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Sunday, May 18, 2003
Lots of people, but especially Kaus have been talking about what the Jayson Blair scandal means for young black journalits. One black friend of mine wrote her thoughts:In my brief moment of procrastination, I came across the article about the Jayson Blair scandal. I read all 10 or so pages and all I could think at the end was: damn. I'm not even looking at it on the level of "Oh my God, how could that happen at the Times" as so many seem to. It's more like "shit, my dream is to be a writer, a damned good one, and I'd have killed to have gotten the opportunities Blair got so young and I'm pissed off and frustrated that he would squander those chances in such a malicious and reckless way." As part of my senior essay, I've been exploring how inscriptions on black people (women in particular, in terms of their sexual agency, specifically) limit expression and progress in terms of the formation of agency. Obviously there is no monolithic black identity or responsibility or anything like that, but I can't help but be irritated/annoyed/disappointed that his crazy black ass is plastered all over the media, having done such a stupid thing all on ego, and many won't be so quick to forget this episode when the next kid is legitimately busting their ass trying to make it. And yes, even though I don't know more than what I read and I wouldn't know that guy from anyone, fuck him for being a dick. And that's just how I feel. The grain of salt with this is that while Candice has been black her whole life, this is the first I've heard of career aspirations as a writer (what happened to sociology?). I have to say, just as a young person I think Jayson Blair's screwed all of us over -- and we'll be subject to all kinds of sanctimony from a bunch of old folks and therefore subject to even more unpaid internships, perhaps well into our 20's. At the end of the day, I don't think this will reflect poorly on aspiring black journalists, except at places where race-consciousness is so prevalent that it suffocates the operation -- kind of like at the NYT. As Jack Shafer noted, "thousands of minority programs seem to have produced only one Jayson Blair."
CANDICE OBJECTS TO THE GRAIN OF SALT, says she's wanted to be a writer "since i was 6, shithead," adding, "i don't have to qualify myself for you." She then pointed to this essay attesting to her claim. I love you, Candice, I really do.
Steven I. Weiss 12:46:00 PM
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