Bad Call

That Charlotte Allen article that everybody was a little miffed/confused about? Yeah, it's not going away. I don't see how the editors at the Post didn't understand that writing an article about how women are stupid is about as funny and enlightening as writing an article about how all Blacks are on welfare or all Jews are shifty or all Hispanics are lazy.

UPDATE: In the piece I linked to, Jay Rosen writes of the Post's decision to host a chat in which Allen would "explain" her piece:

This Allen chat is a deeply confused act. What are the chances that Allen is not going to start defending her arguments as real arguments, her evidence as real evidence? Very slim. And that will undermine the editor’s explanation: this was tongue in cheek, we were just having a little fun with you guys, sorry if we offended…. Besides, where has all the criticism focused? On the Post’s decision to publish the piece. The writer cannot be faulted for that.

Allen's response to the first question:

Washington: When I read this, I immediately thought it was written ironically. Were you surprised that so many people took it literally?

Charlotte Allen: I wouldn't quite use the word "ironic," but yes, I meant to be funny but with a serious point--that women want to be taken seriously but quite often don't act serious. Also, that women and men really are different.

And it's downhill from there.