In an age of rage, it is often difficult to stand out in the mob as so many pander to the perpetually irate. However, New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie has found a way to win the race to the bottom. In a posting on Bluesky, Bouie mocked the account of the addiction of the mother of Vice President J.D. Vance, saying that she should have sold her son for drugs.
Bouie used Bluesky (the digital safe zone for the viewpoint intolerant on the left) to post one of the most reprehensible attacks on Vance. Bouie wrote that “this is a wicked man who knows he is being wicked and does it anyway.” That is hardly notable on today’s rage scale. However, he then decided to joke about the painful addiction history of Beverly Aikins against her son: “No wonder his mom tried to sell him for Percocets. [I] can’t imagine a parent who wouldn’t sell little JD for percocet if they knew he would turn out like this.’
Vance wrote a celebrated bestseller, “Hillbilly Elegy,” about his difficult childhood with a mother who became addicted to pain medication and eventually found herself stealing drugs from her patients. It was a tragic account of how addiction tore their family apart, but also a tale of redemption: “I knew that a mother could love her son despite the grip of addiction. I knew that my family loved me, even when they struggled to take care of themselves.”
In April of last year, Vance celebrated his mother’s decade of sobriety.
As I discuss in my new book “Rage and the Republic,” a common element to past radical movements has been the dehumanization of political opponents. In calling others “Gestapo,” “fascists,” and “Nazis,” you achieve a certain license to say and do things that you would ordinarily never say or do. By stripping them of any humanity or right to empathy, you are free to discard the limitations of decency and civility.
Rage is itself a type of drug. It is addictive and, while they never admit it, they like it.
Bouie shows the lack of self-awareness in his hateful posts, objecting that “this is a wicked man who knows he is being wicked and does it anyway.” It is the ultimate example of transference; a self-description ascribed to those you hate.
On his New York Times bio, Bouie insists that “I come from a left-leaning, social democratic perspective, but I strive for honesty, fairness and good faith in my writing.” He adds that “I abide by the same rigorous ethical standards as all Times journalists.”
If using Vance’s tragic childhood and his mother’s addiction is an example of the “fairness and good faith” of the New York Times, it is a chilling prospect.
In his book, Vance observes that the children of broken and impoverished homes often give up hope, as he did: “Psychologists call it “learned helplessness” when a person believes, as I did during my youth, that the choices I made had no effect on the outcomes in my life.”
He found that choices do matter in shaping your life. We all make such choices, as did Bouie in becoming another voice of rage and the New York Times in giving him a platform to amplify his views.
It is the same choice that the Times makes in barring a U.S. senator and firing editors for exposing readers to alternative viewpoints while publishing those who advocate repression or rationalize political violence. To the obvious appeal of its readers, the paper now peddles in hate to feed a national addiction.
In the end, Vance and his mother have overcome far greater challenges than this vicious columnist or the hatefest at Bluesky. From adversity, they found a strength and a bond that has inspired many who are struggling with such addictions and poverty.
It is clear who is “wicked” in these postings. Perhaps it is even strangely edifying and self-condemning. As Victor Hugo observed, “the wicked envy and hate; it is their way of admiring.”
Not a lot of awareness of what is eternal. Jesus said that men shall give an account for every hurtful unfruitful word in that day. That includes us as well as them! God said let your words Minister Grace to the hearee that is words that build others up. Raging hate will never lead to the results which God will bless.
Prepare to meet thy God.
The sad thing is that this is the future of “journalism”. The Times decided to go all in with the leftist garbage and they ended up doing better with subscriptions because people want confirmation news, not actual news. the WAPO didn’t endorse Harris last election and the left, their own readers, called for boycotts and the paper lost hundred of thousands of subscribers.
The good news is that this may not be true for free news outlets as we see CNN tank, MSNBS fail and the networks struggle as well. Plus they are learning that there are lots of non-liberals watching TV too as they learn by the failures of Kimmel, the Daily Show, Colbert et al and the success of Gutfeld and Fox News.
That “future” you refer to has been around since time immemorial, well at least since the founding of this Republic. So, in fact, it a normal.
