Thoroughly Appropriate Ass-Kicking of Aaron Sorkin

[alcibiades_mystery]

"Aaron Sorkin is why people hate liberals. He’s a smug, condescending know-it-all who isn’t as smart as he thinks he is. His feints toward open-mindedness are transparently phony, he mistakes his opinion for common sense, and he’s preachy. Sorkin has spent years fueling the delusional self-regard of well-educated liberals. He might be more responsible than anyone else for the anti-democratic “everyone would agree with us if they weren’t all so stupid” attitude of the contemporary progressive movement. ..."

----SNIP-----

"The hero, now, is a man who calls a date a “bitch” for caring about reality-TV stars, and his creator is a man who said this to a newspaper reporter: “‘Listen here, Internet girl,’ he says, getting up. ‘It wouldn’t kill you to watch a film or pick up a newspaper once in a while.’”

That’s what Sorkin thinks of basically every woman and every person under 50. He hates everything frivolous — “frivolous” is womanly things like gossip and fashion and television not created by Aaron Sorkin but explicitly not, say, sports — and McAvoy’s war on frivolity extends to what Jane Fonda’s network owner refers to as “human interest” material on, say, obesity. (Which is obviously, in our reality, a very real and complex problem, but whatever.) The villain of episode 4 is a lady gossip columnist (well, her and the lady owner of the network). This is a pretty fundamental misreading of the purpose and history of “the news,” which is not actually wise men sternly lecturing you about what you need to know even if you don’t care about it. In episode 2, Mortimer kills the outgoing producer’s “The Day in YouTube” segment — it’s not NEWS!! — as if comics, crosswords and box scores didn’t sell newspapers during the couple decades of objective mass news reporting we now look back on as a golden age."

----SNIP----

Oh, the rest is awesome, too. Read more:

http://www.salon.com/2012/07/19/aaron_sorkin_versus_frivolity/

So great!

[leftynyc]

1. His show makes the media look like shit

and they are not happy about it.

[TheWraith]

38. I'll give the author this: Sorkin *is* extremely smug and self-righteous at times.

And he has a bad tendency in some cases to essentially write strawman characters for "the other side" of something he has a strong opinion on in order to justify his ridicule, which is a bad habit--and a crutch he really doesn't need, since he's perfectly capable of writing sympathetic antagonist characters. Jack Rudolph on Studio 60 was a perfect example.

Personally, while I'm enjoying The Newsroom, I don't think it's as good out of the gate as Studio 60 was. (Of course that's a pretty high bar--Studio 60 was pretty much pitch-perfect every episode for the entire run of the show.) Still, The West Wing struggled with the same kind of thing now and then, especially in the first season when he was still trying to get a grip on the overall tone and tenor.

[leftynyc]

46. I also was a big Studio 60 fan

Thought it was the best show I had seen in many years (and still feel that way). I knew it never stood a chance. I'm afraid that while I've tivoed the series so far, I haven't gotten a chance to watch it yet. But my mom likes it a lot and she's a pretty good judge. I'll always give a Sorkin show a chance and to be honest, I wouldn't know him if I fell over him. I'll take an extremely smug and self righteous person I never see or have to deal with any day over the drivel that's on tv these days.

[democrat_patriot]

2. I like Newsroom.

Sounds like Salon is taking the attack on newspapers and internet news a little personally.

And yes, people that like the tea party are stupid. Really stupid. And how does Salon defend the Real housewives of Jersey Shore for godsakes?

[Esse Quam Videri]

3. This is one of the best shows since West Wing

IMHO

[Bandit]

4. I happen to like Aaron Sorkin and love most of his productions

I loved West Wing until Aaron left and it became right wing. It ended very shortly after that because the audience left.. Haven't yet seen any Newsroom but from reports I have heard it is excellent..

[scheming daemons]

5. the show is absolutely fantastic and this writer is full of shit

It puts the RW media cabal in its place and they hate Sorkin for it.

This show is outstanding, as was West Wing.

