It’s no stretch to call Mother Jones and Vanity Fair liberal publications, but an online scuffle between Mother Jones co-editor Clara Jeffrey and Vanity Fair contributing editor Kurt Eichenwald seems to show the two jockeying to prioritize liberal ideals. Can we allow just a little bit of sexist language if it advances the cause of gun control?
Jeffrey offended plenty with her ghoulish reaction to the murder of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, tweeting, “So much for good/talented guy with a gun being able to stop mentally ill guy with a gun.” She wasn’t pleased, though, when Eichenwald steered readers to a blog post entitled, “Clara Jeffrey is a Bitch.”
.@kurteichenwald So you think you're making the world a safer place by pointing your followers to a post that calls a fellow journo a bitch?
— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) February 8, 2013
"@kurteichenwald, Contributing editor, Vanity Fair; NYT bestselling author." And endorses post titled "Clara Jeffery is A Bitch."
— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) February 8, 2013
@vanityfair has lost me as a subscriber. Shameless ref to Sandy Hook victim having jaw blown off by contributing editor while
— Busy Chasing Nick! (@BusyChasingNick) February 8, 2013
Insulting editor of another magazine I read via Twitter is offensive. @vanityfair used to be great. Really gone downhill in past few years.
— Busy Chasing Nick! (@BusyChasingNick) February 8, 2013
Twitchy’s original post on Jeffery’s tasteless tweet managed to compile quite a few people who expressed their disgust in fewer than 140 characters. Eichenwald, who never even called Jeffrey “the B word,” needed quite a few more to respectfully disagree. Reading them all earns you 3 credit hours toward a gender studies degree.
@BusyChasingNick @ClaraJefferye Before u make a decision based on Clara's lying depiction of my impossible to misread tweet, read it urself.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@billgifford @FutureTwitBlog @BrianLandreth @ClaraJeffery Let's see, I said using bitch word was wrong, but point about unseeliness…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@billgifford @FutureTwitBlog @BrianLandreth @ClaraJeffery …of using Kyle death to make point attacking NRA guard argument was right….
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@billgifford @FutureTwitBlog @BrianLandreth @ClaraJeffery …particularly when it was like comparing apples to trapeze artists. No one can..
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
Recommended
@billgifford @FutureTwitBlog @BrianLandreth @ClaraJeffery ..reasonably question where I stand on guns, but Im also committed 2 human decency
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@ClaraJeffery Clara, I can disagree with u. I have the right. & I can disagree with how he attacked u. I have that right. I was clear.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@ClaraJeffery …if u think I should be forced to defend what u SAID when I disagree, just like I disagree w/ what he SAID, then u have…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@ClaraJeffery …dramatically different standards than me. His stupid and atrocious headline and repeated use of the word was wrong. But…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@ClaraJeffery …that doesnt mean I cannot say that the criticism of what YOU said was also wrong.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@ClaraJeffery I separated myself from the hateful rhetoric. But I saw the conversation devolving into solely being about his terrible use…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@ClaraJeffery …of a terrible word. And I condemned that. By saying his critique of what u SAID was valid does not mean I am therefore…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@ClaraJeffery …supporting the very word I condemned.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@MonikaBauerlein @ClaraJeffery ..was ONLY a post attacking Clara, and never raising a point as to why, then thats wrong. I said the EXACT…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@MonikaBauerlein @ClaraJeffery …same thing the other day when people on my feed were making the same argument re: Kyle killing. And…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@MonikaBauerlein @ClaraJeffery …given where I clearly am on the gun issue, the idea that u would try and wrap up my point….
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@MonikaBauerlein @ClaraJeffery …to mean the exact OPPOSITE of what I said is quite disturbing. I believe in reasonable, coherent debate…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@MonikaBauerlein @ClaraJeffery …on this feed, I knock down ppl ALL THE TIME for using words like that to attack ppl. And I knock them…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@MonikaBauerlein @ClaraJeffery …down when I think they have made an unseemly point. U need to read what I write before launching into…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@MonikaBauerlein @ClaraJeffery …an attack on me based on what u WANT to hear, based on ur own dictates of who can say what when, rather…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@MonikaBauerlein @ClaraJeffery …than what I actually said.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@MonikaBauerlein @ClaraJeffery Because debate is not about the person who said it or how it was said. I agreed w/ his POINT, not with him.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@MonikaBauerlein @ClaraJeffery If we are 2 wrapped up in ourselves, rather than in the IMPORTANT issue at hand, then we accomplish nothiong
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@MonikaBauerlein @ClaraJeffery …I believe that making unseemly arguments undermines the debate by purposely infuriating the other side…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@MonikaBauerlein @ClaraJeffery …the photo on my page is of Noah Pozner, buried without a jaw or a left hand. THATS what I care about…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@MonikaBauerlein @ClaraJeffery …not whether someone used improper and terrible words to make a valid point. I will fight for the kids…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@MonikaBauerlein @ClaraJeffery …And I will say whatever I think needs to be said to make this country a safer place. And if that means…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@MonikaBauerlein @ClaraJeffery …agreeing with a point made by a pig, than thats what I'll do. I care about Noah, not Clara's feelings.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
.@kurteichenwald So you think you're making the world a safer place by pointing your followers to a post that calls a fellow journo a bitch?
— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) February 8, 2013
.@kurteichenwald Where's the line for you? If he'd called me a cunt? A whore? A slut?
— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) February 8, 2013
@ClaraJeffery Clara, get over urself. I came in to move a debate back onto the issue at hand- was it unseemly 2 make the pt. u made. It was.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@kurteichenwald @ClaraJeffery When the headline is calling a woman a bitch that IS the debate at hand.
— Just a Porg. Black Lives Matter (@SpringaldJack) February 8, 2013
Here's the thing @kurteichenwald: all you had to do was tweet you disagreed w/ what I did. On your own. No post calling me a bitch attached.
— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) February 8, 2013
@ClaraJeffery Let me ask — I think it is HORRIBLE that u used Ryan's death to make a valid point. If I say it in the context of that…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@ClaraJeffery …discussion, then I am agreeing w/ Josh's point. To do so, I have to separate myself from HOW he said it. Which I did…..
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@ClaraJeffery …if that doesnt meet up with ur beliefs on how everyone should behave, Im sorry. But this issue is too important to me…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@ClaraJeffery …than to stand by and watch ppl turn it into a sideshow about the use of the word "bitch." Because, when it comes right…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@ClaraJeffery …down to it, Noah's jaw wasn't blown off because someone was mean to u. It happened because we have been unable…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@ClaraJeffery …2 bridge the gap between 2 sides of a political debate, because both try as hard as they can to outsleaze the other.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@SpringaldJack @ClaraJeffery Yes, what matter is the word bitch. Not whether we can bridge a divide to keep kids being killed. Shame on u.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@SpringaldJack @ClaraJeffery Folks, get the point. If u dont like what I did, fine. But try to recognize where it came from. Cause….
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@SpringaldJack @ClaraJeffery …from the moment of Newtown, I havent given a DAMN about offending ppl, if it is done with respect…..
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@SpringaldJack @ClaraJeffery ….whats his face didnt do that. Which is why I condemned him for it. But if u weigh the use of the word…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@SpringaldJack @ClaraJeffery …bitch against making a point, that in my belief, makes it harder to get protect kids, I know which one…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@SpringaldJack @ClaraJeffery ….matters the most to me.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@digby56 @ClaraJeffery I did not retweet his post. I responded to the last tweeter. Is ANYTHING u ppl say based on what happened?
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@ScottMadin @ClaraJeffery Clara, if u believe I was endorsing the word bitch — which i specifically said i wasnt — then I apologize….
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@ScottMadin @ClaraJeffery However, I wont apologize 4 endorsing an argument that what u did was unseemly. Cause I believe it is destructive.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
This is unbelievable. U ppl are attacking me for point I never made, because I made an argument in a way u didnt like. I cant apologize …
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@ClaraJeffery …what I said cause I still believe: use of the word bitch was terrible. But point about unseemliness of using Ryan murder…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@ClaraJeffery I apologize for appearing to endorse the word bitch. I NEVER did. But again, this issue is so important to me that I care…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@ClaraJeffery ….FAR FAR more about whether the debate on gun control stays on track. And because I believed ur point knocked things off…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@ClaraJeffery …track, I had to give voice to that. Appearing to endorse whatever his name was was apparently a misleading way to do it….
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@ClaraJeffery …but I wanted to get that conversation back to being about what I consider the issue that literally can mean life and death.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@awoo_ @ClaraJeffery I cant truthfully apologize for my main point. I can ONLY apologize for apparently not being clear that word was wrong.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@ClaraJeffery If that was sincere (tweet sarcasm's sometimes hard 2 read), thank you for ur kudos. I will not relent on the gun topic. Ever.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@awoo_ @ClaraJeffery How can I apologize for saying the use of the word bitch was wrong, but the point about unseemliness was right?
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@digby56 Last time. I was trying 2 put a conversation back on track 2 the important topic. I specifically CONDEMNED his use of word bitch.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
Here's the thing: PPl can disagree w/ me about whether the point vis a vis the Ryan death is right. That is what my feed is about: debate..
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@anneturner79 @ClaraJeffery …but to try and put words and meaning in my mouth when I said the opposite is wrong.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
Im going to say this 1 more time, then stop. I did not endorse the post. Ever. I agreed with the point that using Ryans death was unseemly.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@musicaltypist I am happy to answer questions about what I was actually saying. There are several reasons I believe it was unseemly…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@musicaltypist …the Ryan shooting was an exceptional circumstance, one with facts that dont fit into any broader pattern. When u use…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@musicaltypist …it to make a broader point, u are opening a door to vast arguments about an irrelevancy. Just like when gunners…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@musicaltypist …use points that undermine their own arguments. My goal is to win over those who believe everyone is after their guns…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@musicaltypist …based on the delusions sold to them by the NRA. When gun control folks make arguments that seem to be belittling a man…
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@musicaltypist …(sorry, the DEATH of a man) considered by gunners to be almost a hero, a wedge is being driven in that feeds into the….
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@musicaltypist …next NRA newsletter. They are ALWAYS looking for ways to rile up their members. That is the only way they can make money..
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@musicaltypist …so when that door is opened to allow for the NRA to use a new wedge, I want to fight it. And that is what is most …
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
@musicaltypist …important to me.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 8, 2013
Unbelievable.
— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) February 8, 2013
Yes, @kurteichenwald: You alone feel the horror of Newtown. You alone are our muse. You alone choose the high road. (Sexism not included)
— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) February 8, 2013
.@kurteichenwald. Seriously, for the sake of all of us, stop digging.
— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) February 8, 2013
It’s a bit too late to stop digging, or to prevent the sideshow. So, this is what the national conversation on guns looks like from the Left?
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