The exact moment that Jason Whitlock stopped mattering

[SixToe]

I don't care about Whitlock. Why should anyone?

you could've just ended it with this, because this is all anyone needs to know

 

[jackfinarelli]

I have said this elsewhere but let me repeat it here. I care about Jason Whitlock because I read his stuff whenever I run across it. There are two reasons that I do that.

First, I believe he is a gifted writer. I enjoy reading his stuff; it is often entertaining; he is a master at turning a phrase.

Second - and more important - is that he often makes me think about my position on the issue he is writing about on that particular day. I would guess that I agree with Whitlock about 50% of the time; but when I do not agree with him, his convincing writing style makes me ponder and re-evaluate my thinking on the subject. The fact that I disagree with him is a large part of why I am so interested in reading much of what he writes.

Aside: By the way, I also am a regular reader of Sally Jenkins for exactly the same two reasons noted here.

I am not trying to convince anyone here that Jason Whitlock is someone who MUST be followed and respected and cared about. But someone asked why anyone ought to care about him; so, I have tried to explain why I do.

 

[HappyCurmudgeon]

Jason Whitlock the writer is still a talented dude that even if I don't agree with I can appreciate the skill and some of the rationale behind his position.

Jason Whitlock the gimmick/personality is a nod to the lowest common denominator. As a writer, Whitlock would probably still have more of an impact if his gimmick wasn't attached to it. Now he can fully live out the gimmick writing for Outkick and that's cool for him. We all have bills to pay.

 

[Azrael]

You can't put a price on respect.

20 years from now, Mr. Whitlock will regret having sold himself out so cheaply.

 

[Moderator1]

Saw some tweets this morning blasting him - he's catching heat for his response to Chrissy Teigen, who lost a baby and chose to share it on social media.

 

[Songbird]

He's right. Seems well beyond the pale to post those photos.

 

[Azrael]

Tony Reali explains it in this thread.

 

[Azrael]

I'd also tell Jason Whitlock it's OK not to have an opinion about everything.*




*Especially if all he's trying to do is pick a celebrity fight to win some clicks.

 

[The Big Ragu]

At least in the case of that tweet, it was, "I don't get it, can someone explain?"

I see nothing wrong with that. She's a public figure. She chose to share her loss with the world on social media.

I do question what is sincere with him, so who knows if his, "Can you explain" is sincere. Which actually gets to your "OK to not have an opinion about everything."

I love opinionated writers. ... when they are really passionate about a particular subject or they have a lot of knowledge about something to give their opinion some weight.

I have never liked the majority of columnists who had to have a new opinion every day and were essentially there to try to get reactions from people,

In his case, he really doesn't seem to have an opinion about "everything," does he? I mean, maybe he does have a ton of opinions, but the pattern I see with him in his work now and on twitter is to find a topic where a lot of people feel a certain way, and then try to be controversial. The provocateur. It's not about anything he seems super-passionate about. And in his case, having an opinion doesn't seem to mean being really all that knowledgeable about anything.

 

[The Big Ragu]

BTW, like a lot of people who fancy themselves the provocateuer, he does it with all the subtlety of a falling anvil.

 

[champ_kind]

At least in the case of that tweet, it was, "I don't get it, can someone explain?"

I see nothing wrong with that. She's a public figure. She chose to share her loss with the world on social media.

I do question what is sincere with him, so who knows if his, "Can you explain" is sincere. Which actually gets to your "OK to not have an opinion about everything."

I love opinionated writers. ... when they are really passionate about a particular subject or they have a lot of knowledge about something to give their opinion some weight.

I have never liked the majority of columnists who had to have a new opinion every day and were essentially there to try to get reactions from people,

In his case, he really doesn't seem to have an opinion about "everything," does he? I mean, maybe he does have a ton of opinions, but the pattern I see with him in his work now and on twitter is to find a topic where a lot of people feel a certain way, and then try to be controversial. The provocateur. It's not about anything he seems super-passionate about. And in his case, having an opinion doesn't seem to mean being really all that knowledgeable about anything.

Yeah, it doesn't take going down a conspiratorial rabbit hole to guess why he chose to have an opinion about Chrissy Teigen, a vocally liberal celebrity.

Speaking of conspiratorial rabbit holes, given that she's already a Q target, I would not be surprised to see these photos/this tragedy turned into something very disgusting very quickly.

 

[User 150927]

He is not right. Unlike him, she is wildly popular on social media. People are going to ask questions. She chose to share. This happens to women and couples around America every single day. Pregnancy is hard, and if she wants to share this, more power to her.