Your Mom Is A Gaffe

Is it wrong that whenever I hear a pundit or news source mention the word "gaffe" in conjunction with a candidate for office, I automatically tune out?

Seriously, I can't think of a major error either candidate has made this campaign. Which makes me think that the media are really just reaching to call something a "gaffe" so they can report on and laugh about it. Case in point: this idiotic screed by Salon's Camille Paglia claiming that Obama's voice is a gaffe. It's too "black" or something. Seriously? That's all you got? How about a nice warm glass of SHUT THE HELL UP?

I'll go ahead and assume that Paglia isn't anti-black, and doesn't seriously think that white people are going to notice that Obama's dropping a few consonants and immediately go burn a cross. But I will say that she's trivializing the campaign. Notice the speech she chose as her example - Obama's retort to stupid Republican tire-gauge attacks, which in my opinion is the most effective speech of the entire campaign by either candidate. This is the reason people don't even vote, much less get involved in politics, people. Things like this just make the whole pursuit look shallow.

I mean, I make fun of crap like this for two reasons. One, because it's funny, and I like the funny. Two, because this blog is read by like nine people. The amount of effort put into opinion writing should be directly proportional to your audience size. More people read Paglia (I'm assuming). The least she could do is not mail it in.