Don't let the right wing media cabal tell you different.

[Bluenorthwest]

6. The show does not have a 'hero' it has a deeply flawed protaganist.

To conflate the words of a character constructed for story telling dynamics with what that author 'thinks of people' is an error that verges on illiteracy.

[leveymg]

7. You gotta better alternative to Sorkin's liberals? Like what, Fox? The CBS News with Katie Couric?

Is every portrayal of the media now supposed to include a sympathetic casting of conservatives in the newsroom?

"Fair and unbiased"? No, thank you.

[Spazito]

8. LOL, someone's in a snit...

it only makes me like Aaron Sorkin even more! If the author of this pathetic piece had even a smidgeon of Mr. Sorkin's talent he wouldn't be limited to hit pieces on Salon.com.

[madmom]

9. I just recently returned to

HBO for two reasons, 1 Game of Thrones (saw season 1 on dvd..nuff said) 2. News Room (all the hype made me very curious)
Last night was the first time I saw News Room, other than clips. I think I will be staying, at least for awhile. Excellent show!

[Comrade_McKenzie]

10. Oh, please. We need MORE liberals like Aaron Sorkin...

And more radio and TV liberals like Mike Malloy.

[Atman]

11. Nothing "thoroughly appropriate" about it.

The "media" hates this show because it exposes them for the total douche bags that most of us already knew they were. Do you think there would be a lot of praise from DU if Sorkin wrote a show about assholes on liberal message boards? They are just circling the wagons, protecting their own. It is to be expected.

More than likely, a lot of the weird 'relationship' aspects of the show are also based upon real people, which probably pisses off the reviewers even more.

ON EDIT: Sorry, I just have to add...that Salon review is one of the worst piece of shit reviews I've ever read. The writer seems to have no clue about the subject about which she is writing.

[Ruby the Liberal]

12. The show is Meh, but I disagree with this assessment.

If anything, it needs more of the newsroom aspect of the storyline and less of the fakey relationship drama that pervades every single verbal exchange. That part is really getting annoying.

[Blue_In_AK]

13. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

My thoughts exactly. I really can't take all the interpersonal "drama" going on there. I've tried to like this show, but it just seems pretentious to me.

I guess I'm not a good liberal.

[Atman]

14. That's what I posted about last week's show, but...

Even though I was annoyed about all the sex drama in the beginning, there was actually a reason for it, in terms of the plot. And I don't doubt that, the way Sorkin does his research, there are very true elements in there. It's not just about the news itself, it's about how things get on the air in the first place. It's only been four shows...let it play out a bit. We're not even halfway through the first act. Let's see where it goes.

[Blue_In_AK]

20. Well, I haven't given up on it yet,

I'm just having a hard time getting "sucked in." I'm more of a Breaking Bad person.

[Atman]

23. I'm just working this until Shameless comes back.

That's my guilty pleasure.

[Blue_In_AK]

40. I like Shameless a lot,

although having formerly been married to an alcoholic for several years, I find some of it hits a little too close to home for comfort.

[Atman]

42. People rave about Sorkin's writing, but Shameless is just amazing.

I hope your old SO wasn't as bad as Frank Gallagher. That show just blows my mind. I think Republicans should be forced to watch it, then take a quiz to see if they understand what real life is like for people who don't have dancing ponies.

.

[Blue_In_AK]

43. Not quite,

but we did have some drama, more than I wanted at this stage in my life. He's been out of my life for 10 years, and I don't miss him at all.

[bluedigger]

24. Same here.

It's a little formulaic/predictable, and where's the skin? It's HBO!

[southernyankeebelle]

27. I love the show.

[cali]

17. I agree. I liked the first episode but I think

they've been increasingly snoozeworthy.

[Enrique]

15. I loved A Few Good Men

I didnt like the West Wing and have basically the same attitude about it as this writer. I didnt like the big Newsroom speech like so many people do. And in general I enjoy negative reviews like this, the only problem is it can cause some people that like the show not to like it anymore. But I guess people will survive.

