The most ridiculous article ever published by the Guardian?

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Paul McKeown
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The most ridiculous article ever published by the Guardian?

Post by Paul McKeown » Thu Jul 19, 2012 10:17 am


Paul McKeown
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Re: The most ridiculous article ever published by the Guardi

Post by Paul McKeown » Thu Jul 19, 2012 11:02 am

Amusingly, the North Korean press officers attached to the Guardian's moderation team actually removed the comment I had made to the article. For reference the comment was (verbatim):
The Guardian does publish utter shite from time to time. This is an example.
Normally the Guardian removes ad hominem attacks, but criticising the Guardian itself? Don't do it! :lol: Published at 9:28 this morning, it was removed within the hour, by which time it had already received close on 100 recommends, making it even more deliciously amusing.

Simon Bibby
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Re: The most ridiculous article ever published by the Guardi

Post by Simon Bibby » Thu Jul 19, 2012 1:42 pm

Agree, an awful piece. Trolling dressed up (barely) as an article. No sense of history, minimal knowledge shown of either Korea, bewildering ignorance.

For those of you interested in DPRK, Sue Lloyd-Roberts's work was amazing. Here to get going:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8701959.stm
Required viewing.

Still perhaps not that well known outside Japan, but the abductee issue is a deeply disturbing one. Still not entirely clear how many Japanese nationals were taken. 17 minimum thought to have been taken.
http://www.rachi.go.jp/en/ratimondai/index.html

London not even out of bounds:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13385784

A very dangerous neighbour for us here in Japan.

John McKenna

Re: The most ridiculous article ever published by the Guardi

Post by John McKenna » Thu Jul 19, 2012 2:55 pm

Thanks for pointing out that interesting article, Paul, I find myself in agreement with most of what it contained but part company with the writer on one point. Close to the end he writes, "Nobody benefits from turning it (the partition of the Korean peninsula) into a moral melodrama..." One country in particular benefits - the USA.
(I'll just add that yours and Simon Bibby's knee-jerk reactions to the piece remind me of the McCarthy & Nixon double act at the height of the cold war. Loosen up a bit guys.)

Paul McKeown
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Re: The most ridiculous article ever published by the Guardi

Post by Paul McKeown » Thu Jul 19, 2012 3:05 pm

The North Korean Male Voice choir in perfect harmony. Wipes eyes to peels of laughter.

Thanks for that, knew I could depend on you, John, always at the ready to defend tyranny, wherever in the world, provided it presents itself as opposed to the west and its values of open discourse and freedom! :lol:

McCarthyism. As I live and breathe. Sorry for the Thought Crime.

John McKenna

Re: The most ridiculous article ever published by the Guardi

Post by John McKenna » Thu Jul 19, 2012 3:21 pm

Don't mention it Paul, happy to oblige. Not many of us left in the choir these days. In fact I am surprised the Grauniad is singing from the same hymn sheet. They have probably just let Paul Watson sing that particular solo part due to the realignment of Labour towards their old direction of travail. Some things though always ring true no matter which way the changes are rung. There are always two (or more) sides to any story, or history for that matter.

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Re: The most ridiculous article ever published by the Guardi

Post by Paul McKeown » Thu Jul 19, 2012 3:46 pm

John McKenna wrote:There are always two (or more) sides to any story, or history for that matter.
Flaws in South Korean democracy are self-correcting, that's the virtue of democracy. The murder and enslavement of millions of North Koreans by its lunatic personality cult should not be discussed in the same sentence, a ridiculous mote and beam comparison. Contrary to what you aver, it's a commonplace of human experience to find that there is often only one side to a story. That certainly applies to North Korea.

As for the Guardian, it still has a mouthy lefty readership, but that nonsensical article has taken an enormous panning. Always amusing to find there are still some true-believing old tankies left.

John McKenna

Re: The most ridiculous article ever published by the Guardi

Post by John McKenna » Thu Jul 19, 2012 4:44 pm

You're back on song today, but only backed on here by your man in Japan, who is probably in bed by now.
Left-wing propaganda is easy to spot but that of the right is usually much more subtle, so it's good to see someone of that ilk showing their true colours. Frankly, Paul you should stick to wearing whites, your cricket posts are much easier on the ears than your political ones. (Though I note you stumped everyone with your cryptic - "what's the weather like in Vauxhall?") Tiffin time must be over, enjoy.

Paul McKeown
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Re: The most ridiculous article ever published by the Guardi

Post by Paul McKeown » Thu Jul 19, 2012 4:58 pm

John, right winger is not a label I would apply to myself, nor would many right wingers I have ever come across!

