Finding "jingoism" in a journalism museum? Only a hypersensitive New York Times critic could possibly uncover that.
The Newseum (which is precisely what it sounds like) opened in the nation's capital last weekend in a prominent spot along Pennsylvania Avenue. The Times's architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff found the design by turns "muddled" and "slapdash" -- but what he really disapproved of was the political message he managed to discern in a 9-11 exhibit titled "Attack on America," which he found to border "precariously on jingoism."
From his Friday review, "Get Me Rewrite: A New Monument to Press Freedom."
In another convoluted move, the museum exhibits the front pages of scores of daily newspapers along the street each day. At first it seems to be a salute to the newspaper's traditional function in a democratic society, and pedestrians seem to love it. But the row of newspapers is oddly punctuated by a pedantic display explaining its meaning.
This doctrinaire approach to history continues throughout the interior. The lobby, named for the family that publishes The New York Times (The New York Times Company is a donor to the museum), is a multistory glass atrium flanked by suspended walkways. A heavy staircase tumbles down one side; a glass elevator is set behind the ticket desk on the other. Visitors are meant to ride the elevator up to the top and spiral down through the galleries, as they do in Frank Lloyd Wright's Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. But here the journey is freighted with artifice. Working with the exhibition designer Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Mr. Polshek creates a sequence of rooms and walkways that pull you along through the sweep of journalism history. Visitors step past a fragment of the Berlin Wall and then ride a glass elevator alongside a menacing guard tower. On the top floor they are confronted with part of a rusted, mangled broadcast antenna from the World Trade Center, part of the exhibition "Attack on America."
The juxtaposition is startling, but also borders precariously on jingoism. The suggestion is that the values of a free press and a free market are one and the same. This sentiment is made explicit in an exhibit of a map of the world in which countries are color-coded according to their level of press freedom. America is green; Russia and China, red.
—Clay Waters is the director of Times Watch, an MRC project tracking the New York Times.















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OK, I'll be the ignorant one
April 14, 2008 - 16:43 ET by radiofitz34OK, I'll be the ignorant one Clay. What is jingoism?
Radiofitz34 - Marginal Usage, At Best
April 14, 2008 - 16:54 ET by CGattonjingoism: clamorous chauvinism or arrogant nationalism especially marked by a belligerent foreign policy - Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster, 2002. http://unabridged.me... ( 14 Apr. 2008).
Really a borderline usage, so can easily see why the context didn't give it away :o)
V/R
Clyde
"...the aspirants to tyranny are either the...men of the state, who in democracies are demagogues,... or those who hold great offices, and have a long tenure.." - Aristotle, Politics, c350BC
Jingoism: extreme
April 14, 2008 - 16:56 ET by rimskyJingoism: extreme chauvinism or nationalism marked especially by a belligerent foreign policy.
Who knew?
Thanks I appreciate the
April 14, 2008 - 17:11 ET by radiofitz34Thanks I appreciate the definition. In that case, I could say to 'ol Nicolai...exxcuuuuuuuse me!!! Or us (as in US).
Jingoism is a term dumb
April 14, 2008 - 17:03 ET by blogonatorJingoism is a term dumb people use to describe anyone that supports a position of their nation that they themselves do not.
Example:
"That small-town guy from Pennsylvania who supports an American's right to bear arms thinks he's being patriotic. That is just his false consiousness talking. He is actually being jingoistic, because if he were enlightened like me he would hate this country."
Kinda like "Unpatriotic is
April 14, 2008 - 17:12 ET by balboaKinda like "Unpatriotic is a term conservatives use to describe anyone who doesn't support a position of their nation that they themselves do."
Or "unpatiotic" as anytime a
April 14, 2008 - 17:24 ET by Chris NormanOr "unpatiotic" as anytime a conservative questions or criticizes a liberal's position on the war, the liberal cries, "You're calling me unpatriotic! That's not fair! How dare you!" - even when the conservative has said no such thing. Many liberals are so insecure on the subject.
Face it, Bal - a lot of liberals consider all symbols of patriotism "jingoistic", distasteful, and unsophisticated.
I don't think liberals are
April 14, 2008 - 17:36 ET by balboaI don't think liberals are insecure. They're tired of people claiming they're not patriotic because they dare disagree with something the government does.
I agree, however, that many liberals disdain any display of patriotism.
Not to harp after your
April 14, 2008 - 17:49 ET by Chris NormanNot to harp after your gracious splitting of our differences, but I have heard, on several occasions, liberals protest that their patriotism was being questioned when there was no charge of that, at all. This was especially true towards the Bush Administration, who have gone out of their way to say that they aren't questioning any of their critics' patriotism. So, it's either insecurity or else a deliberate tactic to get on the offensive.
I'd say the latter, but
April 14, 2008 - 17:52 ET by balboaI'd say the latter, but that's just me.