[muriel_volestrangler]

28. A question about A Few Good Men: is the Jack Nicholson character regarded as a hero in the USA?

I always thought the "you can't handle the truth!" speech was meant to be a self-important blowhard making himself look ridiculous. But some comments I've seen recently made it sound as if most people thought he was being 'righteous'. Is it just a liberal v. conservative thing?

[Enrique]

32. I love that question

the answer is yes, see this Freeper thread. They find it ironic that Nicholson is a liberal after playing such a character.

It is a tribute to Sorkin that he wrote Jessup so faithfully, I listened to him and I heard a persuasive conservative argument, not a cartoon. Also a tribute that it is still worth talking about even after everyone has seen it a million times on TBS.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2713997/posts

[muriel_volestrangler]

44. Maybe it comes from the basic attitude to Guantanamo

I saw it as a fairly ridiculous situation - manning a base on Cuba just as a big 'fuck you' to Castro - and so someone making claims about how damn brave they all are staying there seemed a buffoon.

[HangOnKids]

16. Weird Post You Used To Be Cool n/t

[alcibiades_mystery]

34. Aw Damn Son!

[HangOnKids]

39. Knock Yourself Out AM

No skin off my nose.

[kwassa]

18. I think Newsroom is a very entertaining liberal fantasy show.

If only the world really worked like this.

There are elements of "Network" in this treatment of media; Jeff Daniels is mad as hell and isn't going to take it anymore. I also like the dialogue Sorkin writes, very much in a screwball comedy vein. I was reminded of The Front Page, the old Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell movie. I stick with it because it is fun, not because it is plausible.

I think the reviewer in Salon is way off base.

[Iggo]

19. The lead Character is an asshole, and he's written that way.

[bullwinkle428]

21. This piece sounds like it could have been penned P.J. O'Rourke -

the ultimate "cleverer-than-thou" wing-nut.

[Coexist]

29. remember Dennis Whats-his-face

....

[BOG PERSON]

22. it's a bad show

i wish LUCK didn't have to get canceled... even though canceling it was the right thing to do.

[kentuck]

25. I can't believe some of the posts here sometimes...

If someone just stumbled in, they would think half the people here are FOX news watchers. It embarrassing.

[stopbush]

37. Not really. Sorki's shows are basically unnuanced caricatures of liberalism, as much so

as are RW caricatures that sit at the polar opposite.

[TheWraith]

41. Not universally, but he has a bad habit of drifting towards that.

And the closer he gets, the worse his work generally is on a dramatic level, since drama comes from conflict. If you have everyone broken down into good guys whose every move is good, and bad guys whose every move is bad, that's not really drama. Drama thrives on deep and complex characters.

[southernyankeebelle]

26. Touchy touchy. Love Sorkin and Newsroom. Funny how all the news outlets hate it

because he speaks to the truth. MSM doesn't like that to much. I say keep it up Sorkin. I am not a fan of Political animal.

[Coexist]

30. ummm. Sorkin writes for characters he created

they are not all supposed to be channelling him. Weird ass review.

[stopbush]

31. On the money. This show is a joke and an embarrassment to progressives.

[Atman]

33. All the news show HATE IT. Therefore, it's most likely spot on.

Seriously...it makes them look like fools. No wonder it gets bad reviews. I think it one of the best new shows on the television thingy.

[sabrina 1]

35. I hate to be the grammar police and generally refrain from taking on that role, but:

The villain of episode 4 is a lady gossip columnist (well, her and the lady owner of the network).

'Her and the lady owner of the network' ? 'Her' is the villain of episode 4?

Mmm, maybe Sorkin is not being arrogant, just factual in pointing out the inadequacies of the media?

[6000eliot]

36. I kind of get what this is saying about Sorkin's smugness of tone.

On the other hand, the show is very well-written and the local news relies FAR too much on Youtube videos.

[FarLeftFist]

45. Huh? Will McEvoy is a REPUBLICAN on the show.