Short Counter-Takes

A few brief comments on Hyman’s editorials over the weekend:


Why does Mark Hyman hate our veterans? In a recent “Short Take” segment, Hyman claims PBS president Paula Kerger is attempting to “avoid the law” by hoping the FCC won’t fine PBS stations for airing a Ken Burns documentary this fall that contains, in Hyman’s words, “foul language.” What Hyman doesn’t tell you is that the documentary is about World War II, and the “foul language” at issue comes from a handful of profanities that are used by WWII veterans in recounting their experiences. Apparently Hyman doesn’t think the Greatest Generation should be allowed to tell their own stories in their own words without oversight by big government.

Parenthetically, what does it say about us as a culture that we get our knickers all twisted up over the “obscenity” of an occasional utterance of “shit” or “fuck” in a documentary about an event that resulted in over 60 million deaths? I’m just wondering.

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If you want a great example of Hyman’s lip service about using the “Mailbag” segment as a source of “viewer feedback” that encourages “critical thinking,” look no further than the most recent installment. Hyman devotes it to pasting together a series of mail from viewers complaining about his recent commentary on the “Angry Left” that include plenty of deleted expletives and other attacks in order to prove his point. Too bad Hyman lacks the courage to actually read and respond to cogent replies. In an attempt to bolster his argument through this sort of “proof,” Hyman’s deck-stacking letter selection reveals his inability to make thoughtful arguments or respond coherently to rational critique.

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Hyman’s commentary on a recent Harris poll on the most admired professions is unremarkable except for the fact that, while noting that the biggest growth in respect over the last couple of decades has been for teachers, Hyman himself has made bashing educators one of the cornerstones of his “Point” commentaries. If nothing else, the Harris poll is welcome evidence of Hyman’s impotence to alter public attitudes dramatically.

And those are The Counterpoints.