air America was not a great success. KAZIN: Nope. As he said these words, this leftist was being heard on hundreds of NPR stations in rural areas and small towns. Air America was not a great success in part because there was already a left-wing NPR station in many hundreds of cities. They had to raise capital. They couldn’t just tax the people and then smear some of the taxpayers footing the bill. There was also this hilarious exchange about how leftists don't spread a message to college students: CONAN: I was interested in your piece, Michael Kazin, when you wrote that the more conservative colleges are presenting a more coherent narrative to their students. KAZIN: Yeah, I'm not sure it's the job of universities or colleges to present a narrative to their students. You know, I teach at a fairly liberal Catholic college, Georgetown, and I don't feel like I want to organize my students to believe one certain thing or another, but it's clear that conservative Christian colleges especially believe in a certain point of view about the Bible, about morality generally, and also about politics. Neal Conan set it up this way, which studiously avoided the question of the leftist president sitting in the White House and how he’s performed: CONAN: The economy stinks. Unemployment hovers above nine percent, banks foreclose on more and more houses, the income gap continues to widen as the rich get richer, and too many in the middle class slip down the economic ladder. People are frustrated and angry, and nearly all the political energy comes from the right. The other side mounted protests in Wisconsin earlier this year, civil disobedience at the White House over the XL Pipeline, and rallies continue on Wall Street, but there's a difference between protests and a movement. Conservatives have shifted the middle, and they dominate the dialogue. What happened to the left? NPR should know better than to say conservatives dominate the dialogue. They certainly can’t get their “fair share” of air time on NPR.
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