My Pissing Match with Harry Shearer

I've been a faithful reader of THE HUFFINGTON POST since shortly after it started a few years ago. I also write posts under the name Fearless Freep. (That handle comes from the classic Warner Brothers cartoon HIGH DIVING HARE, in which Fearless Freep was the daredevil who was going to perform the high diving act in Bugs Bunny's show, but he didn't show up, so audience member Yosemite Sam demanded that Bugs do the dive instead, except that Bugs kept arranging it so Sam would do it instead.)

One of that website's regular columnists is comedian Harry Shearer, who moved to New Orleans after Katrina and has written a great deal about reconstruction in the city. Unlike most of the columnists, he often responds to the comments, usually starting with "Harry Responds." (There's an exception below.)

A few weeks ago I asked a question in one comment, resulting in the following exchange. (84 CHARING CROSS ROAD it isn't.)

Fearless Freep: If they built enough high-density housing on the city's higher ground, could New Orleans support the same population--or even more people--without rebuilding in the lower parts? They might then turn the lowest ground into a wetlands park.

HARRY MUSES; I love comments like this. Are you folks aware that New Orleans people, while you sit and theorize about what they should be doing, are slowly, patiently, painstakingly rebuilding their city?

Fearless Freep: Well, that was a rude non-answer.

HARRY RESPONDS: I don't think it was either. The notion you espouse was around as early as the day the waters finally left the city. The problem with it, then as now, is that it would have required someone--feds? city? state?--to say to thousands and thousands of homeowners, "You're not allowed to rebuild your home." Also, if you've ever been to New Orleans, you would know it's not a "high-density housing" kind of city--even the controversial housing projects are only two or three stories tall.

Fearless Freep: So the "muser" finally condescends to explain why my idea was a bad one! (I was supposed to know it without being told, I guess.)Are YOU aware that some of us outside theorizers are hoping to actually make some kind of positive difference in New Orleans? But I guess it's better to just ignore the city and let the residents slowly, patiently, and painstakingly solve their own problems,in the good old Republican way. ("I love comments like this one" indeed! If that's polite, I'm Harry Conick.)

HARRY RESPONDS: Pardon my use of a non-routine verb in my heading. Harry Connick is spelled with two n's, and there are two of them, Jr. and Sr. Outside theorizers should, I propose, know a little bit more about the factual situation in the city if they wish their kibitzing to be greeted with the gratitude you seem to expect. You are "supposed to know" something about the subject you're opining on if you desire to be taken seriously, no?

Fearless Freep: Ooh, correcting the other guy's spelling and usage--that's SO impressive! Yessir, you have to be an intellectual heavyweight to win an argument with Harry Shearer. (He's up there with John Simon and the late SI Hayakawa.)

Just for the record, I never expected "gratitude" for my input. I asked a question and hoped for an answer. I even hoped that I might learn a bit about New Orleans, but it turns out I was supposed to know it already and had to fight for any answer.

Did I want to be "taken seriously"? Who doesn't? But what most posters specifically hope for is a modicum of respect. Your flipness, I propose, was (and is) a poor excuse for "respect." And I think most people would agree on that. You're hardly the only prick in the blogosphere, of course.

Homer Simpson on READER'S DIGEST: "My favorite part is 'Increase Your Word Power.' It's so... so... good!"