Camille Paglia is to writing what the guy from Bronski Beat is to singing. There was a brief moment back in the 80's when Jimmy Somerville's eerie countertenor was a good thing. As a distraught gay teen living in a backward southern town, I was sort of duty-bound to buy the 12" extended single of "Smalltown Boy" and play it until the grooves wore out.
The problem of course was that over the course of Bronski Beat's brief career (and Somerville's subsequent venture, The Communards), the singer never made any effort to expand and explore his voice, to add any kind of depth or nuance. He seemed content to just blast away at the same four or five notes and retread the same hoary lyrical themes (You and me/one day we'll be free, etc., etc...) interminably.
Such is the case with Camille Paglia. She had a moment somewhere back there in the first Bush presidency where she discovered that by striking a contrarian stance on women's issues and engaging in certain specific button-pushing, attention-seeking behaviors, she could attain a kind of celebrity. That moment of relevance was mercifully brief, but no one, apparently, bothered to pass that information on to Camille.
The editors at Salon haven't figured it out yet, either. Why do they insist on running her overwrought, under-thought ramblings?
Paglia has a column in Salon because the editors of Salon hate you.
Oh. Of course.
I decided this afternoon that I was going to write about Paglia's latest trail of verbal cat-sick, but very nearly gave up that notion entirely when I realized that meant I was going to have to actually read it. (No! Noooooo! Anything but that!)
Nonetheless, I bravely suited up, donned a respirator and other level-4 hazmat accoutrements and waded in. It's this or trolling MalKKKin-land for a topic and I just can't face the bizarre and byzantine curlicues of La MalKKKin's paranoid delusions tonight. A Theropod can only take so much.
Paglia opens her essay in flame-thrower mode, insinuating that everyone who favors a Hillary candidacy is some kind of hideously deformed emotional cripple:
Aside from the stylish Huma, there's definitely something weird and cultish in the sycophantish cathexis onto Hillary of the many nerds, geeks and vengeful viragos who run her campaign -- sometimes to her detriment, as with the recent ham-handed playing of the clichéd gender card.
Heh. Camille Paglia just called someone else "ham-handed". (I'm sorry, Mr. Pot. Mr. Kettle isn't here right now. You'll have to call him black later.)
Now, I'm not much of a Hillary man, myself, but I don't think it's a moral or mental failing to support her. That's just silly, and Camille's description of the people working on the Clinton campaign ("nerds, geeks and vengeful viragos") would do Rush Limbaugh proud.
Then, in typically tin-eared fashion, Paglia says the Democrats should be playing up Dianne Feinstein as their greatest distaff asset. With all due respect, Dr. Paglia, this is simply not the week to be singing DiFi's praises, given her recent high-profile capitulations to the BushCo junta, the egregiousness of which has made even her long-term supporters yearn to send her off to the glue factory.
The rest of the piece is just as fatuous and wrong-headed. Paglia adopts the same tack as the Bush Administration's paid junk scientists and denies that global climate change is anything other than a liberal fantasy, then marks the passing of Norman Mailer in typically self-congratulatory fashion:
Feminism would have been far stronger had it been able to absorb Mailer's arguments about sex. If my own system seemed heterodox for so long, it's because I appear to have been one of the few feminists who could appreciate and integrate all three thinkers -- Mailer, Greer and Johnston.
Ah, yes, Camille. If all the proto-feminists had just been more like you, we'd be living in the post-patriarchy, now, is that it?
She drops names with the grace and elegance of a prize bullock in a game of Cow-Patty Bingo, and goes so far as to insinuate that Madonna declined to meet her back in the day because of "her uncertainties about her education (she had dropped out of college after one semester to seek fame in New York)".
Yes, Camille, Madonna was intimidated by the mighty bonfire of your burning intellect. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that the pop goddess might have been a little put off by your drooling mash-notes, much as I was put off by your essay in praise of gay men where you said you love us because we're totally promiscuous, sex-crazed sluts. It's like, "Uh...thanks, lady. I like you, too, because your books come in handy when I'm low on toilet paper."
This was about the point in the article where my left eye started to go blind in self-defense.
There is apparently no topic that Paglia is too ill-informed to comment on, as the rest of her essay attests by plowing ever onward, spouting undercooked criticisms of Ellen DeGeneres, Rosie O'Donnell, and Natalie Wood. Funny, it seemed so much longer than a mere three pages.
Why was this necessary again?
Remember: Camille Paglia writes for Salon because the editors of Salon hate you.
Oh, right, right. Remind me to thank them profusely for that.
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TRex!!!
less than 10?
hiya TRex!!!!!
