One Summer (House Essay) Never Ends, One Summer (House Essay) Never Begins
Timothy Noah’s send-ups of the sort of journalists who wax eloquent about their pricey but tastefully modest summer homes while casting aspersions on newcomers who threaten to ruin the charm of the place are frighteningly applicable to A2. Just substitute “Washtenaw Dairy” for “good old Doc Brinkman’s Five and Dime” and “top eight stories” for “extend all the way to the property line.” Of course, Nantucket doesn’t really claim to be one of the nation’s top research and cultural centers.
Ooooh daaaaamn. He described Susan Ager’s columns perfectly, or at least, those written when I lived in metro Detroit and actually read the Free Press on a daily basis. “Let’s extract life lessons from my summer property in Northern Michigan that I’m writing this column from while you’re still stuck in metro Detroit!”
Glorious. Just glorious.
posted by Jen on January 20th, 2006 at 8:37 pmcheck out todays NYTimes book section cover article. the author compares A2 with Berkeley!!!!
posted by ed on January 22nd, 2006 at 12:33 pmIck. I guess I’m lucky never to have seen one of Ager’s vacation house columns.
I saw that in the Times today! So, are we Berkeley, or are we Tuscaloosa?
posted by ann arbor is overrated on January 22nd, 2006 at 12:42 pmWhich militant bookstores would those be? Shaman Drum is the only one I can think of remotely in that realm, and it’s not particularly militant. When authors use “Ann Arbor” as shorthand for “hard left,” I immediately think “s/he’s an idiot or hasn’t visited in 20 years” instead.
posted by Dale on January 22nd, 2006 at 12:49 pmThe Planet, dude.
posted by Brandon on January 22nd, 2006 at 1:03 pmDude, how can A2 be hard left when the Zionists totally control the media here?
posted by ann arbor is overrated on January 22nd, 2006 at 1:04 pmAbout the NYTimes this morning–I had the same thought, Dale. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what bookstore the person was talking about. Shaman Drum? Crazy Wisdom? Borders? Barnes and Noble? I’ve only been here for 5 years, but what strikes me about A2 is how ordinary it is. Hard left? Hardly.
posted by Young OWSider on January 22nd, 2006 at 1:04 pmDefinition 2005
Hard-Left
adj.
1) Something your BMW does when you spill hot coffee in your lap.
2) Any political position left of fascist capitalist.
3) A view not found, commonly, in the US. (Try South America)
posted by Andrew on January 23rd, 2006 at 12:51 amSome reputations die hard. I expected to run into way more commie/hippie/pinkos when I moved here, and I know they’re still sort of around, but I think Ann Arbor has certainly become more “conservative” than its reputation would suggest. And I say this as one who is really just not into most leftie causes and (gasp) throws away plastic stuff on a regular basis because I don’t give a crap.
Oh, and as someone who grew up in Metro Detroit, I can second the notion that Susan Ager’s columns suck ass. I don’t think she’s written a word worth reading since… well, ever.
posted by Dave on January 23rd, 2006 at 11:17 am_I’ve only been here for 5 years, but what strikes me about A2 is how ordinary it is. Hard left?_
Well, in terms of, say, the Kerry / Bush ratio in the last election, Ann Arbor is about as far to the left of the curve as any city in the country, I’m pretty sure. But ‘hard left’ as in ‘rainbow people’s party’ reps on city council? No — no place is that hard left any more. It was one thing when lefties were fighting ‘the man’ in positions of power at the U and enjoying the smell of teargas in the morning, and it’s quite another now that lefties occupy virtually all those positions. So now we have to be content with the spectacle of ‘density lefties’ bickering with ‘historic preservation lefties’ and ‘greenway lefties’ (the JPF vs the PFJ).
posted by mw on January 23rd, 2006 at 5:29 pmdon’t forget the “save the tiny tots” lefties.
posted by OFWinsurgent on January 23rd, 2006 at 6:57 pmYeah, how could I forget that everything is always “for the children”?
posted by Dave on January 25th, 2006 at 1:52 pmwhatever
posted by Anonymous on February 10th, 2006 at 9:20 pm