Curious, can you name 1 or 2 rightwing outlets that do the same as the Times, as you purport?
How about Townhall.com amd their sister sites Red State, PJ Media, Twitchy and Hot Air? How about Gutfeld, which I cited? How about the Washington Examiner? How about the Federalist? How about Substack showcasing conservative voices as well as liberal and Realclearpolitics too?
Now how about you actually defend your side for once instead of being a little parasite.
“Curious, can you name 1 or 2 rightwing outlets THAT DO THE SAME as the Times, as you purport?”
And you respond with 10 sources. So its normal for rightist media to spew hate just like the NY Times. Thanks, helps a lot.
What side is mine? You drunk or sumptin?
HullBobby,
I read some of those sites. They point out the hypocrisy of Democrats but I do not recall anytime they would make a vile comment like that.
The Free Press is pretty good.
Expected you would show up. You lie.
Don’t recall? You have a short or no memory capability. Funny, your imbecile blogging buddy just named 10 of them.
If anything defines you, you’re a blind sycophant to rightism devoid of honesty and sanity.
Next up is …. dustoff.
Free Press is a good one Upstate.
Democrat 1850’s President James Buchanan “The Constitution . . . expressly recognizes the right to hold slaves as property in states where slavery exists. This, then, is not a question of general morality, affecting the consciences of men, but it is a question of constitutional law. . . . The southern states have rights guaranteed to them, and these rights I am determined to maintain, come weal, come woe.”
Democrat the party of NO MORALS…just greedy and hate!
I believe the Democrat Party is committing TREASON by helping illegals
2 Civil Wars are 2 too many. The Democrat Party needs to be abolished by ALL MEANS!
Intolerant racists and bigots like Bouie are given a platform by propaganda organs like the New York Times. She is a disgusting, sorry excuse for a human being.
He is a disgusting, sorry excuse for a human being.
So why don’t you write a piece for the Times counteracting him, an ask to have it published. Or would you prefer assassinations
Because the Times wouldn’t publish it…moron. They published a column by a US SENATOR, had a revolt, fired people and needed struggle sessions to manage to continue working without fainting.
“wouldn’t publish it” Um.. have you tried. Yeah you? Maybe if you were intelligent they would? Gosh, you are so f-ing stupid.
Leftist thought in a nutshell.
That’s right, they wouldn’t publish it, and you know it. If you claim not to know it you’re outright lying. As Hullbobby said, when they published Senator Cotton’s very reasonable column they had a revolt, and officially apologized for having dared to publish it, and promised they would never do anything like that ever again. So how could you possibly imagine they’d ever publish such a column by him or by me?
Democrats happily murder Drug Addicts, import illegals to commit crime, push hatred to increase suicide, release criminals for MORE Crime
all while they STEAL EVER MORE MONEY!
If you vote Democrats at this point you are EVIL! Like voting National Socialists in Germany in the 1930’s
Steal? More like the federal gov. awarded them all that money. Evil? Nazis? Whew ….
Some people realize it early on, others later in life but I am glad that Turley is finally starting to see that the Left is sub-human garbage.
More of the famous leftist love and tolerance we keep hearing about. Just waiting for the first s@@tlib to justify this and call anyone who objects a ‘nazi’.
antonio
There is NO ONE more hate filled, greedy, selfish, lying, cheating, violent, racist, hypocrite than a democrat
And they PROVE IT EVERYDAY!
Time to DEFUND them, their cities, states, non-profits, colleges and public unions!
“There is NO ONE more hate filled, greedy, selfish, lying, cheating, violent, racist, hypocrite than a democrat”
Just like you anon.
The NYT hasn’t had intelligent commentary or opinion for decades which is why I stopped reading it. This guy is just one more example of the DEI morons that they now employ and call writers. What a slap in the face to those who came before them and built the Times into a respected news source. They were the genuine article this guy is a not.
The NYT hasn’t had intelligent commentary or opinion for decades … and yet you still read them daily? Lot of work just to conger up your comment. can’t be all that bad if you’re reading them daily.
