The Atlantic has assembled a list of shame for the 50 “worst” columns of 2012. It’s a fun and thorough read, although for some reason there are no Atlantic pieces or columnists involved. (I can think of a few different offenders.)
But a close look at this list reveals something. Apparently, Jewish writers are responsible for an astonishing 28% of all the year’s worst columns! Is now a bad time to mention that the list’s author has the last name Wagner? Some of the usual suspects are on there (and by usual, I mean, very highly visible and oft-maligned). Here’s the breakdown:
Thomas Friedman gets three demerits. David Brooks and Mitch Albom get two. Richard Cohen gets three. There’s Dennis Prager and some Phil Mushnick for good measure. Somehow…and perhaps it’s because bloggers don’t count as columnists, Glenn Greenwald only gets one.
I see this as a little bit of a badge of honor though. Keep riling ’em up! You know?
50 Worst Columns of 2012 [Atlantic]
Adam Chandler was previously a staff writer at Tablet. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Slate, Esquire, New York, and elsewhere. He tweets @allmychandler.