Over at Slate, heartless Jack Shafer is at it again, pounding the New York Times for running fake “trend” stories on the non-existent rise in teen chokings and the non-existent increase in the number of terrariums, both non-existent trends attributed to the mother of all non-existent trends, Youtube.
Not content with trashing the Gray Lady, Jack also pillories the Washington Post for running with the non-existent trend of college dudes transforming themselves into working stiffs. It’s so easy to sit on your butt and make fun of the labors of others, Jack! Maybe next time you should get up off your butt and hustle up a non-existent trend or two. You’ll find, it’s not so easy!
Afterwords
It’s easy to laugh, but I gotta admit, I have to feel a twinge of something—compassion, maybe—for the reporter who feels that a piece on terrariums is going to put her above the fold. “I’m telling you, chief, it’s huge! It’s like Grand Theft Auto on chlorophyll!”
