The White Heat of a Rushalanche

Congrats! His slight diss of Hewitt was a little unnecessary, though.

Posted by Lileks at January 27, 2006 10:15 AM

Congrats, V! The only thing better than reading your woprk is hearing Rush do so!

Posted by Scott Ragland at January 27, 2006 10:16 AM

Congrats, V! The only thing better than reading your work is hearing Rush do so!

Posted by Scott Ragland at January 27, 2006 10:16 AM

Congratulations.

Posted by B'ham at January 27, 2006 10:19 AM

Absolutely brilliant piece. I must print it so I have something over which to drool.

Fantastic.

Posted by Saint Kansas at January 27, 2006 10:20 AM

A beautiful piece of prose, dear friend. Thank God Rush had the sense to bring it forward for the rest of us!

Posted by Dave at January 27, 2006 10:20 AM

Just listening to Rush....Congratulations! Well said. Where can I find the original column? Thanks.

Posted by Josephus Maximus at January 27, 2006 10:20 AM

I just sent a note out to the rest of the Bear Flag League about this wonderful occasion.

Please accept a hearty congratulations from me for being recognized by "the great one." What a thrill!

Posted by Doggy Diaries at January 27, 2006 10:22 AM

Thank God for Rush Limbaugh!!

Posted by Frank at January 27, 2006 10:22 AM

Just heard it on Rush. Superb!! Congratulations--and keep up the good work.

Posted by Stephen at January 27, 2006 10:26 AM

Great piece! It will be forwarded to many people today. Thanks for putting into words what had to be said.

Posted by MagicalPat at January 27, 2006 10:26 AM

Congrats! Ol' Rushbo's led me to your blog. Bookmarked & ready.

Castrati ... priceless!

Posted by Ace McKenna at January 27, 2006 10:27 AM

This reminds me of Howard Dean's proud claims of "metrosexuality" and his apparent befuddlement that the American people nonetheless preferred that the "cowboy" lead them. (Cowperson? No, absolutely not.)

Posted by Saint Kansas at January 27, 2006 10:29 AM

I heard it!

Rightly recognized, and beautifully read.

Fantastic!

Posted by Jeri Sue at January 27, 2006 10:35 AM

Congrats Gerard, and good on Rush for recognizing a fine piece of work. He read your piece with manly gusto, ironically enough.

Posted by SallyVee at January 27, 2006 10:41 AM

Never in my life have I ever heard anyone nail this linguistic pattern better! My husband and I have noticed this for years, and were pleased a few yrs ago when our local talk show host, Joe Soucheray, dubbed it "uptalk." But it is MORE than that interrogative inflection. It IS the sexlessness, the feminine teenage hesitation. The breathiness that is not really gay. My 15 yr old daughter overheard a young American man in a Paris restaurant speaking this way. He was with 2 attractive women his age, and my daughter noticed how the women looked SO unimpressed with him as he babbled on, breathy yet loud and whiny, with that dichotomous self-consciously non-offending superiority. She said "listen," and we did. She said it was "that American man talk" that she hates. That's what she called it. Not that "wimpy American man talk". No qualifiers. Is this what our young ladies are surrounded by as they hope for husbands (and they DO!)? It seems that almost all young men talk that way now, the valley girl talk. Even the conservative ones, I'm sorry to say. It's wormed its way in and will be very hard to get out, without a major hearts and minds reordering.

Oh, that was a good article! WOW!

Lizzy
Minneapolis

Posted by Lizzy at January 27, 2006 10:45 AM

I was honored to speak to Rush right after he read your piece (which I had read and relished last night). Thanks for your perspicacity; and let's start referring to neutered "males" like Stein as SNAGs--Sensitive New Age Geeks--as in, "Feminazis and the SNAGs Who Love Them" (yes dear, no dear, anything you say dear).

Posted by Milesdei at January 27, 2006 10:49 AM

Hey professor! You were terrific too, and an excellent followup to Gerard. Thank you for re-stating the acronym SNAGs -- I will start using it immediately if you don't mind.

I loved what you said about being th emost radical guy at the university... getting your doctorate in theater, married, hetero, Roman Catholic. Geeze, I hope you have a security detail.

Posted by SallyVee at January 27, 2006 11:02 AM

Heard you on Rush my fellow Freeper

Way to go! Great take on these Joel Stein types. I never heard him on Hugh Hewitt but I've heard his compadres many times in my life.

Once more- You nailed it. Great essay

DW

Posted by dennisw at January 27, 2006 11:06 AM

Props to the Professor too! Well said by you.

Posted by dennisw at January 27, 2006 11:08 AM

That was great. When I heard Rush mention this website and the article I felt honored as having been here and having read the article even BEFORE the great El Rushbo mentioned it on his golden airwaves.

A proud moment for you and for American Digest!

Congratulations!!!

Another job well done!!

Posted by ChatterBox at January 27, 2006 11:41 AM

Nice to be noticed, isn't it? I thought I was the only person reading you for a while there.

Posted by Eric Blair at January 27, 2006 12:31 PM

You mean you're not?

Seriously, I've always thought it is better to be read by one great reader than ten thousand trolls.

When I found out that Lileks read me, that was reward enough to keep me writing with one leg chewed off for six months.

You should be around for when James Wolcott sends in his little minions to leave droppings about the place. I have to clean up for hours.

Posted by Gerard Van der Leun at January 27, 2006 1:09 PM

Damn, I kind of liked being in on a shared secret. Oh well, I figured you were too good to stay under the radar for too long. Congrats!!!

Posted by phil gilbert at January 27, 2006 3:27 PM

Read the "neuter" essay. Great. Congratulations on the Rush. I heard Rush's show that day and decided to find your piece. Rush identified you as "Bernard" Vanderleun and the piece "American Casterati." That made for a bad Google search.

The consensus with Rush and others is that this guy, Stein, is a kid just out of college working his first job.

People seem to be ignorant of Joel Stein's reputation. As loyalty is one of the attributes of being a real man, I must be loyal to my love of Stein's writing (I have not read his latest piece).

I first read Stein way over ten years ago when he wrote a weekly column for Time Magazine. He was then a mighty comic, satirist and flat-out skilled writer. I would never miss his pieces.

What did Stein write like? I would compare him to Andy Rooney, a terrific writer. I would also mention Stein's name in the same sentence as the great Mark Steyn, who stands without peer these days.

To be consistently funny, as Joel Stein always was, requires a lot of bravado -- courage.

And just think of his story in question that is now being talked about: was his point of view "wishy washy?" It looks to me that Stein was going for what he usually goes for, namely to try and get at the truth as he perceives it.

It seems the majority does not like his point of view on this one. That would make him an even braver man to stand up to the status quo, the Hugh Hewitts, without shirking or hiding under a desk.

Posted by dj bradley at January 28, 2006 9:38 AM

I think what you said about the neuter, ending sentences as if it were a question, is spot-on. I noticed this 10 years ago with my liberal brother-in-law. This is the way one speaks to children, not grown-ups. I look forward to reading/hearing more of your stuff. Keep up the good work!

Posted by Margaret at January 28, 2006 9:53 AM

Gerard: You have outdone yourself. You have captured in words what so many people feel yet cannot articulate. The Liberal world would love to cut our b---s off and make us more "neuter-gender" as my ol' ma' used to say. I'm lucky in that I've always been around women who wanted and appreciated what they still refer to as "real" men. It's not about macho - it's about character, protecting weaker people, and the ability to take action when required. See: Todd Beamer - "Let's roll." Keep up the splendid work.

Posted by Chester at January 28, 2006 11:20 AM