Wow! A 2. Not bad!
top 10
TRex!
wow, I’d completely forgotten about lil camille …
TRex - man o man, what on earth did you do to piss off the editors at Salon that the readers have to read her drivel? That is just cruel and unusual punishment or something.
Me too. She’s been off my radar for quite a while, although I remember those days in the early 90’s that TRex talks about.
I hadn’t heard that Bronski Beat song in ages either — kinda fun!
Maybe I’m just thick, but I never quite understand what the hell she’s writing about. I guess I’m just not mature or educated enough.
lee5 @ 7
I envy you with all my heart.
Hey TRex! Of course Camille thinks DiFi is the model dem. Since Feinstein is nothing more than a Vichy Dem, Bush enabling, dinosaur, what’s not to love?
madmommy @ 13
present therapods exempt of course?
Twain @ 11
Yup. If you have a problem wading through Paglia’s word salads, the problem is clearly yours, not hers. Just ask her.
OT, or not, but it is just too weird to see the whole media play about how *now* the bushies are making alternate plans to deal w/ Mushie falling in Pakistan. Now they think about supply chain to Afghanistan! Now! they think about alternatives! well, at least it’s not too late …. (grrrr)
Twain @ 11
She uses big words so that you don’t notice her questionable intellect.
Suzanne @ 14
But of course. Our therapod is the exception to every rule ;0)
Camille hon, putting big words together does not a writer make.
Nor does droning on, and on, and on.
TRex, I know this is probably un-PC and sexist, but is what Camille does called “Caterwauling”?
TRex @ 12
well, aside from being despicable, she really is pretty forgettable … just do it.
(blink)
camille who?
omigod, TRex. This was just a great post. Thank god you still have a reptilian brain, otherwise you would have not been able to translate Paglia for the rest of us.
Camille Paglia, I wondered what happened to her. When Susan Faludi was here, Paglia came to mind from the Backlash days. Looks like I haven’t missed anything for past sixteen years.
Okay, I’m going back to read. But your title made me want to hook up to the Beatles.
TRex, Paglia’s endorsement of DiFi reminds me of this drivel…
Joe Lieberman, patriot
By Cal Thomas
“This will probably kill his career, but I rise to praise Sen. Joe Lieberman, the independent Democrat from Connecticut.”
I loved the Communards when I was in high school!
Camilla and Dennis Miller should have a show on Pox News.
TRex would have a treasure trove of material each and every night. No more worries about finding a topic when you have that show in your back pocket.
Much to my pleasure, I have never read anything this person wrote (or should I say spewed?) other than what is quoted in TRex’s post above.
I shall aim to keep it that way.
CTuttle @ 24
well, if Cal likes him, maybe the lier isn’t so bad after all (rolls eyes)
Valley Girl @ 21
I speak Parse-ill tongue.
It is a shame to waste such a lyrical name. I was thinking how operatic it is, but then that caterwauling comment came into my mind and all the dissonance drowned it out.
neurophius @ 27
me too!
but i love the name camille. sounds so pretty
I am really kind of hoping that the GOP presidential candidate will follow Bill “The Pistol” Kristol’s advice and make Lyin’ Joe Lieberman their running-mate. I would get SO MUCH mileage out of that as a satirist. It would be beautiful, in the way that a double compound fracture of the tibia and fibula is beautiful to an orthopedist.
Gnome de Plume @ 30
When I think of the name Camille all I see is death and destruction. Same with Katrina.
TRex @ 29
Reading the link, that seems to be a very rare ability, TRex. Entirely confirms my opinion of you as a rare speaker of subtle and not so subtle truths. xxoo
SnarKassandra @ 31
She has certainly given it a tarnish, though.
TRex @ 32
omg…but it would provide tons of fodder for you!
Cassandra’s kinda a dumb name. I am going to change it when I am older.
This is one of her Top Ten Movie Quotes: 10. Mommie Dearest (1981) At a compulsory night class in aesthetics, Joan Crawford (Faye Dunaway) instructs her daughter to shun banal utilitarianism: “No wire hangers!”
Really?
(that was the most recent movie too. I guess Camille doesn’t get out much.)
Uh oh, madmommy, then you won’t like my dog. Her name is Beulah.
Dianne Feinstein is Dick Cheney with a vag*ina.
Why would Democrats ever want her to be President? She’s a war profiteer — her expertise in military matters extends to enriching her husband’s companies and herself.
This woman Paglia defies logic. Surely she threw the Feinstein crap in for the outrage she’d get in Left Blogistan….
