behind The Times

Once again, the New York Times exerts its authority as the go-to news source for groundbreaking journalism and unheard of claims on what is gripping society and why (note the sarcasm) with their piece on the allure of vampires. Really? NO! Vampires are popular these days? Good God who the hell would have known that?! Well, just in case you didn't, Ruth la Ferla -- after some arm-twisting from an editor, no doubt -- theorizes:

"Rarely have monsters looked so sultry — or so camera-ready. No small part of this latest vampire mania seems to stem from the ethereal cool and youthful sexiness with which the demons are portrayed. Bela Lugosi they are not."

or how about this gem:

"Given all that baggage, what keeps vampires so alluring? One might point to their combination of deathless good looks and decadent sexuality."

I mean, really? This is what the Style section of the New York Times has to report on? Something that I and even my yet-to-be-conceived child are aware of? I only point this out because it happens ALL THE EFFING TIME in the New York Times these days, particularly The Style section. For a publication of which we are reminded daily in the back of a taxi "the best journalists in the world work at the Times, and there's no denying that," I think I can, without remorse, fucking deny that.

Ok ok, yes they cover all those things that actually, like, matter with the kind of journalistic integrity we've come to know and respect, but maybe that's why instances like these, and when they tell us two fashion seasons too late that shorts are, in fact, in for men, or -- gasp! -- food carts are popular in New York City (weren't we hunting these down last summer?), it just makes me shake my head in disappointment that they are so lagged in reporting any sort of trend. And I get that blogs are raping and leaving for dead the print media, but if the NYT wants to continue to be the NYT they're going to have to up their game in the digital age, because, while I love the daily crossword as if I bore it from my womb, I can't get behind wonky reporting.

SP

p.s. same goes for you, Wall Street Journal!