This morning, the publisher of Truthdig, Zuade Kaufman, posted a response to the work stoppage from staff and a number of freelance contributors. You can read what she wrote here. Last I looked, the overwhelming majority of commenters on the post called bullshit on her, which was both appropriate and satisfying, at least in the moment. Guessing those of us who walked out will be fired in the end. The response to Zuade’s statement was posted on CounterPunch and can be read here. The illustration that you’ll see accompanying the article on CounterPunch was my second. The first one, which I’ll share with you in this post, where I basically refer to the publisher as a lying snake, was rejected because it was assumed that some might read it as sexist. Go figure. Lying snake illustrations are all through history, but what do I know. That said, the snake illustration does not reflect the opinions of my fellow strikers and is mine alone. Anyway, that’s the situation tonight in the trenches. Stay tooned…
Just got this pop-up message at Truthdig (or maybe The Onion hijacked their website) . . . “Truthdig is going on a hiatus, which we hope will not be for too long. Our archives of 15 years of award-winning independent journalism are available for free. We plan to relaunch with an even deeper and stronger commitment to bringing you honest, credible reporting and analysis. Be well, stay safe and look out for each other.”
Dear Mr. Fish,
Thank you for keeping us up to date on this travesty caused by a ‘killer capitalist ceo clown’. Honest Independent News sources, as well as your sharp artwork, are required to neutralize the panem et circenses of the mainstream media. Your work is always excellent.
«The first one, which I’ll share with you in this post, where I basically refer to the publisher as a lying snake, was rejected because it was assumed that some might read it as sexist.» Wow – those who would regard your cartoon above, Dwayne as «sexist» must be far better at determining gender in members of the suborder Serpentes than most mortals !…
Henri
I have to write this. I have to write that I went to Truthdig. Now, I don’t read the articles there. I just go peek. I don’t post nasty things there about the fucking injustice over what just happened. It is fucked, no question. But unlike here, where I can have a glass of wine, sit back, and think of some’thin cute, there I have to be Discuss-in, or Google’in or some thing ‘in to get a post in. And I don’t want to go to the trouble. Sorry Fish. But then, I just peek-a-boo, and find Robert Reich.
What to say about an article by Robert Reich on March 17. Well…. He ain’t on the list of people who are doing the work stoppage. Maybe his article was submitted prior to knowing that you guys were going to go on strike. But then, nahhh, he would ‘o known. You would have asked him to join.
I don’t know, maybe it’s a one-off. Maybe he won’t write there anymore.
He’s a Berkeley professor. Reich or Wrong? I think that Reich. He has sort of a guaranteed income level that’s more than most. Reich? And you know, I remember a long time ago, maybe 3 or 4 years past, when he wrote about Universal Basic Income, and he said someth’in like “UBI will be good for billionaires too, because people will have money to spend” And I thought at that moment that I figured him out more. That he may talk a good talk, but he really doesn’t hate billionaires. He isn’t appalled and revulsed (word?) by billionaires having Ferraris when kids go to bed homeless at night in the US (thank you Nathan J. Robinson for that image).
Yeah, Robert is Wrong. He is wrong to follow. He looks cool. He talks a good think. But in the end, he’s of that professional managerial educated class that does really well, and they say nice progressive stuff, but then every once in a while, if you pay attention, you realize they really just like to have that…. mmmmm…. what to call it???…. mmmm, OH YEAH! Is that thing Chris Hedges discovered at Harvard Divinity School. They like to talk about the poor, but they don’t want to go downtown where they might smell the poor.
Yup. That’s it.
I mean, of course I don’t read them now. My favorites are all gone. Fuck that bullshit. Hedges and Fish on Monday morning, sometimes by 3 am. Scheer-ed of the top from Scheer Intelligence and fucking great interviews. Abso-fucking-amazing word combinations in articles by Paul Street. Zapata wonder-kata. Wong and Novick strike-through sword. Camp-ing out sarcasm.
I will die soon now, fully alive knowing my roots are in there, grow’in weeds 4 lorn wicked clover.
C’mon Mur Hey.
We need more radical women in this world. Give me Radical Women, or Give me Death.