If one feels they have a
April 14, 2008 - 17:55 ET by Chris NormanIf one feels they have a shortcoming, they read it into a lot of things said to them. Just ask my one of my old girlfriends...I couldn't win for losing. :)
Oh I hear ya' there.
April 14, 2008 - 17:59 ET by balboaOh I hear ya' there. Sometimes, the best policy is silence. :-)
Then, I wasn't communicating
April 14, 2008 - 18:04 ET by Chris NormanThen, I wasn't communicating and holding back. But enough of my interpersonal shortcomings...:)
Is Flag buring patriotic or unpatriotic?
April 14, 2008 - 20:26 ET by needleSo which is the exclusively liberal practice of burning the Flag?
a) patriotic or
b) unpatriotic
And don’t dodge the question by saying it is freedom of speech.
Impunitas semper ad deteriora invitat.
Oooo, needle! You're
April 14, 2008 - 21:13 ET by balboaOooo, needle! You're needling me! You needle you!
I'll say 'b', unpatriotic. Final answer.
Post hoc ergo propter hoc
Chris...it would be
April 14, 2008 - 21:34 ET by JerChris...it would be interesting to see some examples--even one would be surprising--where liberals have claimed they were being labeled "unpatriotic" by conservatives who merely questioned or criticized their position on the war.
It would seem more likely the objections are a reaction to rhetoric such as this, which has been repeated in a similar fashion countless times over the years.
Jer
Jer, I'm sure it would be
April 14, 2008 - 21:55 ET by Chris NormanJer,
I'm sure it would be interesting. But it's late, I'm tired, and the return for me doing so wouldn't be worth it.
Wait, I have to write that
April 14, 2008 - 22:00 ET by balboaWait, I have to write that down for future use...
'It's late'....'return for me'...
:-)
Both of you, I've been
April 14, 2008 - 22:21 ET by Chris NormanBoth of you,
"Return for me" - I've got "return" on my mind. I've been sitting in my office for the last hour waiting to download a tax form from a state web site that appears to have crashed or is so over-loaded that it won't come up. Damn them. Now, I've given up and will try again tomorrow. I've ordered a pizza and as soon as the allotted time is up, I'm out of here to go home and decimate it.
→ Chris
April 14, 2008 - 22:26 ET by Cool ArrowOK, I'm being nitpicky for the sake of being nitpicky.
I think to decimate a pizza would be to eat only 1/10th of it.
I could be wrong.
♣ a seal
I'm trying to laugh but I'm
April 14, 2008 - 22:29 ET by Chris NormanI'm trying to laugh but I'm too tired. I'm going to win the Gold tonight in pizza eating. I've been training my whole life for this. But, it's not going to be pretty...
TurboTax! I did it this year
April 14, 2008 - 22:30 ET by balboaTurboTax! I did it this year for the first time.
No problem, Chris...I'm not
April 14, 2008 - 22:08 ET by JerNo problem, Chris...I'm not imposing a deadline, or insisting you start digging for examples. But, if you happen to run across one at some point, make a note of it, and give me a shout.
Jer
Not 'Kinda' At All
April 14, 2008 - 17:34 ET by CGattonUnpatriotic: not giving or expressing due regard to one's country or its interest - Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster, 2002. http://unabridged.me... ( 14 Apr. 2008).
You pretty much hit the exact definition of the word, so your point is rather muted, lol. "Due regard" in the definition means "benefit of the doubt," so yes, failing to support a position of the nation is unpatriotic. The rest of your folderol is just an attempt to poke a stick in the side of conservatives, since "unpatriotic" has nothing to do with either conservatives or what they believe. It is an absolute, like "truth," "ground," and "man."
R/
Clyde
"...the aspirants to tyranny are either the...men of the state, who in democracies are demagogues,... or those who hold great offices, and have a long tenure.." - Aristotle, Politics, c350BC
This sentiment is made
April 14, 2008 - 17:08 ET by JohnLockeThis sentiment is made explicit in an exhibit of a map of the world
in which countries are color-coded according to their level of press
freedom. America is green; Russia and China, red.
Aside from the fact that a free market does, in fact, hold as many, if not more, values as a free press, this particular logic borders precariously on conspiracy theory. Hey, Nicolai, notice that the color green signifies "go" on a traffic light, and "red" signifies stop. Hmm...I think the real suggestion here is that the values of a free press and the Department of Transportation are one and the same.
"I think government is a necessary evil, like, say, motion picture agents." -John Wayne
Jingoism
April 14, 2008 - 17:16 ET by Skypilot4808I am just so disappointed that Russia and China were colored Red on the map. As we all know, these countries are paragons for "free press." And...I'm sure it's only a coincidence that they believe in a robust free market as well.
