Our self-appointed media overlords aren't very bright
In February 2017, Mika Brzezinski gave the media's game away. She explained that Donald Trump, by trying to bypass media bias, "could have undermined the messaging so much that he can actually control exactly what people think." Mika wasn't upset that Americans might be subject to thought control. Instead, she was outraged because, when it comes to thought control, "that is our job." Jennifer Bendery, a HuffPost senior politics reporter, is Mika's spiritual heir because she is stupid, hostile to the Trump administration, under the impression that she owns the facts, and intractable about her ignorance and bias.
Normally, I wouldn't comment on the idiocies of a HuffPost journalist because that's pretty much a "dog bites man" story. However, sometimes you must point these things out so that people understand the people in the mainstream media. Remember, these journalists (sadly) control American discourse, despite being governed by an unsavory mix of hatred, ignorance, and arrogance.
That's where Jennifer Bendery comes in. She is, as I said, "a senior political reporter for HuffPost." One would expect someone in that position to have a certain knowledge about the world — you know, a grounding in the things that make for an educated person such as, maybe, basic math and English.
Indeed, it's possible that Bendery does have that grounding. But the fact is that, when hate and pride overwhelm a person, all wisdom goes out the window. That is why Bendery, driven by her dislike for anything to do with the Trump administration, tweeted out this modern media gem:
Bendery instantly came in for the scorn she deserved:
Fact Check: ÔØîFalse
— #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) December 30, 2020
2.1 million people is, in fact, millions (plural) of people.
Haha. So typical. She’ll start blocking people any minute. #safespace
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) December 30, 2020
there's a reason no one has ever switched their major from journalism to quantum physics
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) December 30, 2020
Technically this will be true only if she hears from 2.098 million more trollshttps://t.co/NxR6XiMWoQ
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) December 30, 2020
At this point, a wise woman (and yes, I'm assuming her sex) would have apologized and perhaps tried to pass the whole thing off with a little joke. But not the Fair Jennifer. Instead, she doubled down, citing the CDC:
Morning! Ôÿò´©Å To the 2.1M trolls I have heard from kindly telling me that 2.1M is "millions," of course it is, technically.
— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) December 30, 2020
Would I refer to a # barely over 2M is "millions" without citing the 2.1M? No. It misleads to suggest more, which I believe Pence is doing intentionally. https://t.co/2hb37xU3KH
The 2.1 million trolls were not satisfied with this laughable explanation, and they re-explained to Bendery how math and the English language work together:
No, not technically. Factually.
— I got your #Unity right here (@jtLOL) December 30, 2020
Come now, Jennifer.
— #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) December 30, 2020
It was 2.1M troll, not trolls.
At least be consistent.
#Journalism pic.twitter.com/Aez4bOUB5r
— Doug Powers (@ThePowersThatBe) December 30, 2020
After 24 hours, Jennifer realized that wisdom dictated an apology. But once again, showing her journalist's gift for stupidity, she didn't understand that an apology means owning your error. Instead, she admitted that her facts were all wrong but doubled down on her contention that Pence was still lying:
Oh my lord has this tweet taken off. Allow me to clarify.
— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) December 30, 2020
Pence was not wrong to say 2.1M ppl = millions. I shouldn't have said "not true." That's my bad.
I should have said "overstatement." The millions he's talking about is barely over 2M. Hence the link to CDC data.
Fin.
And again, the 2.1 million trolls took her to task:
Speaking of "moving goalposts," here is Jennifer Bendery casually changing her argument of *millions* isn't 2.1 million to *millions* is an overstatement.
— RenBit (@_renbit) December 30, 2020
"We weren't factually right, but we were morally right" -AOC
— They call me Tater Salad (@Me28043680) December 30, 2020
If you have two apples, it is not an overstatement to say you have apples. You still lose. Fin.
— Ninja Captioner (@NinjaCaptioner) December 31, 2020
Let me reiterate what I said at the beginning of this post. The people in the mainstream media think they are your betters. They believe they are morally superior. They also believe that facts, contrary to John Adams, are not stubborn things, but are, instead, "truths" that are infinitely malleable to conform to their needs. It's important that, no matter what 2021 brings, we never lose track of the fact that, subject to a few exceptions, the people who mostly control public discourse are ill informed, unintelligent, and morally bankrupt.
Image: Carl Sagan. YouTube screen grab.