Funny how rightists continually attack the NYT, doing so you give them more impact and visibility. It draws the MAGAotts so that they go into overdrive and spew their incipient venom until they drop from exhaustion. Then the next article by Turley gets them pumped up again and the cycle starts over, day after day.
The NYT hasn’t had intelligent commentary or opinion for decades … and yet you still read them daily?
What part of “which is why I stopped reading it” did you not understand?
If he stopped reading it, how is it that he knows the contents of the Times opinion columns? Even refers to the “guy” , and the morons”, who currently write for the Times. Present tense right?
I guess you missed that.
“how is it that he knows the contents of the Times opinion column”
Um, he read it here in Turley’s blog? There is no lack of information and quotes illustrating the dissipation and depravity of NY Slimes content here, or from other sources other than the Slimes itself.
Duh! I guess you missed that.
Or are you just playing at your role as the resident clown in this space, no matter how stupidly? It must *really* suck to be you…
Read it here? Of course he did.
Pretty pissed this morning eh.
I win.
Yes, read it here, or somewhere else where some public servant reads the NYT so the rest of us don’t have to, and informs us only of what we need to know about it.
“I win.”
You originally contended that having read it was evidence that he lied about no longer reading the NYT. You just admitted that your contention was false. You actually consider the admission that you were totally incorrect as a win for you? You are even stupider and more pathetic than I had imagined, and that was quite a high bar for you to clear.
The Democrat Party denied that blacks were human. Now they are denying the status of humanity to Republicans and conservatives. Plus ca change, plus ca meme chose.
Why don’t you just do the quote in English. Not impressed.
It’s a standard and common phrase, known to anyone who is reasonably literate in English.
“known to anyone who is reasonably literate in English.”
You just identified why the resident clown has a problem with it.
That definitely does not include you.
Game, set and match for anon.
So how is a common French phrase common in America, maybe only among you pompous and fake intellectuals.
Almost half of English is French!
And yes, this phrase is part of the English language. One cannot possibly be literate in English without being familiar with it.
@millhouse
No, it isn’t, not anymore. I think you underestimate how woefully ignorant even doctoral candidates are today. Yes, you have to draw them diagrams with crayons. Sad, yes, but you need to get out of the past. The world you are commenting in already no longer exists.
“I think you underestimate how woefully ignorant even doctoral candidates are today”
Let us fervently hope that the “anonymous” if whom we write is not a doctoral candidate, no matter how trivial the major.
I long for the day one of the best voices exposing fascism says something like: “But there are fascists in America. They’re the ones calling themselves ‘anti-fascists,’ who scream ‘shame’ at law enforcement, who incite political, assassination, including of the pres., who demand the right to kill their babies, the homeless, mutilate children, flood the country w/ murderers and rapists, want to have one party govt., who want to protect our enemies, praise and fund terrorism, and so forth. You can call them fascists, bc they are. And they are the real leaders of the Democrat party – my party.
It’s a fantasy. But I hope to read that one day.
Oh look, one of the perpetually irate.
You don’t know what the word irate means. Obviously.
As do you. Check your grammar next time.
The New York Slimes. “All the news that fits, we print”
Idiot
Yes, you are.
Yes, you are.
What are 12?
Even criminal organizations understand boundaries. They operate with lines, codes, and an internal sense of honor, however warped. What is striking here is the absence of even that restraint. This is not ideology or conviction at work, but a vacuum of character, where no line exists that cannot be crossed if it serves the moment. When cruelty replaces principle entirely, it is not radicalism. It is moral emptiness.
Even criminal organizations understand boundaries. Really, like Tren de Aragua?
Well Olly, cat got your tongue?
Jamelle, is that even a name? “Jamelle! Ohhh… Jamelle!” No wonder the guy (?) has these “strike out against anyone” anger issues.
“The leftists envy and hate; it is their way of admiring.” There, fixed it for you, Victor.
I am sure we all know someone, perhaps many someones, who have let this kind of hate consume them. They cannot be reasoned with. All we can do is to gently try and nudge them back to sanity and objectivity. And if they are loved ones, pray for them.
Consume. Like yourself on this blog.
speaking of the devil……
Oh look, there’s an adult in the room. With a brain of a child.