Lee M. Thompson
I wouldn't be surprised if
April 14, 2008 - 17:26 ET by Chris NormanI wouldn't be surprised if this guy, Ouroussoff, finds flying the American flag as being "jingoistic" and provocative.
And on the sixth year,
April 14, 2008 - 17:33 ET by JerryAnd on the sixth year, University created journalist, and University was pleased.
And journalist said, "Come, let us build an altar unto ourselves, so that we may worship ourselves and extol our virtues, but let us not indulge in the use of colors, lest we be deemed jingoist and found unworthy in the eyes of University."
"We shall make a map, and it shall all be of one color, and none shall be able to distinguish nation from nation, nor land from water, nor earth from sky, so that jingoism shall in no ways be an influence upon those who worship at our altar."
When asked if he went to war with Iraq to derail the impeachment vote: “I don’t think any serious person would believe that any President would do such a thing." - President Clinton (Dec 1998).
And in Penance for disagreeing with the map.....
April 14, 2008 - 19:47 ET by OldSailor88Journalist demands.......A SHRUBBERY!!
Stultus est sicut stultus facit
Jingoism: Exclusive
April 14, 2008 - 17:39 ET by GeoGolfJingoism: Exclusive term to Liberal Elitists to berate others who love America.
Also see "Cowboy", "Flag Waver", "NRA Member"
"Thank God I am young enough, that I shall see the 60's Anti American leftist "worst generation" Expire- overtaken by the Reagan babies.......soon"
and it doesn't go with white
April 14, 2008 - 17:51 ET by Chris Normanand it doesn't go with white wine or canapes. :)
Can of peas?
April 14, 2008 - 18:09 ET by FastEdServing peas with fish is ok, thus the white wine.
There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad V
Don't you know our jingoism
April 14, 2008 - 18:20 ET by Chris NormanDon't you know our jingoism only goes with cheap 'merican beer and pork rinds? :)
This is the kind of guy
April 14, 2008 - 18:27 ET by Chris NormanThis is the kind of guy who'd want Daniel Pearl's killers' side of the story before he made any judgements. The media's selective moral relativism has gone from the ridiculous to the sublime.
key word
April 14, 2008 - 19:30 ET by iveseenitallYou used a key word there, Chris---"judgements". Claiming someone to be jingoistic is quite a judgement on them. However, last time I looked, "liberals" were still telling us that we had no right to make "judgements". I guess they mean only conservatives have no right to make judgements.--- "Liberals" are such hypocrites. (And I don't apologize for making that "judgement").
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
If he can't even see his way
April 14, 2008 - 19:36 ET by Chris NormanIf he can't even see his way to agree that the press in China and Russia is not as free as ours or other democracies, then it's his failure - not the museum's. My lord, is nothing, except the US, bad anymore?
The suggestion is that
April 14, 2008 - 19:20 ET by seanrobinsYou bet your a**, they are!
Can anyone doubt that if the Times were located in Communist China, and pulled the same stunts that they do here, that more than a few of their reporters would be hanging for the nearest tree?
sean robins
www.seanrobins.com
Architecture critic? What
April 14, 2008 - 19:27 ET by QueenMumArchitecture critic? What the heck? Who cares what someone with a made-up career thinks anyway.
I am the exotic Queen Mum, and I approved this message.
. . . then we are 'jingoes'
April 14, 2008 - 21:21 ET by Free StinkerThere is much talk about 'jingoism'. If by 'jingoism' they mean a policy in pursuance of which Americans will with resolution and common sense insist upon our rights being respected by foreign powers, then we are 'jingoes'. --Theodore Roosevelt
Pledge to not support RINOs ever again!
jingoes and gringoes? :)
April 14, 2008 - 21:32 ET by Chris Normanjingoes and gringoes? :)
Phew. For a moment there,
April 14, 2008 - 21:34 ET by Free StinkerPhew.
For a moment there, I thought that Tumbler came back. ;-)
Pledge to not support RINOs ever again!
→ Stinker
April 14, 2008 - 21:56 ET by Cool ArrowTumbler goes by the name of futbolisgreat these days.
He's still around.
♣ a seal
They just keep sneaking back
April 14, 2008 - 22:03 ET by Free StinkerThey just keep sneaking back in . . . :-(
After reading some of his
April 14, 2008 - 21:57 ET by Chris NormanAfter reading some of his replacement irritants, I kind of miss ol' Tumbles...
Move along, nothing to see here
April 14, 2008 - 22:54 ET by allahallahoxenfreeI am so sick of people thinking it makes them look more educated, more enlightened, more caring, more WHATEVER by taking up whatever cause is not American. Seriously, it doesn't make you more intelligent to be a contrarian. Any idiot can complain.
CONGRESSIONAL TERM LIMITS!!!
As far as I know, a free
April 14, 2008 - 21:43 ET by robert108As far as I know, a free press is a free market of ideas and communication; isn't it?
The guy who wrote that review obviously doesn't know that.