Lea (no uh) @ 38
sheet, she didn’t even get the quote right. i always thought it was “no more wire hangers”
neurophius @ 27
What?!? You mean this doesn’t catch your fancy:
“Aside from the stylish Huma, there’s definitely something weird and cultish in the sycophantish cathexis onto Hillary of the many nerds, geeks and vengeful viragos who run her campaign”
If Mark Twain were around today, he’d be cowered in a corner, trembling from the insecurity he’d feel when faced with the pure power of Paglia.
TRex, you provide your readers a great service by alerting us what not to read.
lee5 @ 16
If I were Mushie, and I had a hundred million dollars like he does (thanks Dubya!), I think I might pack my suitcase too. There are plenty of nice places where the rich and infamous can blend in and enjoy life without risking life and limb on a daily basis.
Teddy, did you see my question at the end of the last thread? I really am trying.
I blame what’s wrong with America on G. Bush senior. Everyone who has ever had a kid knows the kid’s strengths and weaknesses. GHWB knew his kid was an asshole- but instead of threatenting him that if he ran he would tell the stories of GWB running around in Mom’s size 63 underwear- Dad let him run. He knew the kid was a freak- but he let him run anyway.
It’s all on your heads parents Bush!
Suzanne @ 41
And I believe there was an “evar!!11!!!11″ on the end of that.
Paglia and Coulter were made for each other. Paglia writes the same kind of outrageous crap that Coulter spews from her mouth.
Camille Broadell
SnarKassandra @ 37
It’s not a dumb name at all. But, it has a lot of historic baggage, some good some not so good.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassandra
But I thought Salon was mostly left.
SnarKassandra @ 37
***
I beg to differ. Cassandra has always been one of my favorite names. Euphonious. Classy, but not stuffy. Just my two cents.
SnarKassandra @ 37
ABSOLUTELY NOT!!
I love the name Cassandra. The Prophetess.
bonkers @ 42
I had to look up 3 words in her sentence. She’s writing, but it must not be for me.
Oh no, you did not dis Jimmy Somerville. Didn’t you love that Bronski Beat gig at the Fox back in the day?
Alas, I know what you mean.
OMG, what’s that sound on the roof? Is it rain? No, just acorns tattering down. No! No! It IS raindrops. Water. Maybe that “pray up a storm” thing worked after all. Cuz we sure as hell didn’t invest in anything like infrastructure in the last few decades. Too busy not hating and developing office building after office building.
Have you noticed, even Neil Boortz is forced to remark on our water crisis? Seems he wants a government solution.
That quote of her writting was painful. I think you could teach a class on bad creative writting just by examining her recent stuff. What happened to her drugs, fame, crazy something has intoxicated her but nobody is editing her nobody is telling her No.
Which is something people do need.
In fact she reminds me of another woman without an editor a woman who still hasn’t given back her Pulitzer Prize!
Maybe Camille could write about the differnt treatment African American women like Janet Cooke get compared to Judy when they write lies and get a Pulitzer Prize.
Still can’t believe Judy is getting a movie!
hackworth @ 43
Paraguay comes to mind, maybe, Shrub will even join him in a year…
Gnome de Plume @ 39
It’s a curse of geography. Camille did serious damage to the town I was born in, Katrina took over a year of my life I can’t get back, fighting with insurance jerks. Beulah is ok, cute doggie name IMHO.
i dont need camille paglia to tell me bob dylan is a genius. seriously.
fun political cartoons. something serious tomorrow or maybe tonight.
Gnome de Plume @ 48
She reminds me more of Althouse.
SnarKassandra @ 37
Do you have another name in mind?
Clusterfuck is already planning to seperate dumb goopers from their money by giving death inducing stupid ass speeches for a half a million per when he leaves the White House. Here’s the dumb part- the goopers will pay.
I’ve got a great one. Fire Neil Boortz.
You poor, crazy mixed-up kid…That’s enough to drive one to murder.
;>)
“Aside from the stylish Huma, there’s definitely something weird and cultish in the sycophantish cathexis onto Hillary of the many nerds, geeks and vengeful viragos who run her campaign”
holey moley batman!
sycophantish cathexis makes me think of spiked catfish type creature(s)
TRex @ 61
They are both academicians. IIRC, Althouse was rather well though of until she started blogging.
SnarKassandra @ 37
Another vote for Cassandra. Hector’s sister had a bit of a tough go of it but it is a great name.
SnarKassandra @ 60
i liked the last one! made me laugh …
Salon runs a lot of bad articles. I still don’t understand why they’re running that homophobic ass Garrison Keillor, and the predictable essays Sid Blumenthal writes annoys me as well. I still haven’t recovered from their interview w/ Cass Sunstein, either; it was probably the dumbest thing I’ve read all year.
