Gawker
struggling writers
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The rich
How To Remain A Vapid Shopaholic In Somber Times
Oh, heavens: Barack Obama's been elected, the economy imploded and suddenly it' s no longer chic to be a superficial consumerist idiot! But how to cope if that's all you've ever known?? We were going on three decades of nearly uninterrupted insane boomtime for the rich, after all, and change is difficult. Fake it hard, advises the kept lady's favorite well-connected fashiongay, Barney's creative director Simon Doonan, in this morning's Observer: More » -
the internet
Why MySpace Is Worthless
"If you’re on MySpace now, you’re a [expletive] cretin. And you’re not only a [expletive] cretin, but you’re poor." [Michael Wolff] -
we hate your kids
The Infuriating New Face Of Poverty
At left is a picture the Times is running on A1 this morning, the day before Thanksgiving. It depicts a Florida mom showing off all the useless crap she was able to scrounge for daughter McKenna (!), like a fake plastic kitchen, thanks to a "noble sacrifice" this year: The mom will bravely go without this season's new designer jeans, according to the accompanying story. Notice that she seems to be nicely up-to-date with last season's pricey denim; that she is standing in a garage larger than many apartments; that it seems to be furnished with an operative extra refrigerator; and that discarded toys (from prior Christmases?) are plainly visible in plastic boxes in the background. This typifies sacrifice in America today? The coming depression is so going to eat the nation alive, and the world will laugh, because we deserve it.
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the poors
Sorry Hobos: Even Food Banks Need Bailout
"Officials for non-profits like the pantry begin to panic even before the Thanksgiving holiday." [WCBS] -
trendspotting
Acting Poor Is the Newest Obnoxious Trend for the Rich
The rich have always felt a vague guilt about being rich, which is what the charity-party circuit is all about. But it's incredibly annoying to have them jumping on the cutting back/scrimping n' saving bandwagon even though they don't have to—these are the people who benefitted so hugely when we were in boom times. And their children are even worse: listen to Bee Shaffer, daughter of Vogue editrix Anna Wintour's, fake-whine about how she doesn't think she'll be able to find a media job after graduating from Columbia: "I finish in May, and I’m really nervous about the fact nobody’s hiring right now," she told New York mag at the fancy CFDA Fashion Awards, presumably while fluttering her hands and wearing an obscenely expensive designer dress. Being "responsible" is the new trend! More » -
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The panic of '08
Shep Smith Yells About His Poor Gardener
Shep Smith's on-air response to an email flame broke several rules for fighting effectively on the internet: Don't give attention to a troll; don't let your opponent know when he's gotten under your skin; don't defend when you could be attacking. As such, the Fox News host's mounting rage against his small-fry critic doesn't deliver the same satisfaction as his other recent smackdowns. An especially ill-advised tactic: Trying to convince emailer "Mr. Fuentes" with an argument about the plight of Smith's "lawn-care maintenance guy." Since, you know, Señor Fuentes will surely understand an economic argument if it's translated into gardening terms. Click the video icon to watch. [via Johnny Dollar] -
advertising
The Fun Side Of Poverty
In keeping with the new law that every single ad for everything must how have a "Hard Times" theme, companies that want to sell any product to the public are now forced to talk about how cheap their stuff is, which just months ago would have been offensive to their "brand integrity" or some such bullshit. They've already started plastering coupons (gauche!) on the outside of everything and trying to convince you that their product fits into your new pauper lifestyle. How bad has it gotten? This bad: More » -
Crime
"Attacked" McCain Volunteer Was On 'The Wrong Side Of Pittsburgh.' Or Was She?
[Update: The attack was made-up!] The Smoking Gun found the Twitter stream of the John McCain campaign volunteer who reported being attacked by a Barack Obama supporter earlier tonight. The volunteer, Ashley Todd, was blogging just before and after the incident, and her Twitter posts were available to the public up until a few hours ago, when she set them to private. That's probably prudent: a presidential campaign trying to peel working-class voters away from the Democrats probably doesn't want people getting the wrong idea about what it means when one of its volunteers calls Little Italy "the wrong side of Pittsburgh."
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that's elitist
Sarah Palin's $150,000 Fashion Spree
What business does Sarah Palin have spending $75,000+ at Neiman Marcus and $50,000 at Saks if she's not planning to be part of the "Washington elite" or "seek their good opinion," as she told the Republican National Convention in September? She probably wants to look snazzy on TV, because the poors get the same channels as the elites, and appearances matter more than they should. John Edwards knew that, so he spent $400 on hair cuts until he was accused of being a slick poverty pimp by various conservatives. Now that Politico has caught the Republicans' designated working-class icon being far more profligate — Edwards could get 10 haircuts just on the Palin/McCain ticket's monthly hair and makeup bill — reps for the "small town... hockey mom" aren't even bothering to deny their hypocrisy: More »