Oh look, the parasite has awoken.
Oh look, the blog drunk has shown up. Any new insults lined up today puck head?
This is not just crude rhetoric. It is a standards failure. Using a parent’s addiction and a child’s vulnerability as political ammunition is not argument, satire, or critique. It is dehumanization, and once that line is crossed, anything becomes permissible because empathy has been deliberately discarded.
Free speech protects the right to speak, not the obligation of institutions to elevate cruelty. When a paper that claims fairness and good faith rewards this behavior, it signals that rage now substitutes for judgment. That is not ideological disagreement. It is cultural decay.
What BS.
Why not post something that would add to the discussion. Venting your hate is similar to the child who screams for attention but has nothing to say.
Oh, Venting your hate is similar to the child who screams …. just like you?
Why not post something that would add to the discussion. Um… why don’t you? Good luck with that.
Olly, I was going to write a comment but I cannot improve on what you said. I only wish Bouie was a lone individual. Unfortunately, he is only one of many, some of whom post on this blog, who not only have abandoned any sense of decency but also now have a platform from which to infect others.
Thank you HLM. And you’re right, this isn’t about one person. The real problem is how common this kind of behavior has become. When people say things like this and get rewarded with attention and platforms, it spreads. That should concern anyone who still cares about basic decency, no matter their politics.
You keep rewriting the same idea, day after day, especially Turley’s opinions. Got anything new and fresh to share?
OLLY,
It is as the good professor points out, rage or in this case lack of decency is addictive. Whereas once some one in the NYT newsroom would of called him out on it as crude, now, they give him “likes.”
We really need to point out how bad this kind of behavior is for a society and a culture and return to civil standards everyone can agree upon. Unfortunately, I do not see that happening anytime soon.
Olly & USF
I don’t know why you guys are surprised by this kind of behavior. Marxists have no belief in a higher being. Their beliefs restrict them to only see government as their collective master. They have no sense of morality or decency, they only believe everything is political and all opposing views must be dismantled. Dismantled by any means necessary, a lie, a smear, blackmail, civil disobedience and if necessary assassination. They have shown this to be true over, you two should believe them.
“no belief in a higher being. Their beliefs restrict them to only see government as their collective master. They have no sense of morality or decency, they only believe everything is political and all opposing views must be dismantled.”
I beg your pardon, but there have been many examples of individuals who do not believe in a Supreme Being, who have subscribed to, or even codified, quite reasonable, rational, moral systems. Agree with her philosophy or not, Ayn Rand did just that, and there have been others. So, subscription to the same belief system as you is not the carved in stone prerequisite to morality that you seem to consider it. I am a skeptic, but I profoundly reject the concept that government is, or can be, my master.
“all opposing views must be dismantled. Dismantled by any means necessary, a lie, a smear, blackmail, civil disobedience and if necessary assassination.”
That sums it up perfectly.
Very well stated. This columnist must not have any intelligent counter arguments against policies supported by Vance which can be debated on the merits.
That’s the real question Dollar Bill. Even if there were intelligent counterarguments, I doubt it would change the behavior. Once the goal shifts from persuasion to attacking the other side, policy debate becomes optional. At that point, it’s not about making an argument anymore, it’s about signaling and scoring points.
And what is your intelligent counter argument to that columnist’s lack of counter arguments?
OLLY,
Cultural decay is right. When I read about what people like Bouie says, I can only shake my head and wonder if he really thought that through before posting it.
Back in the day I used to subscribe to the Sunday NYT. It was their wheelbarrow edition, so huge it needed a wheelbarrow to bring it in the door. Now every edition is of the wheelbarrow variety, but more like the wheelbarrow following the horses in a circus parade.
Yes! Spot on, Dr. Turley! Thank you!
“…the perpetually irate…”
Spot on, Prof. Turley.
Think this is apropos this morning: Hate has no home here. And yet you and your patriot comrades here are “…the perpetually irate…” scream for the blood of liberals., wish them ill, that you and others here expound. Every day, 365.
Commie.
They reap what they sow.
So, you’re screaming for liberal blood?
Mary, your response please.