It made me think of STD’s.
Fern @ 62
a few of them.
Diana. Karina. Linda. Lilia. Mariana. Molly.
Makes me think of Pfizer.
SnarKassandra @ 37
Don’t. Even. Think. That!
Such a lovely name with a beautiful history and pedigree.
TRex @ 32
Yeah! It would be as if Unity08 had actually gone somewhere instead of being a counterfactual pipe-dream.
My daughter’s favorite dog was named Kassandra
Anne. Accordng to my daughter- Cassie was the embodiment of the wisdom of the world.
smapdi @ 54
She writes for one person, and one person only, and that would be Camille Paglia.
rwcole @ 76
Well THAT part sounds true!
Good night y’all.
TRex @ 64
We wish. For some reason I keep tuning in for the traffic reports and then can’t help hearing some stupid thing he says and yelling back at him.
Really. It’s raining.
Here is part of what Molly Ivins had to say about Paglia:
“There is one area in which I think Paglia and I would agree that politically correct feminism has produced a noticeable inequity. Nowadays, when a woman behaves in a hysterical and disagreeable fashion, we say, “Poor dear, it’s probably PMS.” Whereas, if a man behaves in a hysterical and disagreeable fashion, we say, “What an asshole.” Let me leap to correct this unfairness by saying of Paglia, Sheesh, what an asshole.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camille_Paglia
SnarKassandra @ 72
Lots of “i” and “a” and “r” and “l”. Softer sounds.
SnarKassandra @ 37
Oh, hells bells–you should try being named Cletus.
Cassandra is a good name. Classy.
neurophius @ 80
I love Molly Ivins! I miss her.
rwcole @ 46
He was too macho to tell the truth. He is as responsible as anyone. Almost can’t blame the stupid W. After having been a cheerleader, he had his own.
Never have understood this. Since when did America think being a cheerleader was a cool thing?
DecaturBlue @ 79
you know they are gonna say it was an answer to the prayers
DecaturBlue @ 79
I take it that’s a good thing?
I tried to follow Paglia’s train of thought back when she was on my teevee a lot, but she always ran off the rails. Figured I wasn’t smart enough to understand her, but the other people on the talk shows got as frustrated with her as I was, IIRC. Didn’t take long to figure out she was batty.
You guys want to know something funny? I predicted that Althouse would have something snippy to say about my song/video last night and she obligingly rose to the bait, but her commenters didn’t. They were all, like, “Wow. That was pretty.” with one or two half-hearted pissy ones thrown in who may or may not have been sock puppets.
TRex @ 71
No fish love…without the glove!!!
SnarKassandra @ 37
I really like it; I was into classical literature when I was younger. (Not enough to read the Illiad in the near-original Greek or anything, but still.)
Let’s hope you have something of the original Cassandra’s gift and not her curse.
madmommy @ 58
Beulah wreaked havoc in South Texas in 1967. Fortunately those ranches where The Shooter likes to shoot people took most of the hit.
Trex, we told ya it was good and you were good.
paglia and i were in agreement however when she noted that the shuttle disintegrating over texas was an ominous sign.
the type of sign a roman general long ago would have taken as a serious warning.
i thought it as i’m sure many people did and then read her thoughts on it as well.
Fern @ 86
Devastating drought conditions in Georgia and the Southeast!
neurophius @ 80
Thanks for reminding me of this. I’ve quoted that before and had forgotten about that. Damn, Molly was a genius.
We have got to honor Molly, Steve Gilliard, and others, and destroy the neocon cabal once and for all. Let’s make them proud!
ATTACKKKKK!!!!
I posted a lengthy response to Paglia’s trashing of Hillary here:
PrimaryBlue disects Paglia on Hillary
Suzanne @ 85
It couldn’t possibly have had anything to do with the front that has been moving steadily eastward for days.
DecaturBlue- are you actually in Decatur GA?
And, for you and TRex, Sonny Perdue’s prayers were not answered:
US governor’s plea to above brings no rain
Ahem, I think they meant Above, not above.
~~~”We respectfully pray up a storm,” Perdue told a crowd that gathered on Tuesday outside the Capitol, which houses the state legislature.
“It is time to appeal to Him who can and will make a difference.”
Local media received calls and mail from residents who felt the prayer ceremony violated the principle of separation of church and state, and insisted the governor should focus on better planning rather than hope for divine intervention.
“God is not an ATM machine you can go to and get whatever you need whenever you ask for it,” one reader wrote on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s blog.~~~
TRex @ 88
Someone ran out of her favorite fighting beaujolais?
;>)
Fern @ 81
dharmamarx @ 70
I would