December 11, 2001

6:13 PM

in the village voice letters section this week, the author of the article discussed in this thread responds to a few letters about the article with this:

Tony Green a/k/a N. Bedford Couch replies: To quote malphigian from metafilter.com: "I'm aghast, Mr. Swift is proposing we eat the poor Irish children!" The short version is that the piece was satire—I'm not entirely convinced some of the letters I have received (like the two wholeheartedly agreeing with the piece) aren't also. If people didn't get it, it's likely because it's not that far removed from some of the oddball takes on race and music that they (and this black man) have heard and read since the dawn of the hip-hop era.
posted by palegirl to MetaFilter-related at 6:13 PM (10 comments total)

Whether or not the piece was satire, the fact remains that were I to write a serious, non-satirical article on the subject, it wouldn't read all that much different from N. Bedford Couch's. I stand by my comments in the thread.
posted by tomorama at 6:54 PM on December 11, 2001

While I really enjoyed this, it seems that publishing the letters from people that didn't get it was a little much. Like a trap sprung.
posted by chrismc at 7:48 PM on December 11, 2001

You shoulda seen the ones that weren't published.
posted by anildash at 11:31 PM on December 11, 2001

Isn't the point here that the author read, and quoted, posts on MeFi about his work in the mainstream press? Huh?
posted by Neale at 3:57 PM on December 12, 2001

that's sorta what I thought the point was...
posted by palegirl at 5:04 PM on December 12, 2001

Big point. good point as well. isn't there something in the MeFi (c) about stuff like that?
posted by th3ph17 at 2:09 PM on December 13, 2001

I may be the one who tipped him off to MeFi's debate. I e-mailed the VV, asking who "N. Bedford Couch" was, giving a link to the thread.
posted by Carol Anne at 2:58 PM on December 13, 2001

I think anildash works at the Voice.
posted by gleuschk at 4:03 PM on December 13, 2001

(I got the point and said 'neat' in my head before moving to another aspect.) Thanks for finding and posting.
posted by chrismc at 10:46 PM on December 13, 2001

I'm betting this was the only time I'll get mentioned in the village voice.


posted by malphigian at 7:43 AM on December 17, 2001