Some Guardianista responses to your Lil Kim worshipping piece:
Awesome. This article will now take its rightful place next to "Wildlife Photography is unethical because we can't get the animal's consent to be photographed" in the Cif Hall of Fame of Insane Commentary.
Well, this paper has published some utter shite in its time, but this takes the biscuit. What's next? "Child molesters get a bad press"?
I can't figure out whether the author is attempting some sort of Frankie Boyle 'goad-the-audience' experiment simply to get a reaction; or whether he really is deluded enough to apologise for the appalling horrors visited on North Koreans by their deranged governing elite.
"Comment is Free" - yes - it's OK for someone to have an opinion but in the case of this piece maybe "Silence is Golden" would have been more appropriate. I agree with previous posters - this is not a good look for the Guardian.
This really is beneath contempt. Surely someone at the Guardian must get a grip of CiF?
This is one of those Guardian articles at which I just point and laugh. There seems to be rather a lot of them nowadays. Is it the aim of this organ to keep my pecker up? Thanks guys.
I'm all in favour of free speech and a variety of viewpoints on CiF, but surely articles have to pass a minimum quality/sanity threshold?
Next week,how the KKK tried to modernise the Southern states.....
After many such attempts, this, officially marks the beginning of a new era at CIF. The laughing stock phase. A decaying orbit of exponential self parodying/immolating lunacy. CIF is committing suicide before your very eyes. R.I.P.
What the f*ck? I know that the Guardian is desperate for page views, but this is really is scraping the bottom of the barrel. I'd have thought that even unreconstructed Stalinists reckon NK gives Communism a bad name. I can only think that the author wrote and submitted it for a bet, and is as shocked as the rest of us that some work experience kid (sorry, Intern) actually put it on the web site.
Gee, it's a shame that most North Koreans are too busy not having the Internet, being executed by their government, and generally, y'know, starving to death, to read Comment is Free, because I really think that otherwise they'd be nodding along in agreement with you here
I thought this article was a parody, but it becomes clear we are meant to take this seriously. Next week: Adolf Hitler: The good guy the world forgot.
That's just a small selection from the last three pages of comment, one assumes largely from a left wing audience. It's actually hard to find any support for the writer at all, which is pretty unusual. Anyway, John, you keep on inspecting the tractor factories, someone one day will discover how to revive Uncles Vlad and Joe, Frankenstein style!

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Matt Mackenzie
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Re: The most ridiculous article ever published by the Guardi

Post by Matt Mackenzie » Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:14 pm

You do understand this wasn't published in the actual paper?? Like much of the stuff confined to CiF, it is just a giant bit of trolling to get hits :roll:

Any info about the author?
"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)

Paul McKeown
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Re: The most ridiculous article ever published by the Guardi

Post by Paul McKeown » Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:24 pm

I know Matt, it was presumably not published in the print edition. But CiF is a Guardian publication and its editorial team ultimately bears responsibility for any crap that sees the light of day there. I don't think rubbish like this does the Guardian any favours. Journalism in this country has been going to the dogs for a long time, having waded through loads of British newspapers from the 1950's and 1960's I doubt that any, outside of the Daily Worker/Morning Star sort, would have dreamed of printing such drivel.

Some of the BTL comments report that the author has previously written equally low quality books on football.

John McKenna

Re: The most ridiculous article ever published by the Guardi

Post by John McKenna » Thu Jul 19, 2012 7:14 pm

Paul, haven't time to debate the 5-year plan, not even the tractor section. Just answer one question if you can - which character in Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-5 do you most identify with?
And, Matt, I am sure that Paul Watson is on someone's watch list, but hopefully not yet the one whose constituents can be "killed for a thousand dollars plus expenses."

Paul McKeown
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Re: The most ridiculous article ever published by the Guardi

Post by Paul McKeown » Thu Jul 19, 2012 7:27 pm

John McKenna wrote:Just answer one question if you can - which character in Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-5 do you most identify with?
None. Haven't read it.

Paul McKeown
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Re: The most ridiculous article ever published by the Guardi

Post by Paul McKeown » Thu Jul 19, 2012 10:11 pm

Matt Mackenzie wrote:Any info about the author?
Some comment BTL identified him as a wild crank - here he is. Probably spent years harassing people on the street, selling propaganda for the SWP or some other political equivalent of the Moonies.

John McKenna

Re: The most ridiculous article ever published by the Guardi

Post by John McKenna » Thu Jul 19, 2012 10:24 pm

Thanks for the answer. It's not required reading, but what is these days? If you'd read it you may have answered with a specific character or maybe a combination of several of them, all of them, or none of them. (You arrived at the latter by way of not reading the book, neat!)
All kinds of 'characters' exist in the world - some read one paper, others another, they often try to complain to the paper they most disagree with. That you can't see any merit at all in the piece shows a certain, well, certainty?!

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